1
00:00:03,830 --> 00:00:07,970
[Auto-generated transcript. Edits may have been applied for clarity.]
Hello and welcome to the conversations with COJO podcast. I'll be your student host.
2
00:00:08,300 --> 00:00:09,170
Jordan Roemeling
3
00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:16,490
Today we are joined by Tom Neiman, a development director at the Sdsu Foundation for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
4
00:00:16,820 --> 00:00:21,710
Thank you for joining me, Tom. Would you be able to introduce herself and talk a little bit about your background in your work?
5
00:00:21,860 --> 00:00:28,210
Huh? I, um, joining you from the Alumni Association and Foundation Building here on campus.
6
00:00:28,220 --> 00:00:30,650
I'm looking out at the campus, Neal, right now. Beautiful view.
7
00:00:31,250 --> 00:00:40,190
Um, I am, as you said, the development director for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at at the Issue Foundation.
8
00:00:40,190 --> 00:00:49,460
I started, uh, back earlier this year in March with the Foundation after a long time in television, mostly in South Dakota.
9
00:00:49,700 --> 00:00:54,499
Um graduated from the issue in 1990, way back in the day, and, uh,
10
00:00:54,500 --> 00:01:01,340
worked for about ten years at Kelo TV in Sioux Falls and worked in sales in Sioux Falls for about another 8 or 9 years,
11
00:01:01,700 --> 00:01:08,270
and then was part of starting, uh, Midco sports network through Midcontinent, the cable company in Sioux Falls.
12
00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:15,290
And, um, did that for about 13 years, did a lot of, uh, South Dakota State University live broadcast of football,
13
00:01:15,290 --> 00:01:18,919
basketball, did high school hockey, did a little bit of everything.
14
00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,700
But, um, as of March of this year of 2025.
15
00:01:22,700 --> 00:01:28,670
Yes. So with the issue Foundation, awesome. How has it been in your new role then at the Foundation?
16
00:01:28,820 --> 00:01:33,320
It's interesting. It's exciting. It's day to day. It's never the same day.
17
00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:37,010
It's always something different. Um, but it's it's communication.
18
00:01:37,010 --> 00:01:43,489
It's journalism skills that I learned, uh, 40 years ago that I still put to use today and just, um,
19
00:01:43,490 --> 00:01:49,790
you know, emails and phone calls and meetings and communication and, and, uh, dealing with our people here.
20
00:01:49,790 --> 00:01:53,299
But it's it's been good for the eight months that I've been here.
21
00:01:53,300 --> 00:01:59,360
And I'm looking forward to, uh, just continuing for another, I don't know how many years I'll be here, but it'll be a few hours.
22
00:01:59,420 --> 00:02:03,079
Um, um, what's it been like to be in each role?
23
00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:09,270
And how does it differ? Because you have been at Midco, you've been there, you know, you're back at Sdsu.
24
00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:11,960
Um, how has it changed for you over the years?
25
00:02:12,170 --> 00:02:20,149
Yeah, just, um, like I said, the the communication has been kind of a thread that's gone through everything I've done in my professional life.
26
00:02:20,150 --> 00:02:25,490
And when I started at Kellogg, I was a production assistant on the the morning show.
27
00:02:25,490 --> 00:02:28,940
So I'd go in at three in the morning and get tapes ready and do scripts and,
28
00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:33,979
and help the anchors get everything together for the 5 a.m. show or whatever it was at the time.
29
00:02:33,980 --> 00:02:37,040
So that was kind of a fun start, uh, to get into it.
30
00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:42,889
And then eventually I became a sports anchor and, uh, the weekend anchor and then finally a weekday anchor.
31
00:02:42,890 --> 00:02:46,280
But that was pretty much straight journalism.
32
00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:47,900
I mean, it's sport. It was sports.
33
00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:55,399
I kind of make a differentiation between sports and actual journalism that that some people do and, and do important news stories.
34
00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,810
But, um, it was fun. And I did that for about ten years.
35
00:03:00,350 --> 00:03:04,009
I got into sales, um, after that.
36
00:03:04,010 --> 00:03:06,319
And it was kind of the, you know, using the same skills.
37
00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,389
You're still making presentations and you're still meeting with people and you're still, um, you know,
38
00:03:11,390 --> 00:03:17,600
you're questioning things and you're making sure that you verify sources and all those things that you learn in journalism and,
39
00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:24,710
and written communication was important in my sales career, as it was in my, uh, my TV career.
40
00:03:24,710 --> 00:03:34,000
Kellogg. And then, um, in that job I had previous to this at Midco Sports Network, that was a lot more of live production.
41
00:03:34,010 --> 00:03:35,780
So it was a little more hands on.
42
00:03:35,780 --> 00:03:41,750
It wasn't quite the day to day, but, you know, 3 or 4 days a week, you're doing a live production and you guys do that.
43
00:03:41,990 --> 00:03:48,020
I know on Fridays, uh, when you do the Collegian report. And it was so you kind of have a feel for what I'm talking about.
44
00:03:48,020 --> 00:03:51,919
But, um, that that was so fun. And you'd get to travel a little bit, right?
45
00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:58,219
When we started, I did we went all over the region, the Dakotas and Minnesota, and then we kind of tightened it down.
46
00:03:58,220 --> 00:04:01,850
And in the most recent years, and I did a lot of stuff here at Sdsu.
47
00:04:01,850 --> 00:04:05,600
So just going back and forth to campus 3 or 4 days a week, but again,
48
00:04:06,290 --> 00:04:11,509
using the same skills that I'd used at Kellogg and used in sales and, and, uh, just presenting.
49
00:04:11,510 --> 00:04:21,680
I never thought of myself as a presenter. I like the writing part of journalism and the reporting and the researching, but I never thought about that.
50
00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:29,060
I'd be good on air, and it's still just strange to me that I did that for so long, because I don't like speaking in front of crowds.
51
00:04:29,180 --> 00:04:33,499
I don't like being a public speaker all that much, but for some reason it worked on TV.
52
00:04:33,500 --> 00:04:41,330
But I think just to answer your question, is those communication skills and those writing skills, uh, paid off in everything that I've done.
53
00:04:41,630 --> 00:04:52,320
Awesome. That's wonderful. Um, to hear you go from print into into broadcast, but still having those same core skills that you, uh, use in journalism.
54
00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:53,510
So it's really wonderful to hear.
