2006 Distinguished Alumni

2006 Distinguished Alumni
Diana L. Berkland ’72/MS ’94
Outstanding Professional Achievement
Diana L. Berkland, of Sioux Falls, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding
Professional Achievement. As chief nurse executive and vice president for Clinical Administrative
Services at Sioux Valley Hospital and Health System in Sioux Falls, Berkland champions and
mentors the work of more than 1,100 nurses at the hospital. She is a tireless nursing advocate for
expert patient care, which is clinically safe, compassionate, and ethical.
A Philip native, Berkland graduated from SDSU in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
From 1987 to 1992, she was a staff nurse in the Coronary Intensive Care Unit at Sioux Valley
Hospital. Berkland returned to the SDSU classroom and in 1994 earned a master’s degree in
nursing, specializing as a clinical nurse specialist. Following her master’s, Berkland received a
post-master’s certificate as a family nurse practitioner from SDSU. She is currently enrolled with
the first cohort of Ph.D. in Nursing students at SDSU.
Recently she has been appointed by Gov. Rounds to serve on the South Dakota Board of Nursing. She is a past member of the Nurse
Week Executive Advisory Board, Midwest Edition, 2001-2002, and is a member of the South Dakota Center for Nursing Workforce. She
is also a past advisory board member for the Good Samaritan Luther Manor of Sioux Falls.
Berkland and her husband, Tom, have two children, Melissa and Michael.
Don L. Endres ’83 & Jill T. LaPlante ’93
Outstanding Service to Home Community
Don Endres and Jill LaPlante, of Brookings, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for
Outstanding Service to Home Community.
Endres and LaPlante are both graduates of SDSU and have lived their entire married life in
Brookings. LaPlante earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1993 in electrical engineering and
received minors in math and economics. Endres earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1983 in
animal science, with minors in computer science and economics.
LaPlante is a stay-at-home mother who is active in PTA and volunteers at Mickelson Middle School and Medary Elementary School.
Endres draws on more than 20 years of experience in building, operating and managing successful businesses. In short, he founded
Special Teams in 1993 and sold the business to American Express in 1995 where he assumed the role of president of American
Express Special Teams. In 1998, he co-founded and served as CEO of ExpressGold.com Inc., an Internet-payment systems company
that successfully merged with CyberSource Corp. in 2000. Today Endres serves as chairman and CEO of VeraSun Energy Corp.
The couple recognizes how important education is to young people and enjoys supporting education by contributing to scholarships at
SDSU such as the Jackrabbit Guarantee and the Loretta Endres Music Scholarship. Endres and LaPlante also support the Watertown
Arrow Education Foundation, Lake Area Technical Institute and Dakota Wesleyan University.
In addition they are supporters of the Brookings Boys and Girls Club, Holt Adoption Foundation, United Way, Habitat for Humanity,
Catholic Foundation, CASA, Junior Achievements, Partners in Care, the Brookings Community Foundation and the Bread Basket
Food Pantry.
The couple has three children, Nadene, 17, Natalie, 10, and John, 2.
Maurice H. Forsyth ’78
Outstanding Professional Achievement
Brig. Gen. Maurice “Maury” H. Forsyth, currently stationed at the Pentagon, will receive the
Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
Forsyth, a command pilot who has logged more than 3,500 total hours and 730 combat hours,
serves as the deputy director for Global Operations in Washington, D.C. He is responsible to the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for oversight and coordination of worldwide operational
matters including joint force readiness, strategic operations, command system operations,
information operations, special technical operations and management of the National Military
Command System.
A Brookings native, Forsyth graduated from SDSU in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in
microbiology. Upon receiving his commission through the Air Force ROTC program, he started
his career with the U.S. Air Force. The general completed undergraduate navigator training in
1979 and undergraduate pilot training in 1984. He graduated with a Master of Aeronautical Science degree in aviation and aerospace
operations at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., in 1993. Forsyth went on to receive a master’s degree in
national security and strategic studies at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., in 1999. He has also completed additional studies at
the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College.
