Jackrabbit jobs: SDSU employees praise outstanding work experience, career growth

This paid piece is sponsored by South Dakota State University.

From her first day as a college student to her latest day at work nearly two decades later, Tonya Hohenthaner has been a Jackrabbit.

While she stepped onto the South Dakota State University campus as an undergraduate political science major, her path since has been as winding as it has been rewarding: A master’s degree in sociology, followed by a first job as a senior secretary in the athletic department supporting the football team, led to multiple roles since.

“When I had kind of reached my peak in the athletic department, I talked to (former football) Coach (John) Stiegelmeier, and he said: ‘There’s a lot of other opportunities here. We love having you but look around and see what’s best,’” she said.

She did, and for the next 14 years began a career at SDSU that exposed her to multiple roles and departments, from program assistant positions in finance and business to chemistry and most recently human resources, where she’s now a generalist specializing in faculty recruitment.

“While faculty have a set line of tenure and promotion, for staff positions within the university, other positions will come up. If you’re doing a good job here and people appreciate working with you, you’ll be considered for those positions,” Hohenthaner said. “My supervisors were really good about telling me that in a year or two if I prepared the right way, I would be ready for more opportunities.”

Jose Gonzalez Hernandez can relate to that experience.

“In the beginning, it was a job,” said Hernandez, who began working at SDSU in 2006 as an assistant professor of plant science.

“But I progressed through the ranks of faculty to become a full professor, and now for the last year, I kept my faculty position but am working as director of research core facilities. I’d been feeling like I needed to do something different. I had been doing research and running our genomics sequencing and felt like I wanted to do more and progress into administration, and I was able to do that with this position and develop my leadership skills across campus.”

What does he like about his job?

“What don’t I like?” he replied. “I get to work and learn about a lot of different science and projects that people are doing and how we can help them. It feeds my natural curiosity as a scientist, so I love it. It’s been a natural growth opportunity.”

Their paths illustrate the range of ways to grow and evolve a career available at SDSU. With about 4,000 total positions — about half of those are full-time roles eligible for benefits — SDSU’s team extends even beyond the Brookings campus, with positions based from Sioux Falls to Rapid City and across the state.

“We often hear that people never thought about looking for a job at SDSU,” said Laura Sroufe, communications and employee engagement specialist in the office of human resources. “We’re hoping to build more awareness about how you can build your career at SDSU, our commitment to innovation and continuous improvement and how there will be so many opportunities to collaborate here with industries and disciplines you’re not going to experience with many employers.”

There’s an energy on campus “and so much purpose in the work we’re doing here, creating a positive learning and growing environment for students but also advancing research and service,” she continued. “Our team realizes they’re part of building something bigger. And when you are looking for something bigger for yourself, you don’t have to find a different employer and start over.”

Rajesh Kavasseri immediately experienced that culture on campus. He moved to Brookings from Fargo in 2020 to become associate dean for research in the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering.

“I am a matchmaker, a bridge builder, a connection maker, sparking new collaborations and ideas. That’s my job,” he said.

While he commutes to North Dakota on weekends, during the week he’s immersed in the SDSU community.

“It’s been a wonderful experience, to say the least,” he said. “It’s like coming home to a welcoming family every day I go to work. Everyone feels very valued, and I can’t say enough how much I love this position. I can walk into anyone’s office and talk about anything, share ideas openly, discuss things creatively, test out new ways to improve, and people listen.”

He finds Brookings “a charming town, with a very nice atmosphere, a great place to raise a family and an easy commute,” he said. “As a land-grant university, we are here to serve our region first and foremost. Research goes hand in hand with that, and there’s a very deep commitment to research and growing steadily, from ag tech, bioproducts and ensuring the welfare of all South Dakotans in so many aspects of life.”

The sense of becoming part of something bigger permeates the employee experience, Hohenthaner agreed.

“It’s really that sense of community not just within a department but within the university,” she said. “Having the opportunity to work with students from all over the world and knowing you’re making an impact on their lives is huge. You do feel part of something bigger.”

Hernandez agreed.

“The goal here is people,” he said. “And it’s very genuine that this university cares about people. We train people – that’s what we do – but we also value people. That’s an environment that comes from the top, from the leadership, and I’ve appreciated it all the time I’ve been here and still appreciate it.”

Then there are the practical benefits of joining the SDSU team – everything from an outstanding paid-time-off package that allows for both sick leave and vacation time, to paid family leave for 12 weeks at full salary, 11 paid holidays and a generous well-being program. SDSU employees also can take advantage of reduced tuition, carry over time off and have the chance to become involved with multiple groups on campus dedicated to improving the university and its mission.

“We have a road map in our strategic plan, and it doesn’t just exist to enhance our institution in areas such as academics and research but in how we support employee professional development and well-being,” Sroufe said.

Hohenthaner can relate to that.

“Our leave is honestly amazing,” she said. “People encourage mental health days, not just physical sickness. Retirement benefits are really good, which is something when you’re just starting out you don’t necessarily think about. And as a public employee, SDSU worked with me to obtain loan forgiveness for my student loans and made it really easy.”

Beyond that, though, are benefits that are hard to articulate in any job description.

“As an employee, I’ve always been in a position where I feel like part of a team, like the people I work with have my back,” Hohenthaner said. “I’ve always felt like I can talk to my supervisors about anything, and they want to work with me and be accommodating. The people I work with truly care about me as a person and not just an employee.”

Are you ready to take the first — or next — step in your career at SDSU? Click here to learn more about current opportunities.