55
00:04:53,690 --> 00:05:00,620
Going back to Sdsu, can you talk about your time when you went to school at Sdsu and how that has impacted your career?
56
00:05:01,130 --> 00:05:06,040
Sure. Um, it's been. While it was. I lived in many ways hall for two years.
57
00:05:06,100 --> 00:05:12,549
Um, had such a great time as a student here. Um, but I started out in engineering.
58
00:05:12,550 --> 00:05:17,830
I, you know, starting my father. What do you want to do? I oh, maybe I'll go try engineering issue.
59
00:05:17,830 --> 00:05:24,130
Obviously great engineering school. And and I did that for about a year and a half and just it wasn't me.
60
00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:29,350
I didn't find my people in engineering. I found my people in journalism after about a year and a half here.
61
00:05:29,350 --> 00:05:38,770
So made that switch. Um, ESPN had started uh, maybe 7 or 8 years before I was in school here back in the early 80s.
62
00:05:38,770 --> 00:05:42,100
And that was kind of becoming a thing. And I thought, all of it, I can do that.
63
00:05:42,290 --> 00:05:49,480
That sounds fun. And I just, I made that switch just because it it felt right to me as a student.
64
00:05:49,510 --> 00:05:56,770
Um, engineering probably could have stayed in it could have studied, could have had a much different career, but it just it wasn't me.
65
00:05:56,770 --> 00:05:59,340
So I found some great, uh,
66
00:05:59,410 --> 00:06:07,120
instructors back in the day and in the journalism school and had a good group of people that I kind of grew up with here at Sdsu that,
67
00:06:07,510 --> 00:06:12,549
you know, we did all the same things and had all the same classes and the same experiences and worked on the same projects.
68
00:06:12,550 --> 00:06:21,430
And it was I kind of just found the right people and, and I think found what I was probably supposed to be doing that I wanted to do eventually.
69
00:06:21,430 --> 00:06:29,409
And and it all worked out that way, but just had a great experience at Sdsu and met all the, you know, great people that are still my friends today.
70
00:06:29,410 --> 00:06:34,900
And and it you know, it comes back to now, what, 35 years later that, um,
71
00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:42,610
still some of the people that I knew then I still have in contact with now, but it's just a great connection to have with Sdsu.
72
00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,730
Yeah. Now you're full circle. You're back at CSU at the foundation, right?
73
00:06:46,780 --> 00:06:54,160
Wonderful. Yeah. Um, what's it been like to see that change, you know, in Sdsu since your time here and to now?
74
00:06:54,370 --> 00:06:58,989
Yeah. It's incredible. I, I can't remember exactly what was here in this building that I'm sitting in,
75
00:06:58,990 --> 00:07:04,149
but it was back in the day when there was a car wash and a and a laundromat and a little restaurant.
76
00:07:04,150 --> 00:07:07,090
I think over here on this side of the street just across from the Campanile.
77
00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:15,189
But, yeah, I mean, my my oldest daughter went to school here, um, about ten years ago, graduated, I think, in 2015.
78
00:07:15,190 --> 00:07:20,259
And so I'd kind of gotten another feel for some of the changes that have been going on.
79
00:07:20,260 --> 00:07:25,569
But just all the new dorm buildings obviously are the first thing that stick out to you.
80
00:07:25,570 --> 00:07:34,240
And then the talk about the athletic facilities, um, we were doing football games when I was at Midco in the old Coffman Alumni Stadium.
81
00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:40,809
And of course, they retrofitted that stadium, so they were tearing down half of it while we were still up there in that old press box doing games.
82
00:07:40,810 --> 00:07:49,150
And so that was kind of an exciting experience to, uh, to see how that came together with the new football stadium and then the basketball arena.
83
00:07:49,150 --> 00:07:53,889
I remember I played basketball, I was on the basketball team back in the late 80s.
84
00:07:53,890 --> 00:07:59,650
And, um, and we had some great experiences in the old Frost Arena when it was just bleachers, wall to wall.
85
00:07:59,650 --> 00:08:05,049
And I think we set the attendance record there at 9200 or something like that.
86
00:08:05,050 --> 00:08:10,750
And to see where that is now is exciting too, with all the suites and the amenities that you have to have today.
87
00:08:10,750 --> 00:08:18,639
But and as you said, on campus, um, I walk into your hall and it's I can't believe that I'd spent that much time there.
88
00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:23,860
It's it looks a little different, but it feels the way it did back in, you know, 1989.
89
00:08:23,860 --> 00:08:26,980
So that's that's been a lot of fun for me in this new position.
90
00:08:27,700 --> 00:08:31,509
That's awesome. That's really great to hear. Yeah. Just seeing the changes.
91
00:08:31,510 --> 00:08:38,440
Um, because I'm a senior this year and just the small amount of changes to the athletic facilities is crazy.
92
00:08:38,770 --> 00:08:42,610
So yeah, everything keeps updating and changing.
93
00:08:42,910 --> 00:08:48,130
Yeah. The, the, um, fitness center that was I was not here when I was here, things like that.
94
00:08:48,190 --> 00:08:52,599
The student union with all the options. I think it's twice as big as it was when I was here.
95
00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:56,680
But just to be a student here, I think would be fantastic.
96
00:08:56,830 --> 00:09:03,580
Yeah, it is fantastic. Definitely. Just some questions about, um, your role at the Sdsu Foundation.
97
00:09:04,030 --> 00:09:10,959
So, um, so far in the eight months that you've been here, are there, um,
98
00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:15,400
what's been the most impactful project or initiative that you've worked on in your role so far?
99
00:09:15,850 --> 00:09:23,739
Um, securing scholarships, that's kind of been a push, a big push for the foundation in years coming up to this, but especially this year,
100
00:09:23,740 --> 00:09:31,209
just increasing scholarships, making those available to students, and student retention is tied to that as well.
101
00:09:31,210 --> 00:09:36,730
And we're at an all time high for, you know, freshmen coming back as sophomores and that student retention piece.
102
00:09:36,730 --> 00:09:44,980
But scholarships it's I made a trip early on, um, when I started here at the foundation of the Washington, DC, we were going out there,
103
00:09:45,610 --> 00:09:53,740
um, to talk about a project they have going in the School of American and Global Studies, the MacArthur Public Service Academy.
104
00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,429
So we we're out there talking to alumni about that and supporting that.