Forsyth’s command experience and assignments have included operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch and Northern Watch. Forsyth
has also served on the headquarters staffs of Tactical Air Command, Air Combat Command, Allied Air Forces North, NATO and U.S.
Air Forces in Europe. In addition, he has received numerous awards and decorations including, the Defense Superior Service Award,
Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters
and the Air Medal with Silver and Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters.
Forsyth and his wife, Tamara, have one son, Riley.
Darold G. Hehn ’77/MEd ’93
Outstanding Service to Education
Darold G. Hehn, of Rapid City, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding
Service to Education. Hehn, an agricultural education teacher and FFA advisor at Rapid City
Central High School, has become a leader in the field and has a solid reputation as one of the top
ag instructors in the state and nation.
A Wessington Springs native, Hehn graduated from SDSU in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in
agriculture education. He earned a master’s degree in agricultural business education in 1993.
When Hehn first started at Central in 1984, the agriculture program was in serious trouble.
With an enrollment of 15 students, Hehn turned the program into one of the top programs in
the country with an enrollment of more than 500 students and three teachers in the district. The
program is on the leading edge of secondary agricultural education and serves as a model for
the profession. Hehn has pioneered the use of technology to build curriculum around individual
student needs. He has worked with his colleagues in other disciplines to integrate “academic” subject matter such as math, science,
writing and language arts with a traditionally “vocational” area, agriculture. In doing so, Hehn’s courses are the only agriculture
courses in the state approved on a one-for-one basis for science equivalency for high school graduation and college admission
requirements. In addition, he developed distance education procedures allowing students from across the state to enroll in agricultural
education classes when that opportunity was not available at their local school.
For FFA, Hehn’s achievements are just as numerous. He has coached 25 state-winning national teams, had numerous district and state
officers and proficiency award winners and has had chapter recognition for excellence in community service programming. Fifty of his
students have received FFA’s State Degree and 15 have received the coveted American FFA Degree.
Hehn has been named the state’s Agriculture Education Teacher of the Year two times, has been Teacher of the Year for the S.D.
Association of Career and Technical Education and was the regional winner and national runner-up for the U.S. Agriscience Teacher
of the Year. The Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce recognized Hehn as Aggie of the Year in 2004.
Hehn and his wife, Susan, have two children.
Roland Ryan ’60
Outstanding Service to Education
Roland “Rollie” Ryan, of Littleton, Colo., will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for
Outstanding Service to Education. Ryan, former director of the Arapahoe Community College
(ACC) fitness center, is a tenacious physical fitness expert who spent his entire professional
career helping people obtain a higher level of health through exercise. He retired from the
college in 2003.
A Platte native, Ryan graduated from SDSU in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in health, physical
education and recreation. In 1961 he earned a master’s degree in physical education from the
University of Illinois. Ryan taught mathematics and coached basketball for eight years in the
Chicago suburb high schools of Evergreen Park and Barrington.
In 1969, Ryan moved to Colorado and started teaching health and fitness at ACC. He had a
dream to build a fitness center for the college, and while the university administration favored
the idea, they couldn’t support it financially. After moving to ACC’s mathematics department, Ryan was called back to the physical
fitness department and given the go ahead to start a fitness center and manage it. College funding was still scarce so Ryan approached
the Littleton National Bank and asked for support in the form of a loan to purchase exercise equipment. The loan was granted and paid
off within three years through fitness center user fees.
Ryan produced innovative instructional materials and training manuals. He started a fitness program exclusively for seniors called the
Silver Sneakers, which features exercise and stretching classes. The program has members all the way into their 90s. In the 2003-04
school year, the center celebrated 18 years of continuous operation. What started as a modest enrollment of 400 people has grown to
more than 1,200. In addition, Ryan created programs for the police academy, detention academy and fire academy.
The facility has gained national recognition. Ryan is a nationally recognized consultant on issues of physical fitness and has worked on
the establishment of similar facilities at community colleges, colleges and universities across the United States. He is a much soughtafter speaker for local service clubs and other community organizations. For more information, visit his Web site at www.exer-fit.com.
Ryan and his wife, Lynne, have two sons and two grandchildren.
