DSU: Shantel Krebs named commencement speaker, Rollyn Samp to receive honorary degree

MADISON, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Shantel Krebs has been selected as the speaker for Dakota State University’s fall commencement Saturday, with Rollyn Samp set to receive an honorary degree.

Krebs, a recent inductee into the South Dakota Hall of Fame, has worked in a variety of fields since graduating from Dakota State in 1998. She has held positions in healthcare, business consulting, and state politics, notably serving as the 28th Secretary of State for South Dakota. She now leads the Avera Academy, an initiative that fosters a passion for healthcare careers among students. Krebs also serves as the CEO for the Miss America Organization.

Rollyn Samp

Dakota State will honor Sioux Falls attorney Rollyn Samp with the Honorary Doctor of Public Service. According to a Dakota State press release, Samp foresaw the importance computer proficiency would play in the future and is partly to credit for Dakota State changing their mission to focus on computer education.

Commencement details

The commencement is scheduled for Saturday, December 10, at 10:30 a.m. at the DSU Fieldhouse, with a graduate student hooding ceremony at 9 a.m. in the Dakota Prairie Playhouse.

Tickets are not required for fall commencement. For those unable to attend in person, the hooding ceremony will be livestreamed here: https://youtu.be/f7jWqPMe2-4; commencement will be livestreamed here: https://youtu.be/z_nyzrNN4V4. More information is available on the DSU website, dsu.edu.