FACULTY & STAFF E-UPDATE
Action: Verify your Well-Being Incentive Reward is complete for you and your spouse (if applicable). Log in today to confirm status and finish any remaining requirements before April 1. Visit LiveWellSD
Click here for the FY26 Biometric Screening Form
Important Information
To view the recording of the LiveWellSD presentation that was held on February 24th, please reach out to Human Resources to request the video.
Contact: EmpHealthOffice@state.sd.us or 605-773-3148
Visit: https://www.sd.gov/bhra or LiveWellSD
🎉 Call for Nominations: Annual Employee Recognition Event 🎉
We are thrilled to kick off the nomination period for our Annual Employee Recognition Event—a time to celebrate the remarkable contributions and achievements of our colleagues!
This event honors individuals who exemplify dedication, innovation, and teamwork in their roles. We invite all employees to take a moment to reflect on the outstanding efforts of their peers and submit nominations for those who have truly made a difference.
🏆 Individual winners will each receive a $500 award!
📅 Awards will be presented at the State of the University this fall.
You may nominate multiple colleagues across different categories if you feel they meet the criteria. Nomination forms and award descriptions can be found at the BHSU Experience page (https://experience.elluciancloud.com/bsu945/). Please look under the "BH Employee Links" card to find all nomination forms.
🗓️ Deadline for nominations: Friday, May 15, 2026
📧 Submit nominations to: BHSUHumanResources@bhsu.edu
📞 Questions? Contact HR at: 605.642.6549 or via email.
Let’s recognize and celebrate the incredible talent and dedication within our university community!
As part of Goal 3 of the University’s Strategic Plan, Black Hills State University participates in an institution-wide Employee Satisfaction Survey. The data we receive from this survey is beneficial as we continue the process of creating the best workplace possible for our employees. Survey topics include work quality, communication, management, workplace culture, benefits, and many other subjects.
On Tuesday, March 31st, the 2026 Employee Satisfaction Survey will be distributed to our employees over email. You will receive an invitation with details about the survey, including instructions on how to log in to complete it. This invitation will be sent to you from ModernThink, from the email address: surveys@modernthink.net.
When you receive the invitation, please take a moment to complete the survey. This is a chance to make your voice heard, and a high response rate helps ensure an accurate representation of our community. At the close of the survey, we will receive reports that summarize the organizational competencies and relationships that most directly impact and influence our culture.
The survey is voluntary and completely confidential; the university will not be able to trace results back to individuals. Your survey will be processed by ModernThink LLC, an independent management consulting firm focusing on workplace quality in higher education. They can be reached at 888.684.4658 or at surveys@modernthink.net.
We encourage everyone’s participation and hope you will take this opportunity to share your honest feedback! Thank you, in advance, for your participation. Please contact Kathy.Johnson@BHSU.edu and Garrett.Stevens@BHSU.edu if you have any questions.
Is your office missing that special something? Need a place to store paperwork, snacks, office secrets, or the hopes and dreams of future organization?
Look no further!
The Student Financial Aid Office is clearing out some classic, well-loved filing cabinets, and they are FREE to a good home. That’s right - $0.00, no FAFSA required.
Features include:
📂 Four drawers for maximum stuff-hoarding potential
🛠️ Authentic “vintage office” aesthetic
🔑 Keys may or may not be included (adds mystery and excitement!)
Important Details:
First come, first served
Must be willing to pick up
Cabinets come as-is
Price: FREE
Value: Debatable
Storage Potential: Endless
Please mark your calendars to attend the Spring Town Hall:
Thursday, April 30, 2026
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Student Union - Jacket Legacy Room (upper level of the Union)
Help us raise money for the Christian Ladd-Hall Scholarship by donating in the name of a professor of your choice. The professor with the most donations by March 26 will get a whipped cream pie to the face 😌
💻 Ways to donate:
• Donate online through the Psi Chi website (email proof of donation + the professor’s name to Hadley)
• Venmo - @bhsupsychclub
Join us at our Pie Social on March 26 with students and professors to find out who gets pied and watch it happen live 🥧🎉
All for a great cause—don’t miss it!
Check out @bhsupsichi on Instagram to find the flyer!
Greetings,
We are writing to inform the campus community that Black Hills State University’s institutional subscription to the Read&Write and OrbitNote software suite officially concluded on March 1, 2026.
