Four Finalists Chosen in the Black Hills State University President’s Search

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Board of Regents announced four finalists who are in the running to become the next president of Black Hills State University. The Chair of the presidential search process, Regent Jeff Partridge, expressed his satisfaction with the quality of candidates who applied and confirmed that the finalists will visit the university campus in Spearfish from November 13-14. During their visit, they will meet with constituents and regents to further discuss their candidacy.

The finalists, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows:

• Dr. Matt Cecil is originally from South Dakota. He currently serves as the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at Northern Kentucky University, located in Highland Heights, Kentucky. Previously, he has worked as a dean, interim provost, and senior vice president for academic affairs at Minnesota State University (MSU)-Mankato. Dr. Cecil has also been a faculty member at Wichita State University and South Dakota State University. He holds a Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in history from MSU-Mankato.
  
  
• Dr. Frederich Chilson is the current Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC), located in Lewiston, Idaho where he previously served as dean. Additionally, Dr. Chilson was a faculty member, and department chair at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, Montana and also worked as a faculty member at Eastern New Mexico University and Adams State University. He spent time in the private sector early in his career. Dr. Chilson holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with emphasis in learning technology from New Mexico State University, as well as a master’s degree in human resource development from Idaho State University.
  
  
• Steve Elliott currently serves as the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Wayne State College (WSC) in Wayne, Nebraska. He has been part of the WSC community since 2003 and has held various positions, including faculty member, department chair, and dean, before accepting a vice president role in 2016. Elliott holds a master of fine arts degree (the highest degree in that field) from the University of Maryland and served in the US Marine Corps.
  
  
• Dr. Angie Fincannon is the current Dean of the College of Business at Indiana Institute of Technology in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She has a diverse background, serving as a collegiate-level volleyball coach, faculty member, dean, assistant provost, and athletic director at Taylor University. Later, she held the position of vice chancellor for advancement at Indiana University Purdue University – Fort Wayne. Dr. Fincannon has an Ed. D. in educational administration and a master’s degree in education and administration from Ball State University.

During their visit to the campus, the candidates will have the opportunity to meet with faculty members, students, administrative and professional staff, civil service employees, representatives of the BHSU Foundation, university alums, and the Spearfish community. On Tuesday, the Board of Regents will hold private meetings with each finalist and with the campus representatives of the search committee.

The cover letters and professional resumes for each finalist are available online at bhsu.edu/president/presidential-search/candidates.

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Attorney General Jackley Remembers Rachel Cyriacks Ten Years After Disappearance, Seeks Public’s Help 

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is remembering Rachel Cyriacks (pronounced Seer- icks) on the 10^th anniversary of her disappearance and is again asking for the public’s help in locating the Woonsocket woman.

“Ten years is too long for Rachel’s family to wonder what happened to her,” said Attorney General Jackley. “It is time to bring her home, and we ask anyone who has any information to come forward now.”

Cyriacks disappeared on Nov. 13, 2013 and was last known to be traveling to Huron. Her husband, Brad, told investigators that she picked him up in the Huron area. Rachel has not been heard from again. The investigation thus far indicates that her husband, Brad, was the last person to see Rachel.

In December of 2013, the family gray and black 1995 Silverado pickup truck was found on a bee farm near Huron. Rachel’s green, pink and white quilt, which was located in her home, also vanished at the time of her disappearance, according to authorities.

Attorney General Jackley said the State Division of Criminal Investigation and local law enforcement have investigated all information and tips related to Rachel’s disappearance.

“Throughout the years, we have received numerous tips and we have checked all of them,” said Attorney General Jackley. “The case remains active.”

People with information about Rachel are asked to call the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation at 605-773-3331 or local law enforcement. Information will remain confidential.

The Missing Person poster for Rachel Cyriacks is attached.

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Thune Discusses the Importance of American Leadership on the Global Stage

“We need to build and maintain relationships with allies, support free nations, and stand against hostile actions by hostile countries.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about the importance of American leadership on the global stage. Thune noted that America must maintain and use its strength and influence to contain evil actors like Iran, Russia, and China in order to advance peace and freedom around the globe.

Rounds, Cramer Introduce Legislation to Address Health Care Workforce Shortages, Prioritize Merit-Based Immigration

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) introduced legislation to address health care workforce shortages by recapturing previously authorized Green Cards that simply went unused. The senators’ bill also establishes merit-based immigration policies.

“Legal immigration is a critical part of our workforce,” said Rounds. “As the health care worker shortage continues to impact South Dakota and other rural states, we are in need of qualified, hard-working nurses and physicians to fill positions in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes. I’m pleased to join Senator Cramer on this legislation that would increase our ability to provide timely, quality health care to South Dakotans.”

“In rural states like North Dakota, highly skilled immigrant doctors and nurses play a critical role in our healthcare workforce, sometimes providing the only specialty care available in the area,” said Cramer. “Our open borders and per-country caps are nonsensical and chaotic. It’s long-past time our immigration policies reflected a skills-based approach, welcoming hard-working immigrants who help fill the labor and service gaps in the U.S.”

