FACULTY & STAFF E-UPDATE

Please join us to celebrate a successful academic year and to wish our retirees well in their new endeavors.

Food and refreshments will be available.

Tuesday, April 28

3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Open House

The Joy Center

We are joined by The Joy Center, BHSU, and Spearfish 4-H for our first 2026 Trash Clean up! Please join us in keeping Spearfish Beautiful!

DATE: Wednesday April 29, 2026

TIME: 5:45 pm to 7:00 pm MDT

LOCATION: St Joe Street and Spearfish Creek/Rec Path

DISTANCE: approx. 1 mile from the starting point for each crew. We will clean both sides of the road.

TOTAL MILEAGE CLEANED: 2

PARKING: Meet in The Joy Center parking lot

*We have some vests to use from the State if you'd like. If not, please wear a bright colored shirt that is easily seen. We will equip children with vests first. After all, they are our future!

*We will have gloves available along with trash grabbers and hand sanitizer. Buckets are courtesy of TUF Storm Restoration and Quiksigns! Feel free to bring your own gloves, hand sanitizer, and another protective gear you feel is important to your safety.

*Children must be supervised. Please use your best judgment on the appropriate age for your children to participate. Parents/Legal guardians are the only responsible party for their child/children's safety.

*Please NO pets at this event.

*Please respect private property - do not go through fences, open fences, or walk through yards.

Why? We have a beautiful community and beautiful planet. We have a responsibility to be kind to our planet so future generations can enjoy her like we do. We need to be the change we want to see in others.

This month's Cleanup is Sponsored & Directed by Donald Hlava of United Country Real Estate & Ag Land Brokers.

Thank you to our sponsors for providing the equipment needed to safely collect trash:

TUF Storm Restoration

QuikSigns

Join this workshop to explore a new accessibility resource on campus: Panorama. Yuja's Panorama accessibility tool provides a way for instructors (or staff) to quickly evaluate how accessible their digital content is and remediate simple accessibility barriers.

In the session, we'll access the Yuja Panorama tool (which is integrated within D2L), interact with the accessibility Dashboard, view the Accessibility Report tool, and use Panorama to fix some inaccessible content. Attendees will leave familiar with this tool and better able to identify common accessibility barriers within digital content widely used at BHSU.

Note that staff are welcome to attend. Please RSVP as early as possible so that we can arrange for you to have access to the Panorama tool in advance of the workshop.

When: Thursday, April 16 3:30-4:30pm

Where: JA 103A (RSVP for Online Option)

RSVP for this event

Fukushima was deeply affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, and its communities continue to rebuild with resilience and determination. However, the realities of this recovery and the region’s unique culture remain little known outside Japan.

This event will highlight Fukushima’s ongoing recovery, the strength of its people, and its rich community-based culture.

In addition to learning, the event will feature hands-on experiences such as making giant sushi rolls as well as tastings of sake and food from Fukushima.

Through cultural experiences and engaging presentations, come discover Fukushima today—and explore what it means to build stronger, more resilient communities for the future.

-Event Details-

Event time: Saturday, Apr. 25, 4:00-6:00

Guest Speaker: Jake Price

Experience: Make a giant sushi roll (Daiyamaki)

Enjoy: Sample sake & local foods

Jake Price is a filmmaker, photographer, and educator focused on climate change and its impact on communities worldwide. He has documented Fukushima’s post-disaster recovery, with work featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, BBC, and Rolling Stone, and has received top honors from World Press Photo.

In 2025-2026, eight faculty and six staff members developed a plan for elevating the quality and consistency of online courses at BHSU. Join this session to learn about this Academic Affairs initiative and explore some of the resources the group developed, including new BHSU Online Course Quality Standards.

When: Thursday, May 7, 1:30pm - 2:15pm

Where: JA 103A (RSVP for online option)

RSVP for this event

Hosts: Nick Van Kley, Prasanthi Pallapu, Amy Fuqua

Join us at Black Hills State University for our 10^th annual Arbor Day celebration!

Date: April 29, 2026

Time: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Location: Ida Henton Park

Help us honor our decade of commitment to sustainability with a fun and educational afternoon of tree-focused activities:

1. Presentation of the 2025 Tree Campus Higher Education recognition plaque
2. Live demonstration of proper tree planting techniques
3. Hands-on pruning demonstration to keep trees healthy and beautiful

We invite all students, faculty, staff, and community members to come out and celebrate with us!

Questions? Contact Debbie Liddick or Rhyse Naylor at 605-642-6244

Let’s make year TEN the best one yet! See you there!

Celebrate Earth Day with a day full of exciting events focused on sustainability, community, and environmental awareness!

Guest Presenter

Kick off the day with our guest presenter, Spearfish Trails Coalition, in Meier Hall. Enjoy a social hour from 9:30–10:00 AM, followed by the presenter from 10:00–11:00 AM. Learn, get inspired, and engage in meaningful conversations about protecting our planet.

Earth Day Festival

Immediately after our guest presenter, we will kick off the Earth Day Festival on April 18th from 11:00-2:00 PM on the Campus Green. This year's theme is “Think Global, Act Local,” and there will be educational booths, food trucks, a free plant giveaway, solar panel tours, and much more!

We hope to see you all there!

If you have any questions, please contact Taryn.Davis@yellowjackets.bhsu.edu

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to submit recycled artwork as a part of BHSU’s Earth Day celebration! Display of artwork and community voting for winners of the art competition will take place Saturday April 18^th from 11am to 2pm. First place and runner-up awards for students and first place and runner-up awards for faculty/staff.

Artwork should be made primarily of repurposed /recycled/found materials. All work must be dropped off by April 15^th to Woodburn, Rm 302-A (9am to 5pm). Tags to attach to artwork with artist and artwork information will be available upon drop-off. Artwork pick-up Saturday April 18^th at 2pm.

Please join us for American Indian Awareness Week April 13th - 17th!

Our guest speakers will be presenting in Jonas Academic Room 107

This year's theme is "Elevating Native Voices: Embracing Our Collective Impact."

Monday April 13^th

1. 11:00am - 11:50am Cante Heart - “8th Generation”
2. 1:00pm - 1:50am Bobbie Koch - “Indigenous Placekeeping: Culturally-Responsive & Community-Driven Architecture”

Tuesday April 14^th

1. 2:00pm - 3:15pm Dew Bad Warrior-Gange - “Zuya Sica Consulting"

Wednesday April 15^th

1. 9:00am - 9:50 Marty Two Bulls - “Breaking Stereotypes: Lakota Public Artworks and the Importance of Self Representation”
2. 11:00am - 11:50am Dr. Brittany Bearstail - “Monument Health"
3. 1:00pm - 1:50pm Bobby Pourier - “Intergenerational Healing: How to Drive Community Change Across Time”

Thursday April 10^th

1. 2:00pm - 3:15pm Tasha Peltier - “Restoring Balance: Women, Kinship, and Community Wellness”