Credit Hour

Credit Hour Publishes Season 3 Finale—What do you know for sure?VERMILLION, S.D. – Michael Ewald, host of the University of South Dakota’s podcast Credit Hour, recapped the series on the program’s final episode of season 3.Ewald reviewed the answers provided by many of the podcast’s guests to the question—“what do you know for sure?” “I know for sure I was lucky to end up back at USD—first in media relations, then as a part-time podcast host, and finally as a student getting to pursue my dream of a career in law,” said Ewald. “I know for sure that education is life-changing because it changed mine.” Credit Hour is the University of South Dakota’s podcast highlighting the achievement, research and scholarship of its staff, students, alumni, and faculty. Started in the Spring of 2018, Ewald hosted the podcast as he attended law school interviewing over 90 USD community members including three current and former U.S. senators, a congressman and a former South Dakota governor. Credit Hour hosted two special series on Covid-19 and criminal justice reform last year. A diverse array of guests including artists, scientists, and members of the medical field frequented the program. Listen to the final episode of season 3 of Credit Hour by following on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and www.usd.edu/podcast.

Fulton Discusses How to More Effectively Engage Others During a Pandemic on Credit HourVERMILLION, S.D. – Neil Fulton, dean of the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law, provided his thoughts on the academic school year and how to more effectively engage others during a pandemic on Credit Hour.“Excellence, service and leadership,” said Fulton. “I hope those values are ingrained in every student that leaves this law school. I hope our graduates excel in their craft, serve the people around them and lead in their communities.”Speaking about the recent renaming of the law school to the USD Knudson School of Law in honor of Sioux Falls businessman and lawyer, David Knudson, Fulton stressed the importance of student scholarships. Accompanying the renaming was a $12.5 million gift from Knudson’s friend and colleague, T. Denny Sanford, dedicated to student scholarships. “A scholarship says somebody else believed in me. We as a law school believe in them,” said Fulton. “We are the state’s law school and I never want to see a talented South Dakota kid not be able to chase their dream because of cost. Everybody should have an opportunity to be a lawyer.”Credit Hour is the University of South Dakota’s podcast highlighting the achievement, research and scholarship of its staff, students, alumni and faculty. Follow Credit Hour on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and www.usd.edu/podcast.

USD Center for Disabilities Executive Director Eric Kurtz Discusses Center’s Mission and 50th Anniversary on Credit HourVERMILLION, S.D. – Eric Kurtz, '09 Ph.D., the executive director of the USD Center for Disabilities, discussed the Center’s mission and 50th anniversary on the podcast, Credit Hour. “I wish people would perceive disabilities as being a natural part of the human existence,” said Kurtz. “People with disabilities make up a large proportion of our population. One in six children are diagnosed with a developmental disability. Sixty-one million adults live with a disability. They shouldn’t be shamed or thought of as needing fixing.”Kurtz was named the executive director of the USD Center for Disabilities in 2019. Kurtz earned a Ph.D. in school psychology at USD and has served as an associate professor of pediatrics at the USD Sanford School of Medicine.The Center for Disabilities is South Dakota’s federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) which provides training, clinical services, research and information dissemination with a vision that all people, including individuals with disabilities, can achieve independence, self-determination, productivity and community inclusion. It was established in 1971 and will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year.“The mission is to improve the care and lives of individuals,” said Kurtz. “We do that through direct clinical services, research, training and technical assistance, information dissemination and policy work.”Credit Hour is the University of South Dakota’s podcast highlighting the achievement, research and scholarship of its staff, students, alumni and faculty. Follow Credit Hour on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and www.usd.edu/podcast.

Poet and journalist Christopher Vondracek discusses new book, Rattlesnake Summer, on Credit Hour.VERMILLION, S.D. – Poet and journalist Christopher Vondracek, B.A. ’07, M.A. 09, discussed his career and new book on South Dakota’s 66 counties, Rattlesnake Summer, on the podcast Credit Hour. “There were all these documents and stories and human tales that I felt couldn’t come out in journalism, but they could come out in poem,” said Vondracek, discussing his travels across South Dakota. “That reignited my love of poetry as a medium.”Vondracek was an Allen H. Neuharth Excellence in Journalism Scholarship recipient getting his start in journalism at USD’s student newspaper, the Volante. His new book, Rattlesnake Summer, provides a glimpse at South Dakota’s 66 counties through 66 poems written while traveling across South Dakota. He currently covers government and politics and South Dakota for Forum News Service.Credit Hour is the University of South Dakota’s podcast highlighting the achievement, research and scholarship of its staff, students, alumni and faculty. Follow Credit Hour on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and www.usd.edu/podcast.

