Education
Brief Bio
Dr. Nyus was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, and grew up in Wilmington, Ohio. He
graduated from South Dakota State University in 1984 before earning an M.A. in History
from California State University, Chico, in 1993 and a Ph.D. from the University of
Wyoming in 1997. Before joining SDSM&T in 2002, he taught for several years at Northern
Michigan University.
Outside of academia, Dr. Nyus enjoys playing pickleball, listening to music, watching
movies and TV shows, and enduring season after season of Cincinnati Reds baseball.
His wife, Janet, is a realtor and jewelry maker, and their daughter, Maya, is a member
of the Political Science faculty at Vassar College in New York State.
Research Expertise
Dr. Nyus has written two books. His most recent, Varmints and Victims: Predator Control
in the American West, was published by the University Press of Kansas in 2015. His
first book, Americanizing the West: Race, Immigrants, and Citizenship, 1880–1920,
was published by the same press in 2002.
He also contributed a chapter on Governor and Senator Peter Norbeck and the politics
of conservation in South Dakota to a collection published by the Center for Western
Studies at Augustana University in 2023. His most recent publication is a 2026 article
in the Pacific Historical Review examining the Nez Perce Tribe and wolf management
in Idaho. Dr. Nyus has also published work on Americanization, immigrant politics
in South Dakota, mountain lions, and sport hunting.
Teaching
Dr. Nyus has taught survey courses in Western Civilization and U.S. History at SD Mines since 2002. He also teaches upper-level courses on Westward Expansion and the Environmental History of the United States.