State of the University
Good afternoon. I want to thank you for joining me for the 2025 State of the University Address. This is an opportunity to reflect on our pathway to premier and look forward to the new heights we strive to achieve in the years ahead.
For over 144 years, ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ has been a symbol of hope, strength and economic growth for the people of South Dakota. Guided by our land-grant mission, ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ has been educating leaders, researching solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges and serving communities in a myriad of ways throughout the state.
As I travel across the state, I hear, and see, the pride people have in ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ. But we are not content. My leadership team and I regularly engage with our South Dakota congressional delegation, the governor, members of the Legislature, and the Board of Regents, to inform, monitor and share in open and honest discussions.
We will remain dedicated to finding new opportunities to create positive change for our state and its citizens. This commitment is the foundation on which our success is built. And while we will continue to celebrate our successes, we will never lose sight of the bold goals we have for our future. So, let’s begin!
I can say with confidence, pride and humility that the state of our university is strong. For example, what a great start to the fall semester! After spending the summer planning and preparing, it has been wonderful seeing everyone back on campus. The weather has been beautiful, and in the evenings, students are everywhere; participating in intramurals, clubs, playing sand volleyball, cricket, biking and jogging. It is a very fun atmosphere.
Our commitment to our strategic plan, Pathway to Premier, is our collective effort to fulfill our land-grant mission. It also serves to communicate the progress we make in reaching our goals, starting with our first goal: Achieving Excellence Through Transformative Education.
On Sept. 11, the South Dakota Board of Regents released fall 2025 enrollment numbers for all regental institutions. The strength of our brand is at an all-time high. As a result, our enrollment grew again this fall, making ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ the most sought-after institution in the state. With the largest headcount since 2017, our total enrollment exceeded more than 12,000 students, including nearly 2,300 new first-time students.
More than 56% of our students hail from the state of South Dakota. But we also have students from 48 states and 78 countries joining the Jackrabbits family. These students are joining a university that is even better prepared for, and even more committed to, each student’s success. For example, we recorded an incredible retention rate of 83% from a student’s freshman to sophomore year. This marks the fifth time in six years our has been above 80%.
This is a direct result of two major initiatives outlined in our 2024 Strategic Enrollment Plan. First, we’ve continued to increase both the number and the amount of the scholarships we awarded. And our student success efforts across campus have proven to be very effective. Advising, counseling, tutoring and supplemental instruction, coordinated through our Wintrode Student Success and Opportunity Center, are very popular and are regularly used by nearly 50% of our students.
As a result, we conferred over 2,200 degrees this last academic year. This is the ultimate evidence that we are successfully fulfilling our land-grant mission of providing the benefits of higher education to the citizens of South Dakota and building the future workforce of our state and region.
Another reason for our success is the large number and excellent quality of our academic programs. Accreditation is a benchmark for academic excellence, signifying to everyone — students, parents, and industry leaders — the high quality of our academic programs and the level of preparedness a student has upon graduation and entering the workforce.
I am proud to report we now have 83 accredited programs. Animal Science, Geospatial Intelligence and AACSB accreditation for the Ness School were new accreditations for ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ during the last academic year. I am very proud of the academic leaders at ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ who continue to pursue and obtain, as well as maintain, accreditation in critically important programs. And I am equally proud of our faculty, whose dedication and commitment to excellence in the classroom are the backbone of accreditation.
Another benchmark of our success is to understand our industry stakeholders and their workforce needs. Each academic unit has an active, engaged Advisory Board which helps them identify workforce needs and the academic programs needed to train and support our graduates.
For example, through the diligent work of many, we now proudly offer a bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Systems Engineering. This program will provide students with a future-focused field of study that combines engineering, computer science, data science and analysis, management and health sciences to solve complex problems related to one of the most important aspects of our state’s economy and the vitality of our communities' health care.
Additionally, we added a Ph.D. in social sciences, providing an additional opportunity for our faculty to understand complex social issues, especially those affecting rural communities. This Ph.D. program is a crucial step on our path toward R1.
We also added a master’s degree in global agricultural leadership, creating a unique, world-class, opportunity for students to gain a deeper understanding of the complex food systems at the intersection of agriculture, economics and leadership.
The new programs I just highlighted are further evidence that ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ is committed to creating the future workforce for the State of South Dakota and fulfilling our responsibility to make sure our graduates are well prepared for the dynamic world that awaits them. We know to be successful, we must diligently work in communities across the state.
Our second goal of Pathway to Premier is to Cultivate and Strengthen Community Engagement. The reach of ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ is vast and spans the entire state of South Dakota. There are many, many examples we can cite where we have excelled in this area over the past year. I will highlight three today.