South Dakota Department of Health Secretary Kim Malsam-Rysdon Discusses South Dakota’s Successful Vaccine Rollout on Credit HourVERMILLION, S.D. – South Dakota Department of Health Secretary Kim Malsam-Rysdon discussed the state’s pandemic response and successful vaccine rollout on the podcast, Credit Hour. “The vaccine you should get is the first one that’s available to you,” said Malsam-Rysdon. “They are all incredibly effective.”Malsam-Rysdon earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Dakota. She was an initial graduate of the University Honors program. Serving in state government for 20 years, Malsam-Rysdon has also served as Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Social Services, and as Director of the Divisions of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Services. “The fact that we’re even talking about a vaccine—let alone three vaccines as of today—that are incredibly effective is amazing,” said Malsam-Rysdon.Credit Hour is the University of South Dakota’s podcast highlighting the achievement, research and scholarship of its staff, students, alumni and faculty. Follow Credit Hour on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and www.usd.edu/podcast.

USD Assistant Art Professor Amber Hansen Discusses Community Based Mural Making on Credit HourVERMILLION, S.D. – University of South Dakota assistant professor of art, Amber Hansen, BFA ’07, discussed the process of making murals through community based art engagement on the podcast Credit Hour.“Community based art allows us to not only activate a part of our collective community, it invites people to imagine or reimagine the place they live,” said Hansen.Hansen actively exhibits in the mediums of film, drawing, and musical performance and has been the lead artist in many public murals located throughout the country. This past summer she helped lead several community based art projects in Vermillion and Miller, South Dakota, and Alton, Iowa. She is the co-director and co-editor of a documentary film about creating community based murals in Middle America titled, "Called to Walls", that was released in the spring of 2016.Credit Hour is the University of South Dakota’s podcast highlighting the achievement, research and scholarship of its staff, students, alumni and faculty. Follow Credit Hour on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and www.usd.edu/podcast.

Mortenson Discusses his Perspective from PierreVERMILLION, S.D. – Representative Will Mortenson, B.A. '10, discussed his decision to run for public office and his perspective from the capitol in Pierre on Credit Hour.“You run because you have ideas in some of these areas,” said Mortenson. “Policy works best when you work it through with all the people who are going to be involved.”Mortenson, a University of Virginia law graduate, is in his first term representing District 24 in the South Dakota State House of Representatives. He manages his own law practice in Fort Pierre, and has prior experience serving as a policy advisory for former Gov. Dennis Daugaard and managing Congressman Dusty Johnson’s election for public utility commissioner in 2010.“The thing I know for sure is that we’ve got something good in South Dakota,” said Mortenson. “I love this state and I love USD because the priorities here and the things that are status-inducing are authenticity and caring for communities and they are understanding that we have a shared history that we get to build upon.”Credit Hour is the University of South Dakota’s podcast highlighting the achievement, research and scholarship of its staff, students, alumni and faculty. Follow Credit Hour on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and www.usd.edu/podcast.

U.S. Senator John Thune Discusses Career in Public Service and Senate Leadership on Credit HourVERMILLION, S.D. – U.S. Senator John Thune, M.B.A. ’84, spoke about his career in public service and experience serving in Senate leadership on this week’s episode of Credit Hour. “You have to maintain that optimism and have a sense about the future that keeps you moving forward,” said Thune. “More than anything else to me if any of the lessons that we learn from all this try to extend grace to yourself but also to other people when you’re going through a tough time and look for ways to serve other people.”Thune discussed the political polarization in the country. “A lot of people say that politics is upstream from culture. I think it’s downstream from culture,” said Thune. “I think what happens politically mirrors or reflects what’s happening in the country and I think the country has been very divided and polarized and I think our politics reflects that.”“To me, your political party needs to be anchored in something more than just the changing personalities because they come and go,” said Thune.“I’ve always felt politics ought to be about appealing to people’s hopes, and not preying on their fears,” said Thune.Speaking about his experience earning a master’s degree at USD in business administration, Thune reflected on the benefits of the program.“I really appreciate and value looking at the world and looking at issues and problems through the prism of that MBA background,” said Thune.Credit Hour is the University of South Dakota’s podcast highlighting the achievement, research and scholarship of its staff, students, alumni and faculty. Follow Credit Hour on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and www.usd.edu/podcast.