105
00:09:57,430 --> 00:10:02,410
And, um, hooked up with some people that, uh, journalism.
106
00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:08,659
Major, actually, that had been here. Uh, she's 70 something, so she was here a long time ago.
107
00:10:08,660 --> 00:10:13,639
But she had the same experiences that you and I have been talking about, that she found the right people here,
108
00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:17,390
and she fell in love with journalism, and it served her throughout her career.
109
00:10:17,390 --> 00:10:22,070
She wasn't always in journalism. She was in communications. And now she is an author.
110
00:10:22,070 --> 00:10:26,299
She writes books for a living. And but it was a great experience with her.
111
00:10:26,300 --> 00:10:32,560
And she you know, what I'm trying to do is say, hey, well, how do you think you might, uh,
112
00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:37,430
support the university with a scholarship, sponsoring a scholarship, being something you'd be interested in.
113
00:10:37,820 --> 00:10:43,040
And she and I hit it off right away. And this was, you know, 2 or 3 months after I'd started here, and I thought this was great.
114
00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:51,769
This is how it's supposed to go. So it's been experiences like that so far, just connecting with alumni, with graduates, they'd have a great interest.
115
00:10:51,770 --> 00:10:56,450
They say, you know, I got a great education at South Dakota State. It was, you know, the best times of my life.
116
00:10:56,870 --> 00:11:01,790
And I want to give back now. So that's that's how it went with her and that's how it's supposed to go.
117
00:11:01,790 --> 00:11:05,240
So those that's been, uh, one of the greatest experiences so far.
118
00:11:05,930 --> 00:11:09,020
Wow. That's awesome. It sounds really rewarding.
119
00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:14,060
Um, to get to meet people that are alumni and you have shared experiences with them,
120
00:11:15,110 --> 00:11:22,460
it's incredible how people are willing to support the university the way they do, whether it's through a scholarship or they give to a program.
121
00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,700
I mean, a lot of people give to athletics and that's that's been great as well.
122
00:11:25,730 --> 00:11:31,459
But just to see, you know, journalism grads that are interested in in providing journalism scholarships
123
00:11:31,460 --> 00:11:36,590
and School of Design or I represent a lot of different avenues in the arts,
124
00:11:36,590 --> 00:11:38,149
humanities and social sciences.
125
00:11:38,150 --> 00:11:46,070
But, um, journalism is kind of obviously near and dear to my heart that, um, ROTC has been another kind of good experience for me.
126
00:11:46,070 --> 00:11:49,100
There's a lot of people, a lot of graduates that are interested in supporting that.
127
00:11:49,100 --> 00:11:54,139
So, yeah, like you said, it's fun to just go and hook up with people that are on the same wavelength.
128
00:11:54,140 --> 00:11:58,630
And, and you can talk to and then get some things done. It's awesome.
129
00:11:59,250 --> 00:12:09,400
I wrote an article about the Sdsu Foundation, uh, merging with the Alumni Association, which will I think will be official in January.
130
00:12:09,420 --> 00:12:16,830
I read a little bit ago and asked, but what's that been like seeing that in in you're like newer role?
131
00:12:17,130 --> 00:12:20,220
Um, seeing those two organizations merge together.
132
00:12:21,190 --> 00:12:27,489
Yeah, I mean, it's kind of the new guy. I don't have as much perspective on that as the people that have been here for five years and ten years.
133
00:12:27,490 --> 00:12:34,690
And in the case of our president, he's been here close to 20 years and the alumni association president,
134
00:12:34,690 --> 00:12:40,389
and he's been here a long time, but it's a big deal. I didn't realize how big a deal it really is.
135
00:12:40,390 --> 00:12:44,980
And all the hoops you have to jump through and you have to go through the Board of Regents and everything has to be legal.
136
00:12:44,980 --> 00:12:52,209
And so that was kind of interesting and eye opening, how they bring the councils and the boards together and vote on everything to make it official.
137
00:12:52,210 --> 00:13:01,210
And and Steve Urban black, our president has talked a lot about how this this is a huge moment really in the life of these two organizations.
138
00:13:01,210 --> 00:13:04,450
So the alumni association has been around for more than 100 years.
139
00:13:04,450 --> 00:13:07,509
The foundation has been around for 80 some years.
140
00:13:07,510 --> 00:13:14,319
And to have them both come together now is is a big monument moment, I guess, at a South Dakota state.
141
00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:20,920
So it's a we talk about this a lot, that there's probably a lot of people that think we're kind of the same organization anyway,
142
00:13:20,920 --> 00:13:25,510
the alumni association and the foundation, it's that way and a lot of other colleges.
143
00:13:25,990 --> 00:13:31,350
But, um, yeah, as you said, as of January 1st, 2026 will be, uh,
144
00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:36,459
Sdsu alumni and foundation will be the name of it, and we'll be a combined organization.
145
00:13:36,460 --> 00:13:42,310
And it's really just a, you know, a joining of good organizations, not one stronger than the other.
146
00:13:42,310 --> 00:13:46,810
But we've kind of crossed paths in a lot of ways as far as fundraising goes and events.
147
00:13:46,810 --> 00:13:50,410
So it'll be a really good experience and a big deal.
148
00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:59,439
That's awesome to see. Yeah, just kind of going into, uh, challenges and successes in your role at the Foundation,
149
00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:04,900
um, what kinds of challenges do you face, uh, in your role at the Foundation, if any?
150
00:14:06,270 --> 00:14:16,200
Well, I think it's just, um, people are a little wary of people trying to call them and asking for money, basically is what we're doing.
151
00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:25,469
But so just, you know, having those avenues, whether it's email or text or, um, old fashioned letter writing or cards or anything like that,
152
00:14:25,470 --> 00:14:29,220
there's a lot of different ways you kind of have to go about it to try and connect with people.
153
00:14:29,220 --> 00:14:32,430
And, you know, if you get a yes, that's great.
154
00:14:32,430 --> 00:14:36,750
If you get a no, that's great. The worst thing is getting no response whatsoever.
155
00:14:37,050 --> 00:14:42,660
That's kind of the most frustrating thing, where you just don't know if if somebody's got your communication.
156
00:14:43,140 --> 00:14:49,140
Um, that's probably the most frustrating thing. But, um, for the most part, when you do connect with people,
157
00:14:49,140 --> 00:14:56,670
they are more than willing to at least have a conversation about what we're trying to do at Foundation and how I can support the university.