The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act would make a limited number of Green Cards available to qualified immigrant nurses and physicians to address critical health care workforce shortages. The bill would also allow the “recapture” of Green Cards already authorized by Congress but unused in previous years, allotting up to 25,000 immigrant visas for nurses and up to 15,000 immigrant visas for physicians. This bill does not authorize any new visas.

This legislation would require employers to attest that immigrants from overseas who receive these visas will not displace an American worker. Additionally, it would necessitate eligible immigrant medical professionals to meet licensing requirements, pay filing fees and clear rigorous national security and criminal history background checks before they can receive recaptured Green Cards.

The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act is supported by the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations, Sanford Health and Avera Health.

“The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) fully supports any effort to strengthen the healthcare workforce as staffing shortages continue to be the number one problem for our members across the continuum of care, from hospitals to nursing homes,” said Tammy Hatting, Chief Operating Officer of SDAHO. “We need to streamline and expedite the hiring and placement of qualified immigrants in our healthcare facilities, and we are thankful to our South Dakota Senator, Mike Rounds, for cosponsoring this very important bill.”

“Sanford Health is grateful for the support from Senator Rounds as a sponsor of the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act,” said Corey Brown, System Vice President, Government Affairs of Sanford Health. “Workforce is a critical challenge in healthcare, especially in rural areas. Recapturing unused VISAs is a commonsense measure that allows us to employ internationally educated nurses and physicians who are an integral and important part of our workforce.”

“Maintaining a highly skilled workforce is vital to providing care across our rural footprint, which covers 72 thousand square miles” said Kim Jensen, Chief Human Resources Officer of Avera Health. “Often there are not enough nurses and physicians available to recruit to fill our workforce needs. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act would help fill critical positions and offer meaningful work experiences for those who want to practice in the United States.”

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The Brookings Register ‘localized’ the SD News Watch story as they took it to print, and posted it on their website, noticing the local Rick Weible group as it proclaims ‘Save Brookings’ head peddles election denial.

‘Save Brookings’ would be the book burning group that Rick set up to try to foster banning literature in the home of the state’s largest university.. a community which is about 20 or so miles to the west of his own home of Elkton.

You can read the entire story here.

Rick Weible, who just had quite the expose written on him by SD News Watch, has apparently filed paperwork with his nemesis the South Dakota Secretary of State to run for District 8 House of Representatives.

Rick Weible paperwork to run for D8 House by Pat Powers on Scribd

We’ll see how that goes.

(Update) Good catch by a reader, noting that just a short time ago, Rick said this:

Rick Weible said he doesn’t plan to run for office because he can make more progress through activism.

Wonder what else he’s going to change his mind on?

 

US SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: WEEKLY ROUND[S] UP: OCTOBER 30-NOVEMBER 5, 2023

It was another busy week out in Washington. We got to work and passed three of our 12 appropriation bills through the Senate. Each of the 12 bills covers a different subject area that corresponds with a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and this past week, we passed the bills covering Agriculture, Military Construction/VA, and Transportation/Housing & Urban Development. While that’s only 25 percent of the job, and there’s still more work to be done, we’re closer to funding the government beyond November 17 than we were the week before. In between working on the appropriation bills, we’ve been busy taking meetings, hosting more artificial intelligence (AI) forums and attending hearings. We’re ready for another busy week! Here’s my Weekly Round[s] Up:

South Dakotans I visited with: This past week, I had the opportunity to welcome 176 of our newest American citizens at a naturalization ceremony held in Fort Pierre. It was an honor to be one of the first to congratulate them on becoming a citizen of the United States of America.

Meetings this past week: Charles Scharf, CEO of Wells Fargo; Charlie Cook, political analyst and author; and Chris Waller, member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. We also had our Senate Bible Study. Our verse this week was Proverbs 22:6.

I hosted two more AI insight forums this past week with my bipartisan AI working group, which I lead with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.). The first forum of the week focused on the intersection of AI and the workforce. Most notably, Dr. José-Marie Griffiths, President of Dakota State University, joined us to talk about AI’s impact on our universities and the cyber industry. You can read more about this forum and view a full list of panelists here.

Our second forum of the week focused on “high impact” areas, with panelists from industries most affected by the increasing presence of AI. This included leaders from AI development companies, financial institutions and academia. We’re appreciative of everyone who takes the time to come and visit with us as we look to the future of AI and how it impacts every aspect of our lives.

This past week, I also went to the White House with the AI working group to meet with President Biden about his AI Executive Order issued on October 30. While I appreciate the president’s initiative in taking action on AI, the executive order is overly broad and could stifle AI innovation. For America to compete with China and our global adversaries, we need to make it easier to build businesses here, not harder. AI should not be a partisan issue. There is an opportunity for Congress to act in a bipartisan fashion to create policies and invest in America’s future in a way that will make AI work for all Americans, help advance scientific progress and strengthen our global stature.

