2023-10-06 16:21:57
PIERRE, SD – South Dakota students in grade K-12 have until the end of the month to submit their entries for the Governor’s Student Art Competition.
Selected student work from four age divisions will be exhibited in the state Capitol Building in Pierre from January through September 2024. The divisions are organized as Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8 and Grades 9-12.
All artwork is to be submitted electronically as a high-resolution jpeg image, along with the Artwork Submission Form. Guidelines, submission instructions, and necessary forms are available at Reasonable accommodations will be made for any student who encounters barriers to this submission process. Please reach out to Rebecca.cruse@state.sd.us or call 605-773-5084 for assistance.
Students whose artwork is selected for exhibition will also need to return the Authorization Release Form with signature from a legal guardian.
The submission deadline is Oct. 31, 2023.
PIERRE, SD – The South Dakota Board of Regents is proposing to add a comprehensive Civics Literacy Requirement at the state’s public universities in order for students to graduate.
Regents President Tim Rave says they recognize the importance of preparing students to be engaged and informed residents. He says not only do they want to help prepare the state’s workforce, but they also want to take it a step further by cultivating civic engagement in future generations of lawmakers, city council representatives, school board members and more.
Regents Executive Director Nathan Lukkes (lucas) says civics literacy is a non-partisan issue that includes enhancing both knowledge and practical application. He says institutions of higher education need to provide a solid framework for students to develop the necessary skills in critical thinking, civility and dispute resolution, while enhancing their understanding and engagement in issues of local, national and global importance.
The BOR’s Fiscal Year 2025 System Center for Civic Engagement budget request serves as the cornerstone for the programming and engagement envisioned for the civics literacy requirement, allowing the BOR to enhance activity in this area without passing the cost on to students. A strong civics literacy program helps prepare students to engage in their local communities through service-learning projects, internships and partnerships with civic organizations.
More information concerning the details on the programming and associated requirements will be available in the coming months.
PIERRE, SD – October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Jeff Clines, Commissioner of the state government Bureau of Information and Telecommunications, says the goal is to raise awareness regarding digital security and empower everyone to protect their personal data from digital forms of crime. He says every business, organization and individual needs to understand the value of taking steps to be safe online.
Clines says this year’s theme– “It’s easy to stay safe online”— reminds internet users that there are simple ways to keep personal information and private data secure when browsing and using the internet. Some of those tips include:
Never share your password;
Enable two-factor authentication;
Update software; and
Recognize phishing attempts.
For more information, please visit
Since 2004, the President of the United States and Congress have declared October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, helping individuals protect themselves online as threats to technology and confidential data become more commonplace.
PIERRE, SD – This week the South Dakota Department of Health opened the application period for the 2023 State Loan Repayment Program. The application deadline is Oct. 31, 2023.
Last year, over 200 applicants applied for the program and 14 received funding. Of those 14, 86% work in a behavioral healthcare setting. Eligible disciplines include physician, dentist, dental hygienist, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, physician assistant, health service psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, psychiatric nurse specialist, licensed professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, registered nurse, pharmacist and alcohol/substance abuse counselor.
Health Secretary Melissa Magstadt says the program is designed to improve access to health care services by assisting underserved communities with the recruitment and retention of care providers. She says having assistance and incentives available for healthcare providers is critical to enhancing and growing the pipeline for a stronger healthcare workforce in South Dakota.
In 2022, DOH received a 3-year grant in the amount of $1,509,000 to administer the State Loan Repayment Program from the US Department of Health and Human Services and Health Resources and Services Administration. Each grant year DOH is allotted $503,000 to award eligible healthcare professions with student loan reimbursement in exchange for a 2-year commitment to work at an a facility located in a Health Professional Shortage Area in South Dakota.
Applications will be reviewed and approved on a first-come, first-served basis. The application period will close on Oct. 31, 2023, at 5pm CST.
Application requirements include:
U.S. Citizen (U.S. born or naturalized) or U.S. national,
Licensed to practice in South Dakota,
Applying to, accepted to, or currently working at an eligible site that is located in a federally designated HPSA,
Unpaid government or commercial loans for school tuition, and reasonable education and living expenses related to the education of the participant,
Loans must be segregated from all other debts (that is, not consolidated with non-educational loans).
PIERRE.S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced that the state of South Dakota will receive almost $372,000 as its share of a $49.5 million multistate settlement with software company Blackbaud for exposing the personal and financial information of millions of consumers throughout the United States.
“This settlement concludes a lawsuit brought by 49 Attorneys General once morest Blackbaud for violating state consumer protection laws, breach notification laws, and HIPAA rules and then failing to implement reasonable data security and remediate known security gaps,” said Attorney General Jackley.
Blackbaud provides software to nonprofit organizations including charities, higher education institutions, K-12 schools, healthcare organizations, religious organizations, and cultural organizations. Blackbaud’s customers use Blackbaud’s software to connect with donors and manage personal and financial information. A 2020 data breach of that type of information impacted more 13,000 Blackbaud customers and their respective consumer constituents.
“This breach allowed unauthorized persons to gain access to Blackbaud’s network when it failed to provide its customers with timely, complete, or accurate information regarding the breach as required by law,” said Attorney General Jackley. “As part of the settlement, Blackbaud has agreed to strengthen its data security system and breach notification processes.”
Besides South Dakota, other states involved in the lawsuit are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
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