Adam M. Vinatieri ’95
Outstanding Young Alumni
Adam Vinatieri will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Young Alumni.
A graduate of Rapid City Central High School, Vinatieri is a National Football League kicker
with the Indianapolis Colts and has had a profound impact on how kickers in the NFL are
utilized, evaluated and compensated.
Vinatieri graduated from SDSU in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in health, physical education
and recreation. Following graduation, Vinatieri did not receive a free-agent tryout for the NFL.
He attended a kicking school run by Doug Blevins, which in turn led to a spot in the World
Football League in Europe. His exposure in the WFL earned him a free-agent tryout with the
New England Patriots, which led to a NFL contract.
For 10 straight years, Vinatieri has been an NFL leader in scoring and field goal percentage. He
ranks second in NFL history in career playoff field goals and points and has made two last minute, game-winning field goals in Super
Bowls. He has been labeled the best clutch kicker in the history of the NFL.
What sets Vinatieri apart from so many other players is his ability to always credit his teammates for his success. He has always been a
team player.
Off the field, Vinatieri is tremendous role model for young people and has represented his teams and communities with pride.
Vinatieri and his wife, Valerie, have two children; son A.J. and daughter Allison.
Kathryn A. Walker ’81
Outstanding Professional Achievement
Kathryn A. (Waples) Walker, of Olathe, Kan., will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for
Outstanding Professional Achievement. Walker, chief network officer at Sprint Nextel Corp., is
among the highest-ranking female corporate executives in the communications industry.
A Brookings High School graduate, Walker graduated from SDSU in 1981 with a bachelor’s
degree in civil engineering. She continued her education at the University of Missouri-Rolla and
earned a master’s degree in engineering management in 1982 and a professional engineering
degree in 1999.
As a technology executive and accomplished engineer, Walker sets the strategic direction for
Sprint Nextel’s wireline and wireless networks, overseeing their design, engineering, operation
and performance management.
Instilling a customer focus in a technically oriented organization, Walker leads one of the most dynamic scientific groups in the
communications industry. Under her leadership, patent filings have increased 82 percent and the number of patents issued to Sprint
Nextel has increased 115 percent.
Walker serves on the University of Missouri-Kansas City Board of Trustees and the University of Missouri-Rolla School of
Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council. She is also an active board member of the Sprint Nextel Foundation, which supports the
company’s commitment to championing its communities and the active participation of its employees in charitable endeavors. In
addition, she serves on the SDSU College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council and in 2005 received the college’s Distinguished
Engineer Award, the college’s highest honor.
Walker is married to Mark Walker, originally from Trenton, Mo.
Justin C. Williams ’95 & ’96
Outstanding Young Alumni
Dr. Justin C. Williams, of Madison, Wis., will receive the Distinguished Young Alumni Award.
Williams, an assistant professor in the departments of Neurological Surgery and Biomedical
Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has focused his research efforts on
designing brain implants that will advance the treatment of neurological disorders.
A Dell Rapids native, Williams graduated summa cum laude from SDSU in 1995 with
a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in
engineering physics. He continued his education at Arizona State University and earned a
master’s degree and Ph.D. in bioengineering in 2001. Williams then received a dual postdoctoral
fellowship in neurosurgery and neuroengineering between the University of Wisconsin-Madison
and the University of Michigan.
Williams’ research involves creating microchip implants that can be implanted into the brain
to help people living with severe neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury and ALS. Part of that research
includes using the implanted chips to control computers for people who have severe motor disabilities. Using this technology, some
patient volunteers have already been able to play simple video games and even type words just by thinking about them. His work
has been featured on the cover of the Wisconsin State Journal and the Milwaukee Sentinel as well as being covered in numerous
newspapers and television reports around the world. In addition, he was named a Clinical Research Scholar by the National Institutes
of Health. This is part of the NIH’s new “Roadmap Initiative,” which has identified approximately 20 new clinical research leaders
nationwide to help accelerate medical discovery. Williams received a Career Award in Translational Research by the Wallace H.
Coulter Foundation in 2005. This is one of 23 awards nationwide that has been given by the Coulter Foundation in recognition of
excellence in translating new scientific discoveries into potential clinical treatments.