Because this was a campus-wide tool, if you have noticed the software is no longer active, we want to help you transition to alternative solutions.
Next Steps for All Users:
We want to ensure everyone has the support they need to finish the semester strong.
Dear BHSU Faculty and Staff,
Application forms to apply for Summer Host positions with BHSU Summer Conferences are now available on Jacket Connect (click Knowledge Base, Residence LIfe, and then Summer Conference Employment Applications).
Forms are pdf, fillable on computer, and must be turned in to the Summer Conferences Office in Student Union 105A with a current resume by 5pm on March 25.
For a link to access the applications or with any questions, please email Nancy.Shuck@bhsu.edu. These full-time, on-campus positions start immediately after school ends in May and end in mid-August; summer hosts receive free housing for the summer.
University Marketing & Communications will be hosting a faculty and staff headshot session on Tuesday, March 24 from 11:00am-1:00pm in the photography studio located downstairs in the Library.
Professional headshots are used across university websites, directories, and promotional materials, so this is a great opportunity to update your profile photo.
You can find additional details and sign up here:
https://support.bhsu.edu/TDClient/30/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=743
The HR office is pleased to offer another employee benefits fair! The Employee Benefits Trail - Mapping Out What Matters Most will take place on April 1 in the Jacket Legacy Room from 10AM - 1PM.
The South Dakota Retirement System, benefit providers, financial planners, and local community health and wellness providers will be available in the Jacket Legacy Room from 10AM - 1PM to meet with you regarding their products and services. Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Dakota and flex plan benefit providers will be available to discuss insurance options. There will also be opportunities to attend an SDRS presentation. This event is a great way to learn from the experts. A drawing is planned for attending various booths and we have some exciting door prizes; you won’t want to miss out! Stay tuned for more information about our Benefits Fair!!
SDRS will have retirement planners available for one-on-one appointments. If you are considering retirement in the next 5 years, are new to the system, or have other questions about your SDRS benefits, you are encouraged to meet with the Retirement Planners. Please email BHSUHumanResources@bhsu.edu, stop by in person, or call Human Resources at 642-6549 to schedule an appointment with a Retirement Planner. Seating is limited.
This event is open to all Black Hills State University and State of South Dakota employees, their spouses, and students.
Want to make some art with recycled materials but need a little help coming up with an idea? Or have a few cool items that are repurposed and need some hot glue to stick them together? Join art professor Bridget Beck in the library Wednesday March 18th from 11-12 or Wednesday April 1st from 11-12. The library has some awesome items that are waiting for someone to make into a piece of recycled art.
Please join us on Mondays at 4:00 p.m. in Jonas 110.
(We're also looking for Geek Speakers for fall 2026, too, so please send a note my way if you're interested.
March 23: Dr. Tina Van Kley:“Hitler's British Fangirl: Unity Mitford and the Appeals of Fascism”
Unity Mitford was an English debutante in the 1930s, the youngest daughter of a minor British aristocrat. Her name is not one that most Americans are likely to know, unless you’ve seen the recent UK tv series Outrageous (2025). Her story is wild, however, and she is infamous for her commitment to fascism and, most notably, her obsession with Adolf Hitler. At one point, she was rumored to be his fiancée and is thought to have met with him more often than any other British person. Her diaries from 1935-1939 were published in January 2025 in The Daily Mail, and offer new insights into her pursuit of “the dear Fuhrer,” as she referred to Hitler. More broadly, her diaries and letters shed light on the appeal of fascism to young women at the time, and can help us better understand the resilience of this ideology, even after WWII.
March 30: Greg Strobel: “Slow Tourism and Human Powered Travel”
This Geek Speak will discuss the concept of 'Slow Tourism' and emphasize human powered travel as the method for the concept. It will provide insight into understanding the mindset, introduce different methods of travel, and highlight some fun examples from personal experience.
April 13: Dr. Courtney Huse Wika (Please note the change in date): “A Poet’s Guide to Foraging: Creating Found Poetry”
In honor of National Poetry Month, this hands-on workshop will introduce the art of Found Poetry. Together, we’ll practice two distinct approaches, foraging from texts that already exist: the overheard, the discarded, the official and the everyday, and the overlooked. We will test how meaning shifts when language is lifted, reordered, and reframed. No prior experience is required. Bring yourself (and maybe a friend!)—and a desire to create.
Questions? Contact Courtney.HuseWika@BHSU.edu
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