Celebrating 125 Years of Excellence, Service and Leadership
USD’s law school has produced more than 5,000 lawyer leaders who serve as judges, lawyers and legal experts; its outreach centers are making a difference by offering legal aid to various groups that need support; and the school’s faculty, staff and students give their time and expertise on state and national boards, in published scholarship and in service to their communities.
As the only law school in South Dakota, the Knudson School of Law has cemented this legacy of excellence, service and leadership in the law—but it first began as an idea when state leaders identified a workforce need more than a century ago.
In 1901, USD’s law school was founded by U.S. Senator Thomas Sterling and U.S. Ambassador Bartlett Tripp with a vision of building the state’s own legal leaders in South Dakota.
On Oct. 1, 1901, Dean Thomas Sterling met the first four students to register for law school in West Hall. Four more students enrolled before the end of the semester. In 1902, Arthur Sponholz was the first graduate of the College of Law after transferring from a law school in Wisconsin.
Over the 125 years to follow, enrollment was impacted by various events such as World Wars I and II, pandemics and changes in admissions standards, all while striving to meet the state’s demand for lawyers. Today, the school continues that tradition of resilience and growth, now enrolling more than 80 new students each year.
“In 1901, nobody would have imagined mass adoption of the airplane and automobile, telephone and the Internet, two World Wars, expanded civil rights for all Americans, the right to indigent defense, and a host of other developments in our society,” said Neil Fulton, J.D., dean of the Knudson School of Law. “Lawyers have led the adoption or response to these issues and many others. Over the last 125 years, we have done our best to live up to the vision of Senator Thomas Sterling and Ambassador Bartlett Tripp when they founded the Law School.”
The Knudson School of Law has continued to meet state demands and has helped shape the future of South Dakota by graduating leaders on the bench like Judith Meierhenry, J.D. ’77, the first female justice on the South Dakota Supreme Court; leaders in politics like Bill Janklow, J.D. ’66, former governor for the State of South Dakota; and leaders in business and health care like John Porter, J.D. ’74, former Avera Health CEO, and William Gassen, J.D. ’08, current Sanford Health CEO and president.
The law school also has graduated legacy families like the Riters and Andersons, both of whom have been recognized as the Legacy Family of the Year for USD. This legacy continues through current students who model excellence, service and leadership through their engagement in and out of the classroom.
Now in 2026, the Knudson School of Law is celebrating 125 years of legal excellence. Reflecting on the law school’s history and what lies ahead, Fulton is optimistic that the graduates of USD’s law school will be the leaders their communities need.
“The next 125 years will present challenges we cannot foresee,” said Fulton. “But we can foresee that a community of lawyer leaders—guided by the values of excellence, service and leadership—will need to step forward to meet them. We can foresee that this will guide the Knudson School of Law as we move forward confidently and courageously to meet the challenges of our future, guided by the example of our past.”
The sentiment that Barry Vickrey, J.D., former dean and professor emeritus of the USD Knudson School of Law, shared at the conclusion of his centennial remarks remains true: “In our rapidly changing world, the task of educating future lawyer leaders will not be easy. Change will be challenging, even threatening. But change will also provide new, exciting opportunities. I believe USD’s law school is up to the challenges, ready for the opportunities. We should expect our second century to be even better than our first.”
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