Roberta Olson Announces Her Plan to Retire as Dean of Nursing at South Dakota State University

Roberta Olson, dean of the College of Nursing at South Dakota State University, has announced that she will retire this fall or whenever a replacement dean is hired.

Dr. Olson was named dean in 1994. During her tenure, she increased the number of entering students each year from 136 to 304. The number of graduate students has more than doubled. She established an online master’s degree program in 2002 and started a Ph.D. program in nursing in 2005, and a doctor or nursing practice degree program in 2009.

Dean Olson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from South Dakota State University. She earned a doctorate in organization and administration of higher education from Saint Louis University.