158
00:14:56,670 --> 00:15:01,499
So, um, there's just those little frustrations day to day, but those are just they're so minor.
159
00:15:01,500 --> 00:15:06,030
When you realize that there's there's so many people out there that are willing to work with you.
160
00:15:06,030 --> 00:15:09,149
So that's that's been fun. Yeah.
161
00:15:09,150 --> 00:15:12,450
I'm sure in the grand scheme of things, it's all it's all worth it.
162
00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:17,940
But exactly. Yeah. Exactly. Yes. Yes. Absolutely right.
163
00:15:19,070 --> 00:15:23,570
And I know you kind of talked a little bit about, you know, what you just said about getting,
164
00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:28,459
um, those scholarships, getting that financial support from alumni.
165
00:15:28,460 --> 00:15:32,060
But, um, what how do you define success in your career?
166
00:15:33,060 --> 00:15:38,639
Um, I mean, obviously there's there's numbers, there's metrics, there's goals, you know, that you want to hit every year.
167
00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:43,380
And we set a huge goal or they I shouldn't say we because I just got here, but they've said huge,
168
00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:49,170
humongous goals for themselves as far as going out and raising $100 million a year or whatever it might be,
169
00:15:49,170 --> 00:15:54,420
and that, you know, um, so you're, you're you're trying to hit those numbers.
170
00:15:54,420 --> 00:16:01,499
That's what the job is. But, um, they also tell us here that it's a long term game.
171
00:16:01,500 --> 00:16:09,239
You're playing the long game. Um, you don't want to just be transactional and take a dollar today and say, thank you very much and then move on.
172
00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:15,450
You want to build relationships. And that's that's what we're trying to do here so that there's the money goal, obviously.
173
00:16:15,450 --> 00:16:20,249
But then you're building those relationships and and bringing people into the fold.
174
00:16:20,250 --> 00:16:26,459
The issue make them drink the blue Kool-Aid, so to speak. And, you know, it's it's building those relationships.
175
00:16:26,460 --> 00:16:32,790
And long term people get more and more involved and they see what other people are doing and they want to be involved with,
176
00:16:33,060 --> 00:16:40,830
uh, what other people are doing. There's kind of a fear of missing out after, you know, but, um, to build those relationships long term is the goal.
177
00:16:40,830 --> 00:16:48,899
And, and have those payoff with those those donors and those alumni really having a great feel about not only their time when they were students here,
178
00:16:48,900 --> 00:16:52,140
but their time now that they're still connected to the university.
179
00:16:53,110 --> 00:16:57,280
Absolutely. I like the way you answered that, because I feel like, yeah,
180
00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:04,450
there might be misconceptions about the foundation or the alumni association just kind of wanting those transactions and stuff.
181
00:17:04,450 --> 00:17:11,790
But I like what you said about building relationships and having having it be a long term goal rather than a short term.
182
00:17:11,860 --> 00:17:15,790
So yeah. Good. I've been practicing that that speech to make people understand that.
183
00:17:15,790 --> 00:17:19,240
So yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Awesome.
184
00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:25,450
Looking back, is there anything you wish you knew when you first started your career in journalism?
185
00:17:26,830 --> 00:17:33,549
No, just in the last. You know, it was different when I graduated than it is going to be when you graduate, obviously.
186
00:17:33,550 --> 00:17:39,130
I mean, there's four decades of time passed in there and and back in the day,
187
00:17:39,610 --> 00:17:44,860
it was you come out of that issue and you're going to go work in a newspaper and yanked,
188
00:17:44,860 --> 00:17:47,950
and you're going to go to Sioux Falls and work in radio or TV,
189
00:17:47,950 --> 00:17:58,509
or you can go anywhere in the country and in journalism and TV stations and radio stations and newspapers were all viable things at that time.
190
00:17:58,510 --> 00:18:03,729
And that's not the case anymore, where we've seen a lot of print journalism go away, unfortunately.
191
00:18:03,730 --> 00:18:14,110
And, and, um, that's why I think it's just more important now probably than ever to have people that are interested in journalism and want to
192
00:18:14,110 --> 00:18:21,459
stick it out and want to make a career out of it and hold people accountable and be professional journalists and tell stories.
193
00:18:21,460 --> 00:18:25,330
I mean, you can do it in a wide array of things. Like I said, sports.
194
00:18:25,330 --> 00:18:29,770
I never considered true journalism, but we were telling stories and we were connecting people.
195
00:18:29,770 --> 00:18:41,860
But, um, those people in news that go out and hold power accountable, I have so much respect for and, um, I just hope that it continues that way.
196
00:18:41,860 --> 00:18:50,169
And there are assaults all the time from politicians and from others that try to go after journalism and call it fake news and all these things.
197
00:18:50,170 --> 00:18:56,709
And, um, I'm just proud of people that come out of this university and other journalism schools that that stick
198
00:18:56,710 --> 00:19:01,150
with it and understand that they're they're doing something very important and we need to protect it.
199
00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:07,059
I agree with that. It's kind of a scary time, I would say, for no to some unknown.
200
00:19:07,060 --> 00:19:07,240
Yeah.
201
00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:15,180
I mean back seriously back back in the day, it was a little more of a known fact where you could go out and you're going to have a journalism career.
202
00:19:15,180 --> 00:19:22,000
And, and now it seems, I don't know, maybe you can talk more about this than I can, but there's there's other ways you can go.
203
00:19:22,030 --> 00:19:29,739
You can have a journalism degree and use it as a journalist or in communications, or there's all kinds of other,
204
00:19:29,740 --> 00:19:35,500
you know, corporate structures that you can get into and things like that to tell stories and communicate.
205
00:19:35,500 --> 00:19:44,799
So I if it's not as a journalist, I think it's a great, um, proving ground and training ground to go out and do some of those other things.
206
00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,520
And it just goes back to what we talked about before with communication.
207
00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:51,790
And I mean, that's what I do every day is it still is written communication.
208
00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:57,819
Um, you're on the phone, you're giving presentations and, uh, that's that's journalism.
209
00:19:57,820 --> 00:19:59,889
And the research part of that, I've always loved that part of it.
210
00:19:59,890 --> 00:20:09,700
Um, you know, researching stories and checking facts and and talking to people and, and that's what you do in any other job for the most part.
211
00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:13,330
So I still think journalism is a great training ground for that.
