Contacts: Robert T. Tad Perry, Executive Director
tadp@sdbor.edu
Tracy Mercer, Information Research Analyst
tracym@sdbor.edu
T: 605.773.3455
F: 605.773.5320
www.sdbor.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, May 11, 2009
Amber Knutson Awarded Bjugstad Scholarship
PIERRE, S.D. — Amber Knutson, a graduate of Kadoka Area High School, has been awarded a $500 Bjugstad Scholarship for the 2009-10 academic year by the South Dakota Board of Regents.
The Ardell Bjugstad Scholarship Program for Native American Students was established by the family of Ardell Bjugstad of Rapid City. Bjugstad, who died in 1990, served as a range scientist with the U.S. Forest Service for 20 years, and held adjunct professorships at South Dakota State University, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and Oglala Lakota College. He was a strong advocate for young Native Americans working to educate themselves, and he worked closely with Oglala Lakota College in mentoring Native American students through the U.S. Forest Service.
In order to qualify for the Ardell Bjugstad Scholarship, a student must be an enrolled member of a federally recognized Native American tribe with reservations in North or South Dakota, attend a postsecondary institution, and pursue studies leading to a degree in agribusiness, agricultural production, agricultural sciences, or natural resources.
Knutson plans to major in fish and wildlife management at Montana State University in Bozeman.
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