Alumni Spotlight: Todd Syverson ’82

At just seven years old, Todd Syverson looked out the window of his family's pickup while driving through Dickinson with his parents. As they passed Dickinson State College, he made a declaration that would shape the rest of his life.

"That's where I'm going to college."

Years later, that childhood promise became reality. What Todd couldn't have known at the time was that Dickinson State would not only launch a career spanning more than four decades in education, but also introduce him to his future wife, Lana, and instill the leadership philosophy that would define his life.

A four-year Dickinson State football student-athlete and graduate assistant coach, Syverson learned early that success was about much more than wins and losses. Influenced by mentors including Coach Henry Biesiot, Fred Fridley, Bob

Waldal and John Gengler, he embraced a philosophy centered on family, teamwork and helping others become the best version of themselves. One moment has remained with him throughout his life: Coach Biesiot visiting the Syverson family farm to assure Todd's parents that Dickinson State would take good care of him. Those lessons in trust, relationships and servant leadership stayed with him as he transitioned from the football field to the classroom and eventually into educational leadership.

After beginning his career teaching and coaching in Richardton and Mohall, North Dakota, Syverson accepted an opportunity in Alaska that would shape the next three decades of his life. There, he helped open Skyview High School, serving as its first head football coach while building a brand-new school culture from the ground up. Later, he was entrusted with transforming an overcrowded, underperforming middle school into a thriving learning environment. By reorganizing the school into smaller learning communities, empowering teachers to innovate and intentionally building a sense of belonging among students, academic achievement rose significantly while disciplinary issues declined. Throughout his career, Syverson would go on to serve as an elementary, middle and high school principal before becoming assistant superintendent, always believing that the best decisions came from listening to students, parents, teachers and the community. Building trust, he says, was the foundation for leading through growth, change and even difficult budget decisions.

That collaborative approach earned Syverson one of education's highest honors, the Alaska Milken Educator Award. While grateful for the recognition, he is quick to shift the spotlight to those around him.

"It was my team, our staff, students and parents, that made it possible," he said. "No one person can achieve excellence alone. It takes a whole village to educate our students."

Despite spending more than 30 years in Alaska, Syverson has never lost his connection to Dickinson State. He continues encouraging students from Soldotna to consider DSU, believing its combination of academic opportunity, athletics and close-knit community provides an ideal environment for young people to succeed. He also takes pride in watching Soldotna graduates continue the tradition, including several who have earned All-American honors while representing Dickinson State. His connection to the university is also deeply personal. Dickinson State is where he met Lana, and this summer they celebrated 44 years of marriage, another lifelong gift that began on campus.

When asked what legacy he hopes to leave, Syverson's answer isn't measured in awards, championships or job titles. Instead, he hopes those he taught, coached and mentored always knew how much he cared and that together they pursued excellence in the classroom, on the field and in life.

After all these years, the values he discovered at Dickinson State remain unchanged: family first, work hard, serve others and never stop striving to be your best. Those principles have guided every chapter of his journey and continue to make him, in every sense of the phrase, a "Blue Hawk for Life."