00:00:03,830 --> 00:00:07,970
[Auto-generated transcript. Edits may have been applied for clarity.]
Hello and welcome to the conversations with COJO podcast. I'll be your student host.
2
00:00:08,300 --> 00:00:09,170
Jordan Roemeling
3
00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:16,490
Today we are joined by Tom Neiman, a development director at the Sdsu Foundation for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
4
00:00:16,820 --> 00:00:21,710
Thank you for joining me, Tom. Would you be able to introduce herself and talk a little bit about your background in your work?
5
00:00:21,860 --> 00:00:28,210
Huh? I, um, joining you from the Alumni Association and Foundation Building here on campus.
6
00:00:28,220 --> 00:00:30,650
I'm looking out at the campus, Neal, right now. Beautiful view.
7
00:00:31,250 --> 00:00:40,190
Um, I am, as you said, the development director for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at at the Issue Foundation.
8
00:00:40,190 --> 00:00:49,460
I started, uh, back earlier this year in March with the Foundation after a long time in television, mostly in South Dakota.
9
00:00:49,700 --> 00:00:54,499
Um graduated from the issue in 1990, way back in the day, and, uh,
10
00:00:54,500 --> 00:01:01,340
worked for about ten years at Kelo TV in Sioux Falls and worked in sales in Sioux Falls for about another 8 or 9 years,
11
00:01:01,700 --> 00:01:08,270
and then was part of starting, uh, Midco sports network through Midcontinent, the cable company in Sioux Falls.
12
00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:15,290
And, um, did that for about 13 years, did a lot of, uh, South Dakota State University live broadcast of football,
13
00:01:15,290 --> 00:01:18,919
basketball, did high school hockey, did a little bit of everything.
14
00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,700
But, um, as of March of this year of 2025.
15
00:01:22,700 --> 00:01:28,670
Yes. So with the issue Foundation, awesome. How has it been in your new role then at the Foundation?
16
00:01:28,820 --> 00:01:33,320
It's interesting. It's exciting. It's day to day. It's never the same day.
17
00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:37,010
It's always something different. Um, but it's it's communication.
18
00:01:37,010 --> 00:01:43,489
It's journalism skills that I learned, uh, 40 years ago that I still put to use today and just, um,
19
00:01:43,490 --> 00:01:49,790
you know, emails and phone calls and meetings and communication and, and, uh, dealing with our people here.
20
00:01:49,790 --> 00:01:53,299
But it's it's been good for the eight months that I've been here.
21
00:01:53,300 --> 00:01:59,360
And I'm looking forward to, uh, just continuing for another, I don't know how many years I'll be here, but it'll be a few hours.
22
00:01:59,420 --> 00:02:03,079
Um, um, what's it been like to be in each role?
23
00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:09,270
And how does it differ? Because you have been at Midco, you've been there, you know, you're back at Sdsu.
24
00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:11,960
Um, how has it changed for you over the years?
25
00:02:12,170 --> 00:02:20,149
Yeah, just, um, like I said, the the communication has been kind of a thread that's gone through everything I've done in my professional life.
26
00:02:20,150 --> 00:02:25,490
And when I started at Kellogg, I was a production assistant on the the morning show.
27
00:02:25,490 --> 00:02:28,940
So I'd go in at three in the morning and get tapes ready and do scripts and,
28
00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:33,979
and help the anchors get everything together for the 5 a.m. show or whatever it was at the time.
29
00:02:33,980 --> 00:02:37,040
So that was kind of a fun start, uh, to get into it.
30
00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:42,889
And then eventually I became a sports anchor and, uh, the weekend anchor and then finally a weekday anchor.
31
00:02:42,890 --> 00:02:46,280
But that was pretty much straight journalism.
32
00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:47,900
I mean, it's sport. It was sports.
33
00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:55,399
I kind of make a differentiation between sports and actual journalism that that some people do and, and do important news stories.
34
00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,810
But, um, it was fun. And I did that for about ten years.
35
00:03:00,350 --> 00:03:04,009
I got into sales, um, after that.
36
00:03:04,010 --> 00:03:06,319
And it was kind of the, you know, using the same skills.
37
00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,389
You're still making presentations and you're still meeting with people and you're still, um, you know,
38
00:03:11,390 --> 00:03:17,600
you're questioning things and you're making sure that you verify sources and all those things that you learn in journalism and,
39
00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:24,710
and written communication was important in my sales career, as it was in my, uh, my TV career.
40
00:03:24,710 --> 00:03:34,000
Kellogg. And then, um, in that job I had previous to this at Midco Sports Network, that was a lot more of live production.
41
00:03:34,010 --> 00:03:35,780
So it was a little more hands on.
42
00:03:35,780 --> 00:03:41,750
It wasn't quite the day to day, but, you know, 3 or 4 days a week, you're doing a live production and you guys do that.
43
00:03:41,990 --> 00:03:48,020
I know on Fridays, uh, when you do the Collegian report. And it was so you kind of have a feel for what I'm talking about.
44
00:03:48,020 --> 00:03:51,919
But, um, that that was so fun. And you'd get to travel a little bit, right?
45
00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:58,219
When we started, I did we went all over the region, the Dakotas and Minnesota, and then we kind of tightened it down.
46
00:03:58,220 --> 00:04:01,850
And in the most recent years, and I did a lot of stuff here at Sdsu.
47
00:04:01,850 --> 00:04:05,600
So just going back and forth to campus 3 or 4 days a week, but again,
48
00:04:06,290 --> 00:04:11,509
using the same skills that I'd used at Kellogg and used in sales and, and, uh, just presenting.
49
00:04:11,510 --> 00:04:21,680
I never thought of myself as a presenter. I like the writing part of journalism and the reporting and the researching, but I never thought about that.
50
00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:29,060
I'd be good on air, and it's still just strange to me that I did that for so long, because I don't like speaking in front of crowds.
51
00:04:29,180 --> 00:04:33,499
I don't like being a public speaker all that much, but for some reason it worked on TV.
52
00:04:33,500 --> 00:04:41,330
But I think just to answer your question, is those communication skills and those writing skills, uh, paid off in everything that I've done.
53
00:04:41,630 --> 00:04:52,320
Awesome. That's wonderful. Um, to hear you go from print into into broadcast, but still having those same core skills that you, uh, use in journalism.
54
00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:53,510
So it's really wonderful to hear.