Sioux Falls’ growth is vital to ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ’s future. I made that statement 10 years ago when I began as president, and it’s even more true today. Through the excellent work of our ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Connect team, over the last three years, we’ve welcomed more than 4,000 Sioux Falls eighth graders to campus.
We’re also strengthening ties with the mayor’s office, Startup Sioux Falls and businesses across the city. The Ness School of Management and Economics and ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Extension are excited to support a new program manager for Urban Economic Development, helping bring noncredit business programs to the heart of a growing city.
I am pleased to report that building strong relationships through the work of ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Connect is paying dividends. Forward Sioux Falls is helping us remodel the ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Metro Center, a gift from Avera. Pharmacy moves into the remodeled section of the building soon. Next fall, our Nursing program will follow. Soon, all of our Sioux Falls health science programs will be under one roof — a visible hub that will graduate 1,200 students in just the next five years.
We are also making strides in health care West River. On Sept. 30, we celebrated the grand opening of our new nursing facility on the campus of Black Hills State University – Rapid City. This beautiful new facility allows us to gather our West River nursing programs under one roof. With new classrooms and a state-of-the-art Healthcare Simulation Center, our future professionals will be well prepared to care for patients, having been taught in this beautiful, modern facility.
These exciting new ventures add to the statewide support provided by ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Extension. The extension.sdstate.edu website, provides 24/7 access to 3,900 published pages and 4,000 plus downloadable files. These include publications, decision aids, 4-H tools, podcasts and over 1,100 educational videos.
In addition, ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Extension delivered the latest information on a wide variety of topics straight to the inboxes of 15,000 subscribers, sending more than 230,000 emails during the last year. Of course, ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Extension maintains a physical presence here on campus plus eight regional extension centers and provides 4-H to young people in every county.
As I said, ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ’s brand is strong. And the success of our athletic programs has been a major contributor to our national recognition. Each year, the Summit League awards its Commissioner Cup to the university who has been most successful across all sports. Last year, we won the Commissioner’s Cup for the fifth straight year and set a new league record with our 10th overall. That is an amazing, dominating accomplishment by our student athletes, coaches and support staff.
But our success in athletics goes far beyond the field of competition. In the classroom, our 500-plus student athletes achieved an average GPA of 3.4, including 108 student athletes with a perfect 4.0. As you know, our student athletes are unique in that they are encouraged to pursue degrees in any of our academic programs across the university.
Our third goal is to Foster Innovation and Increase Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. Research and scholarly work are critical to the success of all land-grant universities. It is our job to help solve the complex problems of today and advance new knowledge for tomorrow. This work is driven by our world-class faculty, recognized for excellence in their fields.
For example, Professor Michael Gonda in the Department of Animal Science received a Fulbright Scholar Award to teach and conduct research in Hungary on cattle genetics. He is just one example of ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ’s experts advancing knowledge in many disciplines.
As you all know, we are striving to reach R1 Classification as defined by The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
I am pleased to report that for the third consecutive year, ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ has broken its research expenditures record. In fiscal year 2025, research expenditures totaled over $94 million, a 15% increase from last year’s record of $82 million. This was an important accomplishment because to achieve R1 status, we must average over $50 million dollars of research expenditures each year.
But, to achieve R1 status, we also must graduate 70 doctoral students annually. We currently fall short of that, averaging 50 per year over the last five years. We’ve developed a strategy to reach this goal, and we are well on our way with 280 doctoral students currently enrolled, a 5% increase from last year.
The new Ph.D. program in social sciences I mentioned earlier is an excellent example of our holistic strategy to reach that goal. But as you know, universities, and their research mission, are under a great deal of financial pressure. To put it simply, ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ faces heavy headwinds. Despite this, we are undeterred.
I know that I can speak for Provost Hedge, Vice President Scholl, and our academic deans, when I say to you that we will achieve Carnegie Research 1 recognition.
The timeline has lengthened, but our dedication and determination to achieve that goal has increased. But I feel strongly that it is our land-grant responsibility to achieve that goal. It is who we are. And always will be.
At ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ we strive to have a culture of leadership contributing to the ongoing pursuit of excellence and the advancement of the university. This is done through our goal to Be a Growing, High-Performing and Healthy University.
Every year, our leadership team works hard to ensure positive institutional financial health. The university is on a solid financial foundation because of strategic management decisions, strong overall enrollment, an increase in tuition and fees, and the on-going support of the ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Foundation.
The enrollment numbers I mentioned earlier are extremely important for both our short- and long-term financial health. This is a credit to the work all of you have done to attract and retain students on our campus.
