Speaker Profile
Dennis Hedge
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, South Dakota State University
Dennis Hedge was named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at South Dakota State University in May 2016. Prior to serving as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dennis served as a faculty member, Department Head, Associate Dean, and Dean of SDSU’s College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions.
A native of Hoxie, Kansas, Dennis earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Kansas in 1991, followed by a one-year residency at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.
Highlights of Dennis’ time at SDSU have included serving as the university’s lead in establishing the Masters of Public Health degree program, integrating Medical Laboratory Science and Respiratory Care into the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, organizing and launching the College of Natural Sciences, facilitating the creation of new academic programs at SDSU including the Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine, Business Economics, and Concrete Industry Management, continued growth of accredited and certified programs offered by SDSU to its current record high, and surpassing the university’s student retention goal of 80% for the past two consecutive years.
In addition, Dennis has held multiple leadership positions with advisory boards and committees, and received the South Dakota Pharmacists Association Honorary President Award in 2011 and the South Dakota Society of Health-System Pharmacist’s Gary Karel Lecture Award in March of 2018, which are among the highest recognitions by these organizations.