55
00:04:53,690 --> 00:05:00,620
Going back to Sdsu, can you talk about your time when you went to school at Sdsu and how that has impacted your career?
56
00:05:01,130 --> 00:05:06,040
Sure. Um, it's been. While it was. I lived in many ways hall for two years.
57
00:05:06,100 --> 00:05:12,549
Um, had such a great time as a student here. Um, but I started out in engineering.
58
00:05:12,550 --> 00:05:17,830
I, you know, starting my father. What do you want to do? I oh, maybe I'll go try engineering issue.
59
00:05:17,830 --> 00:05:24,130
Obviously great engineering school. And and I did that for about a year and a half and just it wasn't me.
60
00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:29,350
I didn't find my people in engineering. I found my people in journalism after about a year and a half here.
61
00:05:29,350 --> 00:05:38,770
So made that switch. Um, ESPN had started uh, maybe 7 or 8 years before I was in school here back in the early 80s.
62
00:05:38,770 --> 00:05:42,100
And that was kind of becoming a thing. And I thought, all of it, I can do that.
63
00:05:42,290 --> 00:05:49,480
That sounds fun. And I just, I made that switch just because it it felt right to me as a student.
64
00:05:49,510 --> 00:05:56,770
Um, engineering probably could have stayed in it could have studied, could have had a much different career, but it just it wasn't me.
65
00:05:56,770 --> 00:05:59,340
So I found some great, uh,
66
00:05:59,410 --> 00:06:07,120
instructors back in the day and in the journalism school and had a good group of people that I kind of grew up with here at Sdsu that,
67
00:06:07,510 --> 00:06:12,549
you know, we did all the same things and had all the same classes and the same experiences and worked on the same projects.
68
00:06:12,550 --> 00:06:21,430
And it was I kind of just found the right people and, and I think found what I was probably supposed to be doing that I wanted to do eventually.
69
00:06:21,430 --> 00:06:29,409
And and it all worked out that way, but just had a great experience at Sdsu and met all the, you know, great people that are still my friends today.
70
00:06:29,410 --> 00:06:34,900
And and it you know, it comes back to now, what, 35 years later that, um,
71
00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:42,610
still some of the people that I knew then I still have in contact with now, but it's just a great connection to have with Sdsu.
72
00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,730
Yeah. Now you're full circle. You're back at CSU at the foundation, right?
73
00:06:46,780 --> 00:06:54,160
Wonderful. Yeah. Um, what's it been like to see that change, you know, in Sdsu since your time here and to now?
74
00:06:54,370 --> 00:06:58,989
Yeah. It's incredible. I, I can't remember exactly what was here in this building that I'm sitting in,
75
00:06:58,990 --> 00:07:04,149
but it was back in the day when there was a car wash and a and a laundromat and a little restaurant.
76
00:07:04,150 --> 00:07:07,090
I think over here on this side of the street just across from the Campanile.
77
00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:15,189
But, yeah, I mean, my my oldest daughter went to school here, um, about ten years ago, graduated, I think, in 2015.
78
00:07:15,190 --> 00:07:20,259
And so I'd kind of gotten another feel for some of the changes that have been going on.
79
00:07:20,260 --> 00:07:25,569
But just all the new dorm buildings obviously are the first thing that stick out to you.
80
00:07:25,570 --> 00:07:34,240
And then the talk about the athletic facilities, um, we were doing football games when I was at Midco in the old Coffman Alumni Stadium.
81
00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:40,809
And of course, they retrofitted that stadium, so they were tearing down half of it while we were still up there in that old press box doing games.
82
00:07:40,810 --> 00:07:49,150
And so that was kind of an exciting experience to, uh, to see how that came together with the new football stadium and then the basketball arena.
83
00:07:49,150 --> 00:07:53,889
I remember I played basketball, I was on the basketball team back in the late 80s.
84
00:07:53,890 --> 00:07:59,650
And, um, and we had some great experiences in the old Frost Arena when it was just bleachers, wall to wall.
85
00:07:59,650 --> 00:08:05,049
And I think we set the attendance record there at 9200 or something like that.
86
00:08:05,050 --> 00:08:10,750
And to see where that is now is exciting too, with all the suites and the amenities that you have to have today.
87
00:08:10,750 --> 00:08:18,639
But and as you said, on campus, um, I walk into your hall and it's I can't believe that I'd spent that much time there.
88
00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:23,860
It's it looks a little different, but it feels the way it did back in, you know, 1989.
89
00:08:23,860 --> 00:08:26,980
So that's that's been a lot of fun for me in this new position.
90
00:08:27,700 --> 00:08:31,509
That's awesome. That's really great to hear. Yeah. Just seeing the changes.
91
00:08:31,510 --> 00:08:38,440
Um, because I'm a senior this year and just the small amount of changes to the athletic facilities is crazy.
92
00:08:38,770 --> 00:08:42,610
So yeah, everything keeps updating and changing.
93
00:08:42,910 --> 00:08:48,130
Yeah. The, the, um, fitness center that was I was not here when I was here, things like that.
94
00:08:48,190 --> 00:08:52,599
The student union with all the options. I think it's twice as big as it was when I was here.
95
00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:56,680
But just to be a student here, I think would be fantastic.
96
00:08:56,830 --> 00:09:03,580
Yeah, it is fantastic. Definitely. Just some questions about, um, your role at the Sdsu Foundation.
97
00:09:04,030 --> 00:09:10,959
So, um, so far in the eight months that you've been here, are there, um,
98
00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:15,400
what's been the most impactful project or initiative that you've worked on in your role so far?
99
00:09:15,850 --> 00:09:23,739
Um, securing scholarships, that's kind of been a push, a big push for the foundation in years coming up to this, but especially this year,
100
00:09:23,740 --> 00:09:31,209
just increasing scholarships, making those available to students, and student retention is tied to that as well.
101
00:09:31,210 --> 00:09:36,730
And we're at an all time high for, you know, freshmen coming back as sophomores and that student retention piece.
102
00:09:36,730 --> 00:09:44,980
But scholarships it's I made a trip early on, um, when I started here at the foundation of the Washington, DC, we were going out there,
103
00:09:45,610 --> 00:09:53,740
um, to talk about a project they have going in the School of American and Global Studies, the MacArthur Public Service Academy.
104
00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:57,429
So we we're out there talking to alumni about that and supporting that.