Headline of the week: South Dakota beef industry sees potential in small, local meat plants – South Dakota News Watch

Letter to IHS: This past week, I led the South Dakota and North Dakota congressional delegations in sending a letter to Indian Health Service (IHS) Director Roselyn Tso urging IHS to expand access to outside health care services in both states. Specifically, we asked them to complete a feasibility study on implementing a Purchased and Referred Care Delivery Area to all counties in both states. You can read more about this and read the full letter here.

Votes taken: 19 – several of these were on amendments to our appropriation bills, which I mentioned in last week’s Round[s] Up. We also voted on a few nominees to executive positions within the Department of Defense, including Gen. David Allvin to be Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force.

Hearings: I attended two hearings this week – one was in the Select Committee on Intelligence. The other was in the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. We held a hearing on financial protections for veterans and service members, and I had the opportunity to give an opening statement while serving as ranking member. You can watch a clip of that here.

My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Brookings, Carter, Deadwood, Lead and Pukwana.

Steps taken this past week: 62,302 steps or 30.88 miles

Photo of the week:

Mary Fitzgerald Announces Intent to Run Again as State Representative for District 31, Lawrence County, South Dakota.

Lawrence County, South Dakota – November 6, 2023.

Mary Fitzgerald, a sixth generation South Dakotan who also serves as the Chair of the Lawrence County Republican Party and Vice-Chair for the South Dakota State GOP, has announced her intention to run for re-election as the State Representative, District 31, Lawrence County.

“I am committed to ensuring Lawrence County has a strong advocate in Pierre, working to protect our shared values and what’s important to our state. I have the proven grit and determination to do what is right for Lawrence County, and South Dakota.” Fitzgerald is pro-life, pro-family, supports quality education, low taxes, limited government… and most of all freedom.

First elected in 2020, Fitzgerald was appointed to Joint Appropriations where she worked hard to learn the tedious process of setting the state’s budget and making sure tax dollars are wisely spent. As a first-year legislator, Mary was the sole legislator who successfully passed a public safety bill on marijuana use.

Re-elected in 2022, Fitzgerald currently serves on House Judiciary and is Vice-Chair of House Local Government committee.

Mary is a strong advocate for children, co-sponsoring a bill protecting child witnesses (victims) testifying in court. She also co-sponsored the Truth-In-Sentencing bill which clearly defined sentencing guidelines in South Dakota. Further, Fitzgerald carried the bill to eliminate the sales tax on groceries.

Representative Fitzgerald was endorsed by Governor Kristi Noem in 2022.

Mary is a graduate of BHSU, with a double major in Accounting and Business Administration. She’s married to John Fitzgerald, Circuit Court Judge. They have three grown children, all graduates of BHSU and USD School of Law. They are grandparents to six grandchildren… all residing in the Black Hills.

Fitzgerald’s dedication to public service and her tireless work for Lawrence County have earned her widespread respect and support from businesses, constituents, colleagues, and community leaders alike. Her passion for equitable representation, combined with her extensive experience and proven ability to get things done, make her the ideal candidate to continue serving as Lawrence County’s voice in Pierre.

Speaking of the South Dakota Secretary of State, referring to my prior post, my spies in Pierre are telling me that they are losing another staff member in the elections department.

Word on the ground is that another one of Monae Johnson’s hires, Logan Manhart, has given his notice and is departing after working at the office less than a year.

Stay tuned.

(Update – also hearing Reggie Rhoden left as well a couple weeks ago.)

There a long article at South Dakota News Watch today about the war between Secretary of State Monae Johnson and her former campaign team, Rick & Gretchen Weible, after the Secretary of State disassociated herself from the Weible’s after the last election.

And it also has extensive reporting on Rick Weible’s search for election fraud in South Dakota, whether it exists or not.

He said that he initially saw himself as a potential candidate to challenge incumbent Secretary of State Steve Barnett at the 2022 state GOP convention.

Then Weible and his wife, Gretchen, met Monae Johnson, a more palatable nominee because she previously worked in the secretary of state’s office. Johnson, who declared her candidacy in February 2022, had publicly expressed doubts about the validity of the 2020 election, refusing to acknowledge President Joe Biden’s win over former President Donald Trump.

The Weibles, who moved to South Dakota from Minnesota as “tax refugees” in 2018, viewed Johnson as someone who could help them reform the system from within.

and..

“We found out her campaign was a complete fraud,” said Weible, who runs a cyber security business called D3Defense in Brookings. “She didn’t have a campaign speech, so I had to write one for her. She didn’t have room reservations. She had no T-shirts, no signs, no buttons. She wasn’t even totally sure of the rules of the convention.”

Johnson declined an interview request with News Watch for this story. In response to a question about Weible, state elections director Rachel Soulek sent a statement that the secretary of state’s office is “constantly combatting misinformation and disinformation regarding elections.”

Read the entire story here.

Despite Rick proclaiming in his  advertising that he’s a “South Dakota Hero,” the article refers to him as a “Former small-town Minnesota mayor.”

Check it out at SD News Watch. It’s an interesting read.