The Lynx Way
SD Mines releases
Academic Recognition, Dean’s Lists
South Dakota Mines has honored 721 students in the Spring 2024 semester for academic excellence. The university named 639 students to the Spring Dean’s List, and 82 students to the Spring 2024 Academic Recognition List. The Dean’s List recognition is for full-time students while Academic Recognition is for part-time students.
To merit a spot on the Dean’s List, students must earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher for the semester. Full-time students must have earned a minimum of 12 credit hours for the term. To earn Academic Recognition, part-time students must have earned between three and 11 credit hours that term in addition to the 3.5 GPA.
Local students named to the Dean’s List are: Brandon – Jonah Bebensee, Alexander Hentschel, Jacob Jorgenson, Tristan Niewenhuis, John Pellman, Elizabeth Schmidt, Adam Smook, Ethan Thompson, Josey Wickersham; Sioux Falls – Riley Van Den Top.
House awarded American Bank & Trust scholarship
Emily House, of Brandon, has been awarded an American Bank & Trust scholarship. Each year, the bank commits to supporting the brightest and best students across their footprint. AB&T awarded $1,000 scholarships to 24 students from schools across South and North Dakota, and Southwest Minnesota.
Bortnem participates in role-play competition at Nebraska
Sabren Bortnem,of Sioux Falls, and a junior majoring in marketing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, recently participated in the Center for Sales Excellence Team Role-Play Competition, sponsored by NRC Health.
Twenty-two student teams from the Undergraduate Certificate in Sales Excellence program vied for $6,000 in scholarships in the competition.
“NRC Health is the founding member of the sales center, and working together, we wanted to help our students with their strategy in the marketplace,” said Blake Runnalls, assistant professor of marketing. “I taught students about NRC Health’s reputation program and how to sell their products this spring, which became the scenario for this role-play competition. We greatly appreciate NRC Health’s sponsorship of the first-place award.”
Because sales organizations continue to adopt a team selling approach, Runnalls said the competition was designed as a team role play. As the two-member teams shared insights, they also leaned into their talents.
Runnalls said role plays are critical for early-stage sales students, because it allows them to build their sales approach.
“The students all share this framework they learn in class, and once they get comfortable with it, they can personalize it to their own style,” he said. “That may be through word choice or how they approach folks.”
During the semester, students learn about professional development and build their LinkedIn profiles. They then network with a diverse group of industry professionals in health care, insurance, retail, talent acquisition and recruiting, and other industries.
“We invite some of those professionals to class, so the students have the opportunity to further connect with them in person,” Runnalls said. “The professionals also return for the role-play competition, so over the course of the last two-and-a-half months, the students meet and develop relationships with them while the professionals get to see the students develop over time.”
In the competition, students earn points for building rapport, listening, enthusiasm, effective communication, professionalism and the ability to get a commitment to meet with the boss as the next step in the sales process. The sales center faculty help host the competition and assist students as needed.
As part of the certificate program, students take 15 credit hours to build their sales skills and learn how to influence others. The program has been named a “Top University for Professional Sales Education” each year since its inception in 2014-15. For more information, visit https://business.unl.edu/salescertificate.
NSU releases Spring 2024 Dean’s, President lists
Northern State University have announces the students who have earned recognition on the President’s List and Dean’s List for the spring semester of 2024. The President’s List honors full-time students who achieved a perfect 4.00 GPA, while the Dean’s List acknowledges those with GPAs ranging from 3.50 to 3.99.
Among the area students named to the President’s list from Brandon are Sage Bultje, Abigail Huska, Melissa Jacobson, Calista Kocmick and Brittney Reiter; Valley Springs – Alicia Gedge.
Hunter Patton, of Brandon, earned Dean’s List distinction.
SMSU’s most recent Dean’s List released
Southwest Minnesota State University recognizes students for academic achievement during Spring Semester 2024 via the Dean’s List.
An undergraduate student who completes 12 or more A-F graded credits and achieves a grade point average of 3.5 or higher will be considered for the Honors Dean’s List. If a 4.0 grade point average is achieved the student will be on the High Honors Dean’s List.
Local students included on the “High Honors” list from Brandon are Kylie Birath, Grace Heiberger and Olivia Mullin. Martins Esien and Cole Frisbie are included on the “Honors” list.
NSU releases Spring 2024 Academic Recognition List
Michael Chevalier, of Sioux Falls, and Jeremy Sommer, of Brandon, earned recognition on the Northern State University Academic Recognition list for the spring semester of 2024. This honor is awarded to undergraduate students who have achieved a system honor point average of 3.50 or better for the semester. To be eligible, students must have completed at least 12 credit hours prior to the current semester at one or more Regental institutions.
