BROOKINGS – Dennis Hedge, a member of the South Dakota State University faculty and staff since 1992, has been selected provost and vice president for academic affairs of the institution following a six-month national search. The appointment is subject to South Dakota Board of Regents’ approval at its March meeting.
Hedge has been serving the role on an interim basis since May when Laurie Nichols left SDSU to become president of the University of Wyoming.
“It is with great pleasure I welcome Dennis into this very important position on a full-time basis,” said SDSU President Barry Dunn. “This was an extremely thorough and competitive search process, and I thank everyone on campus and in the community who was involved.
“Dennis is a proven leader who is respected by his peers, and he will elevate the university to another level in this role,” Dunn added. “It became clear during this process that his energy and understanding of higher education in the state and region will be a benefit to all of us at SDSU.”
During his time in the interim role, Hedge helped launch the university’s next strategic planning process as co-chair of the planning committee. He also named interim deans for the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences and the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College while beginning the process to launch national searches for both positions. Hedge has also been active with the Academic Affairs Council within the Board of Regents office, providing strategic direction on a number of academic issues.
“I am extremely humbled and honored to be the next provost and vice president of academic affairs at SDSU,” Hedge said. “Most of my professional career has been spent on this campus and I have witnessed tremendous growth and positive change during that time. I look forward to working with our faculty and leadership to continue those efforts and enhance student success and academic quality through all of our colleges and departments.”
Hedge came to SDSU in 1992 as an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. He became an associate professor, then professor, head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice in 2003 and associate dean of the college in 2007.
In 2008, Hedge was named dean of the college whose graduates have enjoyed a 100 percent job placement rate for several years. Hedge also led a college that produces some of the highest pass rates of Pharm.D. graduates taking the professional license exam for the first time.
SDSU graduates recorded a 98.69 percent pass rate this past year, second highest in the nation. The national average this year for first-time passage was 85.86 percent. Only twice during Hedge’s tenure as dean did a graduate class not reach a 100 percent pass rate, but all have ranked higher than the national average and greater than 94 percent.
Hedge was also involved in the planning and development of the Avera Health and Science Center that included a $15 million commitment from Avera Health, the single-largest gift made to the SDSU Foundation. The facility significantly enhanced the faculty’s ability to conduct research and scholarly output while improving the ability to educate future health professionals.
Hedge also served as the university’s lead in establishing the Master of Public Health degree, a collaboration with the University of South Dakota School of Health Sciences. Other noteworthy accomplishments of the college under his leadership include securing funding for two endowed faculty positions; launching a community pharmacy residency program; integrating interprofessional education activities at all levels of the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum; implementing a new admission process for the Pharm.D. program; and creating a new tuition structure for the professional program.
Hedge will assume his full-time status March 1.
