Leahy chosen for Professional Staff Award for Excellence

A passion for South Dakota State University motivates Susie Leahy in her role as a professional academic advisor and recruiter for the College of Nursing in Rapid City. 

Leahy’s efforts in working with nursing students in Rapid City and traveling the western United States to recruit future students has earned her the 2024 College of Nursing Professional Staff Award for Excellence. 

On wining the award, Leahy said she appreciates her peers recognizing the work that she has been doing but also recognizes it has been a team effort and there are many in the College of Nursing who are deserving of recognition. 

“We built it up from scratch,” she said. “It's a good recognition to have the people I work with see what I'm doing.” 

Her role within the college has two parts: working with current students as an academic advisor and recruiting future Jackrabbits nursing students for RN, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs. 

In a nomination letter for the award, Gale Folsland, assistant director of nursing student services in Rapid City, described Leahy as cheerful, optimistic, easygoing and reliable. 

“The networking she engages in has already reaped benefits for the College of Nursing,” Folsland said in the letter. “She’s helped establish relationships locally, regionally, and even on a national level.” 

Leahy says her favorite part of her job is watching student successes. In her office, she prints and hangs up emails from students thanking her for her efforts in helping them through their college career. 

“That's the favorite part of my job that,” Leahy said. “When I'm in Walmart and one of the students who just passed the (National Council Licensure Examination) comes up to me and is so excited, it's so amazing.” 

She has also traveled the country sharing the opportunities of SDSU nursing in Rapid City. With a recruitment area of “Pierre and west,” she has taken SDSU’s story to Alaska, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota and Montana, as well as West River recruitment in South Dakota. 

Since starting her role in 2022, she says she has taken recruitment efforts from “throwing it at the wall and seeing what sticks” to a more formal and intentional recruitment effort. 

By establishing partnerships, she reaches students as early as eighth grade to share what SDSU nursing has to offer, though she says her work is not yet complete. 

“Developing the recruitment plan was a big thing, but now we need to refine it,” Leahy said. “So, it's not done yet. For right now, I'm really happy with what we've done. I don't think it's enough.” 

In addition to her official role with SDSU, she serves as the secretary for the West River Jacks, an SDSU Alumni Association group. 

She sees the connection between alumni and prospective students and actively seeks out nursing alums to help with recruitment efforts. 

“I think it boiled down to, I wouldn't be where I am right now if it wasn't for SDSU,” Leahy said. “That makes me incredibly grateful to SDSU and makes me want to give back.” 

Her background is rooted in student success efforts working for Dakota Wesleyan University and the South Dakota Board of Regents University Center in Rapid City prior to landing at her alma mater. 

She graduated from SDSU with a bachelor’s degree in history with a teaching specialization and a Master of Education in counseling and human resource development specializing in administration of student affairs. She also has a doctoral Ed.D. from the University of South Dakota.