Public universities

Photo of Northern State University metal wolf sculpture

Freedom Scholarship Board: Let schools decide if students hit GPA mark

BY: - October 24, 2023

SIOUX FALLS — College students who get poor grades in a handful of semesters may be able to hold on to their South Dakota Freedom Scholarships or apply for new ones – as long as they remain on track to graduate with a 2.0 grade point average. That guidance for participating universities came from the […]

The South Dakota Board of Regents meets on Oct. 5, 2023, at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Regents request control of whistleblower hotline; Noem says ‘no planned changes’

BY: - October 5, 2023

UPDATED 3:40 p.m. Central, 10/5/23 RAPID CITY — The board that oversees South Dakota’s public universities has requested control over the governor’s whistleblower hotline for higher education, but the Governor’s Office said there are “no planned changes.” News of the request came from Jeff Partridge, a member of the Board of Regents, during a meeting […]

University of South Dakota Law School Dean Neil Fulton speaks to students. (Courtesy of USD)

Enrollment grows by 2% at state universities

BY: - September 13, 2023

Enrollment is up 2% this fall across the state’s public university system, according to the South Dakota Board of Regents. It’s the second consecutive year of enrollment growth. “Back-to-back years of increased enrollment is a testament to the commitment of our faculty, staff and administration to providing an exceptional educational experience,” said Regents Executive Director […]

Students at the entrance to the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law. (Photo courtesy of USD)

Regents prioritize tuition freeze, civics & quantum computing in 2025 budget request

BY: - July 19, 2023

The South Dakota Board of Regents will ask Gov. Kristi Noem and the Legislature to freeze public university tuition for a fourth year in a row, the organization decided in a special Zoom meeting Wednesday, in addition to requesting funds for other priorities such as a system-wide center for civic engagement. Noem has been a […]

The South Dakota Board of Regents speaks with legislative leaders during a roundtable discussion June 21, 2023, in Madison. (Courtesy of the SDBOR)

After Noem’s criticism, legislators and regents discuss solutions for higher ed

BY: - June 21, 2023

Another tuition freeze is at the top of the South Dakota Board of Regents’ legislative wish list for next year — but that’s at the same time the state expects a return to normal revenue numbers. That emerged Wednesday from a roundtable discussion among the regents and some legislators at Dakota State University in Madison. […]

COMMENTARY
Gov. Kristi Noem speaks to reporters March 6, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Higher-ed policy by the ‘perpetually aggrieved and easily offended’

BY: - June 5, 2023

In late May, Gov. Kristi Noem sent a four-page letter to the Board of Regents, telling them to get busy and start graduating more students. In the letter, Noem noted that South Dakota’s university graduation rate is 47% while the national average is 63%. She told the regents to have South Dakota’s graduation rate up […]

Gov. Kristi Noem speaks at the Calvin Coolidge Foundation conference at the Library of Congress on Feb. 17, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Noem criticizes universities, issues series of ‘challenges’

BY: - May 25, 2023

Gov. Kristi Noem challenged the South Dakota Board of Regents in a letter Thursday to “improve higher education” in the state through a range of suggestions. Noem said she wants to bolster free speech, ban drag shows and the use of preferred pronouns on campuses, root out Chinese influence, require U.S. history and government classes, […]

The Board of Regents meets Dec. 8, 2022, at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Board approves ‘minors on campus’ policy following drag show controversy

BY: - May 9, 2023

The state Board of Regents unanimously approved a policy Tuesday responding to public concerns about minors attending a drag show on a college campus.  “We threaded the needle between state statute and First Amendment issues or potential challenges,” said board president Tim Rave. “This is a good first step with the framework in place.” Drag […]

The Board of Regents meets Dec. 8, 2022, at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Regents creating ‘minors on campus policy’ in response to drag show controversy

BY: - December 21, 2022

The board governing South Dakota’s six public universities is developing a policy about minors on campus in response to complaints about a drag show. The South Dakota Board of Regents voted Wednesday during a Zoom meeting to have its staff immediately begin creating the policy. The board plans to review the policy during its next […]

This is an image of the McLaury Building on the campus of South Dakota Mines built inside the video game Minecraft. (Courtesy of SD Mines)

Mines in Minecraft: Student renders Rapid City university campus in video game

BY: - December 20, 2022

South Dakota Mines computer engineering major Jaxxen Cheney has built a model of the university campus inside the popular video game Minecraft, according to a news release from the university. The game allows users to create worlds inside the platform with sets of digital building blocks. A video of the rendering is here, and an album of […]