105
00:09:57,430 --> 00:10:02,410
And, um, hooked up with some people that, uh, journalism.
106
00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:08,659
Major, actually, that had been here. Uh, she's 70 something, so she was here a long time ago.
107
00:10:08,660 --> 00:10:13,639
But she had the same experiences that you and I have been talking about, that she found the right people here,
108
00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:17,390
and she fell in love with journalism, and it served her throughout her career.
109
00:10:17,390 --> 00:10:22,070
She wasn't always in journalism. She was in communications. And now she is an author.
110
00:10:22,070 --> 00:10:26,299
She writes books for a living. And but it was a great experience with her.
111
00:10:26,300 --> 00:10:32,560
And she you know, what I'm trying to do is say, hey, well, how do you think you might, uh,
112
00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:37,430
support the university with a scholarship, sponsoring a scholarship, being something you'd be interested in.
113
00:10:37,820 --> 00:10:43,040
And she and I hit it off right away. And this was, you know, 2 or 3 months after I'd started here, and I thought this was great.
114
00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:51,769
This is how it's supposed to go. So it's been experiences like that so far, just connecting with alumni, with graduates, they'd have a great interest.
115
00:10:51,770 --> 00:10:56,450
They say, you know, I got a great education at South Dakota State. It was, you know, the best times of my life.
116
00:10:56,870 --> 00:11:01,790
And I want to give back now. So that's that's how it went with her and that's how it's supposed to go.
117
00:11:01,790 --> 00:11:05,240
So those that's been, uh, one of the greatest experiences so far.
118
00:11:05,930 --> 00:11:09,020
Wow. That's awesome. It sounds really rewarding.
119
00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:14,060
Um, to get to meet people that are alumni and you have shared experiences with them,
120
00:11:15,110 --> 00:11:22,460
it's incredible how people are willing to support the university the way they do, whether it's through a scholarship or they give to a program.
121
00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,700
I mean, a lot of people give to athletics and that's that's been great as well.
122
00:11:25,730 --> 00:11:31,459
But just to see, you know, journalism grads that are interested in in providing journalism scholarships
123
00:11:31,460 --> 00:11:36,590
and School of Design or I represent a lot of different avenues in the arts,
124
00:11:36,590 --> 00:11:38,149
humanities and social sciences.
125
00:11:38,150 --> 00:11:46,070
But, um, journalism is kind of obviously near and dear to my heart that, um, ROTC has been another kind of good experience for me.
126
00:11:46,070 --> 00:11:49,100
There's a lot of people, a lot of graduates that are interested in supporting that.
127
00:11:49,100 --> 00:11:54,139
So, yeah, like you said, it's fun to just go and hook up with people that are on the same wavelength.
128
00:11:54,140 --> 00:11:58,630
And, and you can talk to and then get some things done. It's awesome.
129
00:11:59,250 --> 00:12:09,400
I wrote an article about the Sdsu Foundation, uh, merging with the Alumni Association, which will I think will be official in January.
130
00:12:09,420 --> 00:12:16,830
I read a little bit ago and asked, but what's that been like seeing that in in you're like newer role?
131
00:12:17,130 --> 00:12:20,220
Um, seeing those two organizations merge together.
132
00:12:21,190 --> 00:12:27,489
Yeah, I mean, it's kind of the new guy. I don't have as much perspective on that as the people that have been here for five years and ten years.
133
00:12:27,490 --> 00:12:34,690
And in the case of our president, he's been here close to 20 years and the alumni association president,
134
00:12:34,690 --> 00:12:40,389
and he's been here a long time, but it's a big deal. I didn't realize how big a deal it really is.
135
00:12:40,390 --> 00:12:44,980
And all the hoops you have to jump through and you have to go through the Board of Regents and everything has to be legal.
136
00:12:44,980 --> 00:12:52,209
And so that was kind of interesting and eye opening, how they bring the councils and the boards together and vote on everything to make it official.
137
00:12:52,210 --> 00:13:01,210
And and Steve Urban black, our president has talked a lot about how this this is a huge moment really in the life of these two organizations.
138
00:13:01,210 --> 00:13:04,450
So the alumni association has been around for more than 100 years.
139
00:13:04,450 --> 00:13:07,509
The foundation has been around for 80 some years.
140
00:13:07,510 --> 00:13:14,319
And to have them both come together now is is a big monument moment, I guess, at a South Dakota state.
141
00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:20,920
So it's a we talk about this a lot, that there's probably a lot of people that think we're kind of the same organization anyway,
142
00:13:20,920 --> 00:13:25,510
the alumni association and the foundation, it's that way and a lot of other colleges.
143
00:13:25,990 --> 00:13:31,350
But, um, yeah, as you said, as of January 1st, 2026 will be, uh,
144
00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:36,459
Sdsu alumni and foundation will be the name of it, and we'll be a combined organization.
145
00:13:36,460 --> 00:13:42,310
And it's really just a, you know, a joining of good organizations, not one stronger than the other.
146
00:13:42,310 --> 00:13:46,810
But we've kind of crossed paths in a lot of ways as far as fundraising goes and events.
147
00:13:46,810 --> 00:13:50,410
So it'll be a really good experience and a big deal.
148
00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:59,439
That's awesome to see. Yeah, just kind of going into, uh, challenges and successes in your role at the Foundation,
149
00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:04,900
um, what kinds of challenges do you face, uh, in your role at the Foundation, if any?
150
00:14:06,270 --> 00:14:16,200
Well, I think it's just, um, people are a little wary of people trying to call them and asking for money, basically is what we're doing.
151
00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:25,469
But so just, you know, having those avenues, whether it's email or text or, um, old fashioned letter writing or cards or anything like that,
152
00:14:25,470 --> 00:14:29,220
there's a lot of different ways you kind of have to go about it to try and connect with people.
153
00:14:29,220 --> 00:14:32,430
And, you know, if you get a yes, that's great.
154
00:14:32,430 --> 00:14:36,750
If you get a no, that's great. The worst thing is getting no response whatsoever.
155
00:14:37,050 --> 00:14:42,660
That's kind of the most frustrating thing, where you just don't know if if somebody's got your communication.
156
00:14:43,140 --> 00:14:49,140
Um, that's probably the most frustrating thing. But, um, for the most part, when you do connect with people,
157
00:14:49,140 --> 00:14:56,670
they are more than willing to at least have a conversation about what we're trying to do at Foundation and how I can support the university.
