Homeland Security Secretary Noem delivers non-political address to DSU after receiving doctorate
Protesters greeted former governor outside of university, but Noem applauded at ceremony
MADISON, S.D. – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem received a warm welcome Saturday during Dakota State University’s spring graduation, where she delivered the commencement address.
While a couple hundred protesters lined the main streets into DSU – many of them holding signs demanding “due process” for illegal immigrants – Noem received an honorary doctorate degree in public service. The decision to give the degree to Noem was divisive on DSU’s campus, but that was not on display during the ceremony, where she received a polite applause.
DSU President Jose´-Marie Griffiths said Noem was deserving of the honor because during her career as South Dakota’s governor and congressional representative she was an “unwavering champion” of DSU’s growth as a top-flight national cybersecurity and computer sciences university. As governor, Noem was among a long line of leaders who supported DSU’s mission, which started under Gov. Bill Janklow in the 1980s. Janklow had the foresight to convert DSU from a teaching college to one that specialized in computer science.
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