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The SDSU Alumni Association and SDSU Foundation will consolidate into one organization based on a unanimous vote in the first-ever joint meeting of their respective boards. 

The SDSU Alumni and Foundation will become effective Jan. 1, 2026. 

“I appreciate the forward-thinking approach of the two organizations to serve SDSU well into the future,” South Dakota State University President Barry Dunn said. “They have supported the university since their humble beginnings and today charted an exciting path for the future. It is another reason to be excited about the road ahead for SDSU.” 

The university’s two largest supporting organizations have long shared a common mission, but with separate staff and governing boards. The SDSU Alumni Association was founded in the late 1880s; the SDSU Foundation was created in 1945. The two have operated under the same roof since 2017, when the Lohr Building was expanded to accommodate the Alumni Center. 

Leaders have discussed the idea of consolidation since that time but started to more seriously explore it following the close of the foundation’s historic Bold & Blue comprehensive campaign in April 2024. 

“While many of our peers and stretch peers have made this decision out of necessity, we are making this decision at our strongest,” said Steve Erpenbach, president and CEO of the SDSU Foundation. “Both organizations are healthier than they have ever been, and the relationship between the two organizations has never been more aligned. The SDSU brand has never been stronger, so this move makes sense for us as we look to best serve SDSU into the future. Now is the right time.” 

“This consolidation allows us to grow strategically together,” said Andi Fouberg, president and CEO of the SDSU Alumni Association. “Our teams work together every day; our collaboration has never been more seamless than it has been over the past eight years. Throughout this process we have used a stoplight image to measure whether we should continue, pause or stop. The light remained bright green throughout the process. Our alumni, donors and friends see the possibilities in this consolidation.”