This work over the past several years has positively impacted the university’s financial trajectory. Thank you for your efforts.
After many years of tuition freezes, the Board of Regents approved a 2.9% increase at the April meeting which will greatly assist in covering increased inflationary expenses. Additionally, we were able to make small increases to certain program fees to ensure we are providing a quality student experience. We are grateful for the support of the Board of Regents.
Last year, in anticipation of possible changes in federal and state support, I requested that all of us tighten our belts a little and reduce travel expenses when possible and to also carefully monitor spending on consumables. And you did! And it paid off! At the end of the 2025 fiscal year, our cash reserves increased, strengthening our financial position. Thank you all for your work and for continuing these efforts! Your prudent use of the resources we are entrusted with is yet another example of how much we all care about ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ and its future.
The ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Foundation continues to raise funding in support of ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ’s people, places, traditions and innovations. In 2024, the Foundation raised over $100 million. Strong evidence that the momentum of Bold and Blue continues.
And earlier this fall, the ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ Foundation hosted its ninth annual day of giving, One Day for State. In just 24 hours, 6,126 donors gave more than $3.2 million dollars to our university. Our alumni and friends continue to provide us with the margin of excellence we need to reach our goals.
To be a healthy university, we have also made multiple improvements to our facilities and infrastructure. Last September, we celebrated the grand opening of our First Bank and Trust Arena, entertaining thousands of spectators during the sporting seasons.
Last month, we celebrated the grand opening of the West River Nursing Center I mentioned earlier. The Cottonwood Field Station located in Philip has a $6 million dollar project ready to open soon, which will enhance the research at that facility.
Larson Commons is undergoing a phased $18 million project to add a new kitchen, transform dining spaces and improve accessibility. It will fully open next fall. Waneta Hall received numerous upgrades this summer to accommodate our increased enrollment.
Work continues on remodeling the HVAC system for Edgar S. McFadden Biostress Lab. This $12.4 million project will dramatically improve air handling in that important facility. Additionally, we completed other important projects to include eight new roofs on buildings across campus, a new parking lot and improved water and sewer projects. All of these are critical maintenance and repair projects which ensure our campus can operate efficiently for many decades to come.
The new Campus Master Plan was completed last spring. This project kicked off in 2024 with campuswide listening and engagement sessions, which included input from over 1,500 students, faculty, staff and community partners. The Campus Master Plan represents a collective, feasible vision that will serve as the guiding force behind ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ’s physical development for the upcoming decades and beyond. It reflects both ambition and reality, setting the stage for the university’s future growth and evolution.
On the technical side of things, ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ unveiled a new website this spring with a fresh look and streamlined user experience. Key improvements have been done to the home page, degree finder, faculty and event pages. Over 3,000 outdated and unnecessary pages were removed to help our community find what they need.
Additionally, our technology team continues to work tirelessly to ensure our classrooms, offices, research spaces and residence halls have reliable, secure and stable technical-related services. Last summer, they completed a very important and complex project, rebuilding network switches in 73 buildings on campus.
The safety and well-being of our campus community remains a consistent priority. For example, in January, University Police Sargent Wade Oorlog graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. This was a selective and rigorous experience where he developed skills in advanced communication, leadership and crisis management. We are very proud of Sargent Oorlog and all the members of our campus police force.
Over the years I have visited with you many times about the need for the spirit of continuous improvement. We have certainly met that challenge as we celebrate success in achieving many of our Pathway to Premier goals.
It is a remarkable honor to serve as your 20th president of ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ. I am both humbled and energized as Jane and I find ourselves in our 10th year serving the university we both love. But most of all I am dedicated to our continued work together, as a university community, in building upon the impactful history of our great institution.
I encourage you to stay steadfast in incorporating our core values into your work and life. Clearly, we need to be considerate of each other, help each other and be dedicated to each other’s success to live out our people-centered commitment.
To achieve the goals we’ve set, it will require excellence in all that we do. And of course we should always act with integrity.
As we look to the future, I am confident ÈÕ±¾avÊÓƵ will continue to lead our state in quality academics, student success, research and outreach. We will reach our goals as we embrace our collective responsibility to be a premier, land-grant university.
Again, thank you for all you’ve done and for doing it so well. Each of you has made a huge difference in the lives of thousands and thousands of students and stakeholders, and I hope you are duly proud.
This is a very critical time in higher education. Please join me as we navigate the path ahead. It will demand the best of us. Knowing you as I do, I have great confidence that we will be successful!
Best wishes for great success during the new academic year. And always: Go Big, Go Blue, Go Jacks!
