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Jack the Jackrabbit wasn’t in the delivery room when Dave and Elaine Gullickson’s three children were born, but that was about the only time they weren’t surrounded by a Yellow and Blue influence. Between going to sporting events, watching the Hobo Day parade, visiting the Dairy Bar and climbing Coughlin Campanile, the Gullickson children were frequently experiencing South Dakota State University. So, when it came time for Michele, Lori and Jeff to choose a college, it’s not surprising they stayed in Brookings and chose Jackrabbits for spouses. Fast forward a generation and eight of Dave and Elaine’s grandchildren also have become SDSU graduates or are attending SDSU. That’s why when it came time for the SDSU Alumni Association to choose its 2025 Family of the Year, the Gullicksons' nomination was impossible to ignore. The family will be honored at a March 1 awards luncheon at the Alumni Center and then at the women’s basketball game versus St. Thomas that afternoon.

Sgt. Wade Oorlog of the South Dakota State University Police Department was among 257 law enforcement officers who graduated in December from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

State A Thon, South Dakota State University’s Dance Marathon program that supports Children’s Miracle Network, has been awarded $5,000 from SCHEELS of Sioux Falls. State A Thon was selected as part of SCHEELS’ 2024 Giving Campaign, in which 10 area nonprofits were awarded $5,000 apiece, based on 11,000 online votes. The voting period was from Nov. 21-Dec. 1.

Selections for the third class of Future Innovators of America Fellowships have been announced by the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering.

Each winter, a special corner of South Dakota State University’s campus comes alive with light and cheer. It feels like something straight out of a holiday film — twinkling lights, festive music, crisp winter air and families and friends coming together to celebrate. The magical scene is set at McCrory Gardens, where Garden Glow transforms the landscape into a winter wonderland, with thousands of sparkling lights illuminating the path.

South Dakota State University was awarded a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support Native American students through the USDA’s New Beginnings for Tribal Students program. The grant, issued by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, aims to increase the retention and graduation of tribal students attending land-grant universities.

The Child and Family Resource Network at South Dakota State University is hosting its next “Common-Sense Parenting” class series starting Jan. 7. The free, six-class series is designed for parents and individuals who engage with school-age children, kindergarten through 12th grade.

Three members of the South Dakota State University School of Design have completed a collaborative project with the Brookings School District. Instructor of landscape architecture Jeremiah Bergstrom and landscape architecture students Isabelle Plagge and Cerington Jones worked together to assist the Brookings schools.

Seniors in Michael Twedt’s Renewable Energy Systems class got a close look at what it takes to bring renewable natural gas to a viable market during a tour of NorthWestern Energy’s renewable natural gas receipt facility at the north edge of Brookings Nov. 19. The 24 mechanical engineering majors got an opportunity to “see the working systems that we discuss in class,” Twedt said. That included monitoring equipment to ensure the methane that originates at area diaries has been processed to pipeline quality and odorizing equipment to give odorless gas its rotten egg smell.

The South Dakota Art Museum and Brookings Arts Council invite visitors to their final Community Art Day of the year on Saturday, Dec. 7. This free event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the South Dakota Art Museum, located at 1036 Medary Ave. in Brookings.