Robert Todd Wagner (October 30, 1932 – January 17, 2011) was the 17th president of

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

from 1985 to 1997. A native South Dakotan, Wagner received his Ph.D. in sociology from SDSU in 1972. He was a teacher and administrator at South Dakota State University, including a brief time as chief administrator before his elevation to the presidency. Wagner was the second alumnus to be named president. Robert graduated from Washington High School in

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...

, then earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Augustana College in 1954.

Career

Robert Wagner was a popular professor at South Dakota State. He began his career in administration as an assistant to the SDSU vice president for academic affairs. Wagner then served

Dakota State College Dakota State University (DSU) is a public university in Madison, South Dakota. The school was founded in 1881 as a normal school, or teacher training school. Education is still the university's heritage mission, but a signature mission of tech ...

for a year as vice president. He was appointed president of South Dakota State University in 1985. Wagner presided over a time of expansion at the university. The campus grew by more than . His administration formed the College of Education and Counseling, and constructed academic buildings including the Animal Disease Research Laboratory and the Northern Plains Biostress Laboratory. Wagner led the university's first capital campaign, raising $52 million. He was known for inclusive, thoughtful management, chosen as a marked change from previous turbulent years at SDSU. Wagner also held an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Augustana College, honorary Doctor of Divinity from

Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (SWTS) was a seminary of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church, located in Evanston, Illinois. It ceased operations as a residential seminary granting the Master of Divinity degree in May 201 ...

, and honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship univ ...

. Upon his retirement from the SDSU presidency, the

South Dakota Board of Regents The South Dakota Board of Regents (also known as SDBOR) is a governing board that controls six public universities in the U.S. state of South Dakota. These include Black Hills State University, Dakota State University, Northern State University, S ...

awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Public Service. Wagner Hall SDSU

In 2010 South Dakota State renamed a major campus building in honor of Wagner and his spouse, former State Senator Mary Mumford Wagner (1932–2004).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Robert T. Augustana University alumni South Dakota State University alumni 1932 births 2011 deaths Presidents of South Dakota State University