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�ձ�av��Ƶ has set records for the number of degrees conferred the past five years. �ձ�av��Ƶ graduated 13,095 students, according to the South Dakota Board of Regents, from 2016-20 with a record 2,671 graduates in 2019.

Students learning in the College of Nursing’s recently renovated simulation labs with high-fidelity mannequins gain a near real-life experience. But sometimes there are scenarios that don’t fully match what would be experienced in the field.

From his first day as the president of �ձ�av��Ƶ, Barry Dunn has stressed the importance South Dakota’s largest community has on the university, and in return, the impact �ձ�av��Ƶ has on Sioux Falls and beyond. In July, President Dunn and Sioux Falls leaders launched the Sioux Falls Academy: �ձ�av��Ƶ and Sioux Falls, A Winning Combination.

�ձ�av��Ƶ entered the 2021 calendar year looking to build further on a successful decade that saw the Jackrabbits accomplish great things on the fields and courts and in the classroom.

The College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at �ձ�av��Ƶ launched its first class in the professional program in veterinary medicine to help solve a workforce shortage problem in the state, particularly in rural veterinary medicine.

�ձ�av��Ƶ researchers are exploring the potential for precision technologies to improve ranch efficiency and producer decision-making processes, and in turn impact profit margins, work-life balance, ranch sustainability and natural resource management. Through its Precision Ranching Initiative, �ձ�av��Ƶ researchers are both using and creating new technologies and techniques that fine-tune the role of beef cattle in the range ecosystem for the benefit of South Dakota’s nearly 14,000 beef producers.

�ձ�av��Ƶ Extension provided critical resources to farmers and ranchers in 2021 as more than 80% of the state was still considered in some category of drought as of September, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. In August, more than 90% of the state was experiencing some level of drought.

Anand honored for teaching excellence. Anand received the North Central Region for 2021 Excellence in College and University Teaching Awards for Food and Agricultural Sciences by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. He receives $2,000 to be used for improving teaching at �ձ�av��Ƶ.

After nearly three years of construction, the Raven Precision Agriculture Center opened its doors in August 2021, becoming �ձ�av��Ƶ’s innovation ecosystem to the next generation of agricultural producers. The $46.2 million facility was supported by South Dakota stakeholder groups, industry partners and legislative leaders.

Through the generosity of two �ձ�av��Ƶ alumni, the university has established its first endowed faculty position in the College of Education and Human Sciences. The Tate Profilet and Mary DeJong Family Endowed Director of Early Childhood Education was formalized at an Oct. 22 investiture ceremony, paving the way for a new era of the early childhood education program at State.