158
00:14:56,670 --> 00:15:01,499
So, um, there's just those little frustrations day to day, but those are just they're so minor.
159
00:15:01,500 --> 00:15:06,030
When you realize that there's there's so many people out there that are willing to work with you.
160
00:15:06,030 --> 00:15:09,149
So that's that's been fun. Yeah.
161
00:15:09,150 --> 00:15:12,450
I'm sure in the grand scheme of things, it's all it's all worth it.
162
00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:17,940
But exactly. Yeah. Exactly. Yes. Yes. Absolutely right.
163
00:15:19,070 --> 00:15:23,570
And I know you kind of talked a little bit about, you know, what you just said about getting,
164
00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:28,459
um, those scholarships, getting that financial support from alumni.
165
00:15:28,460 --> 00:15:32,060
But, um, what how do you define success in your career?
166
00:15:33,060 --> 00:15:38,639
Um, I mean, obviously there's there's numbers, there's metrics, there's goals, you know, that you want to hit every year.
167
00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:43,380
And we set a huge goal or they I shouldn't say we because I just got here, but they've said huge,
168
00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:49,170
humongous goals for themselves as far as going out and raising $100 million a year or whatever it might be,
169
00:15:49,170 --> 00:15:54,420
and that, you know, um, so you're, you're you're trying to hit those numbers.
170
00:15:54,420 --> 00:16:01,499
That's what the job is. But, um, they also tell us here that it's a long term game.
171
00:16:01,500 --> 00:16:09,239
You're playing the long game. Um, you don't want to just be transactional and take a dollar today and say, thank you very much and then move on.
172
00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:15,450
You want to build relationships. And that's that's what we're trying to do here so that there's the money goal, obviously.
173
00:16:15,450 --> 00:16:20,249
But then you're building those relationships and and bringing people into the fold.
174
00:16:20,250 --> 00:16:26,459
The issue make them drink the blue Kool-Aid, so to speak. And, you know, it's it's building those relationships.
175
00:16:26,460 --> 00:16:32,790
And long term people get more and more involved and they see what other people are doing and they want to be involved with,
176
00:16:33,060 --> 00:16:40,830
uh, what other people are doing. There's kind of a fear of missing out after, you know, but, um, to build those relationships long term is the goal.
177
00:16:40,830 --> 00:16:48,899
And, and have those payoff with those those donors and those alumni really having a great feel about not only their time when they were students here,
178
00:16:48,900 --> 00:16:52,140
but their time now that they're still connected to the university.
179
00:16:53,110 --> 00:16:57,280
Absolutely. I like the way you answered that, because I feel like, yeah,
180
00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:04,450
there might be misconceptions about the foundation or the alumni association just kind of wanting those transactions and stuff.
181
00:17:04,450 --> 00:17:11,790
But I like what you said about building relationships and having having it be a long term goal rather than a short term.
182
00:17:11,860 --> 00:17:15,790
So yeah. Good. I've been practicing that that speech to make people understand that.
183
00:17:15,790 --> 00:17:19,240
So yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Awesome.
184
00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:25,450
Looking back, is there anything you wish you knew when you first started your career in journalism?
185
00:17:26,830 --> 00:17:33,549
No, just in the last. You know, it was different when I graduated than it is going to be when you graduate, obviously.
186
00:17:33,550 --> 00:17:39,130
I mean, there's four decades of time passed in there and and back in the day,
187
00:17:39,610 --> 00:17:44,860
it was you come out of that issue and you're going to go work in a newspaper and yanked,
188
00:17:44,860 --> 00:17:47,950
and you're going to go to Sioux Falls and work in radio or TV,
189
00:17:47,950 --> 00:17:58,509
or you can go anywhere in the country and in journalism and TV stations and radio stations and newspapers were all viable things at that time.
190
00:17:58,510 --> 00:18:03,729
And that's not the case anymore, where we've seen a lot of print journalism go away, unfortunately.
191
00:18:03,730 --> 00:18:14,110
And, and, um, that's why I think it's just more important now probably than ever to have people that are interested in journalism and want to
192
00:18:14,110 --> 00:18:21,459
stick it out and want to make a career out of it and hold people accountable and be professional journalists and tell stories.
193
00:18:21,460 --> 00:18:25,330
I mean, you can do it in a wide array of things. Like I said, sports.
194
00:18:25,330 --> 00:18:29,770
I never considered true journalism, but we were telling stories and we were connecting people.
195
00:18:29,770 --> 00:18:41,860
But, um, those people in news that go out and hold power accountable, I have so much respect for and, um, I just hope that it continues that way.
196
00:18:41,860 --> 00:18:50,169
And there are assaults all the time from politicians and from others that try to go after journalism and call it fake news and all these things.
197
00:18:50,170 --> 00:18:56,709
And, um, I'm just proud of people that come out of this university and other journalism schools that that stick
198
00:18:56,710 --> 00:19:01,150
with it and understand that they're they're doing something very important and we need to protect it.
199
00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:07,059
I agree with that. It's kind of a scary time, I would say, for no to some unknown.
200
00:19:07,060 --> 00:19:07,240
Yeah.
201
00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:15,180
I mean back seriously back back in the day, it was a little more of a known fact where you could go out and you're going to have a journalism career.
202
00:19:15,180 --> 00:19:22,000
And, and now it seems, I don't know, maybe you can talk more about this than I can, but there's there's other ways you can go.
203
00:19:22,030 --> 00:19:29,739
You can have a journalism degree and use it as a journalist or in communications, or there's all kinds of other,
204
00:19:29,740 --> 00:19:35,500
you know, corporate structures that you can get into and things like that to tell stories and communicate.
205
00:19:35,500 --> 00:19:44,799
So I if it's not as a journalist, I think it's a great, um, proving ground and training ground to go out and do some of those other things.
206
00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,520
And it just goes back to what we talked about before with communication.
207
00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:51,790
And I mean, that's what I do every day is it still is written communication.
208
00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:57,819
Um, you're on the phone, you're giving presentations and, uh, that's that's journalism.
209
00:19:57,820 --> 00:19:59,889
And the research part of that, I've always loved that part of it.
210
00:19:59,890 --> 00:20:09,700
Um, you know, researching stories and checking facts and and talking to people and, and that's what you do in any other job for the most part.
211
00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:13,330
So I still think journalism is a great training ground for that.