Williams is also involved with the Biomedical Engineering Society and the Society for Neuroscience. He holds seven patents and
is the co-founder of Brain Research Laboratories in Milwaukee. This startup company is concentrated on development of new
microtechnology for neural drug delivery and high throughput neural drug discovery. Williams has been a featured speaker at a
number of different events including the Harding Distinguished Lecture Series at SDSU.
Williams currently resides the in Madison, Wis., area with his wife, Angela.
Peggy Gordon Miller
Non-Alumni Award for Service to South Dakota
Dr. Peggy Gordon Miller, of Brookings, will receive the Distinguished Non-Alumni Award for
Outstanding Service to South Dakota. Miller, president of SDSU since 1998, is tireless in her
energy in advancing the university. Throughout South Dakota, she is widely recognized as the
voice and enthusiastic persona of SDSU.
Miller graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Transylvania University in 1959. She
went on to earn her master’s from Northwestern University in 1964 and a doctorate from
Indiana University in 1975. Miller taught high school English before joining Indiana University
Northwest where she advanced through the academic ranks and became acting chancellor in
1983 and chancellor in 1984.
In 1992, Miller left IUN to serve as president of the University of Akron. There she was
the inaugural holder of the Harrington Distinguished Chair in Education and the Charles G.
Herbrick Chair in Leadership. On leave from the University of Akron, Miller was a senior fellow at the American Association of State
Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C., where she was to develop processes and materials to assist higher education decision
makers with cyber-learning research. While she was there, she was asked to become the interim vice president for Academic and
International Programs for the state colleges and universities which she did until she left for SDSU.
Miller became president of SDSU in 1998 and will retire at the end of this year. During her nine-year tenure, Miller’s leadership has
guided the university to numerous achievements. Seeing a need, she oversaw the establishing of an Honors College. The Jackrabbit
Guarantee was initiated during her tenure, and academic scholarships have increased by 140 percent more recipients (1,739 to 4,177
students) and 253 percent more dollars ($1,249,087 to $4,407,700). Research funding in 2006, a record-breaking year, showed a
more than 300 percent increase from 1997 levels. Enrollment grew to a record high in fall 2006 with 11,340 students. International
educational experiences increased 150 percent from 2004, with nearly 400 students and 75 faculty members involved in learning
abroad opportunities in more than 25 countries.
In 2005, the university moved to the higher Carnegie Foundation designation as a National Research University with high research
activity. Doctoral education expanded with three new doctoral degrees added in 2005-06, one sent to the 2007 legislature for funding,
and two additional ones pending. Additionally, the Center of Excellence for Geospatial Sciences and Geospatial Engineering was
begun under her watch. The Innovation Campus at SDSU was also begun by Miller.
In intercollegiate athletics, SDSU moved to Division I, joined the Mid-Continent Conference, The Great West Conference and the
Western Wrestling Conference, and added the sports of women’s soccer and equestrian. Several major construction projects have been completed during Miller’s years including the Performing Arts Center, Caldwell Hall,
the Solberg rebuilding, the Crothers Hall addition, the South Dakota Art Museum expansion, the ADRDL addition and The Union
addition and remodeling.
Miller is a member of the Executive Board of Women in Higher Education, the New York Times Women in Education Advisory
Board, the National Competitiveness Council and the National Board of American Humanics. She is a past board member of the
American Council on Education and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities as well as national president of the
Association of Teacher Educators. Miller also serves as the president of the Growth Partnership and a member of the South Dakota
Value-Added Board and the South Dakota Art Museum. She is a director on two corporate boards.
Miller has received numerous professional honors including Distinguished Alumna from Northwestern University and Indiana
University and Honorary Alumna of the University of Akron. In 1993 she was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from
Transylvania University, and in 1999 she was given an honorary doctorate of research from Chungnam National University in Taejon,
Korea.
Miller is married to Robert L. Miller, retired chairman of Centron Corp. and a 1949 graduate of SDSU. She has two children, Scott
and Anne, and shares with Bob his five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.