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About SDSU | Students | Faculty and Staff | Alumni | Campus | Research | SDSU Extension | South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station | South Dakota Board of Regents | SDSU Executive Officers
About SDSU
South Dakota State University is the state’s largest, most comprehensive higher-education institution. As South Dakota’s Morrill Act land-grant university, SDSU had a fall 2020 enrollment of 11,405, with students coming from 49 states and more than 70 countries. Students can choose from 82 majors, 35 specializations, 94 minors, 36 master’s degree programs, 15 Ph.D. programs and two professional doctorates. The university also offers courses at various off-campus sites as well as undergraduate and graduate programs online through the Office of Continuing and Distance Education.
- Colleges
- College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
- College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
- College of Education and Human Sciences
- College of Natural Sciences
- College of Nursing
- College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions
- Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering
- Graduate School
- Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College
- University Authorization
A public, land-grant institution, SDSU was founded in 1881, authorized by the Dakota Territorial Legislature and is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents. The South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU was established and linked to the university in 1887 under the federal Hatch Act to conduct research that “concerns agriculture and the home.” In 1914, SDSU Extension was added by the Smith-Lever Act to “provide information to the people of the State.” Both the Agricultural Experiment Station and SDSU Extension are administered by the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences .
- Jackrabbit Athletics
The SDSU Jackrabbits compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I level in all sports, including the Football Championship Subdivision. Jackrabbits teams play in The Summit League, with the exception of football, wrestling and equestrian. SDSU is a member of the National Collegiate Equestrian Association, the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Big XII Conference as an affiliate member for wrestling.
- Community at a Glance
Named by Safewise as the safest college town in America in 2016, Brookings (pop. 23,938) is just 55 miles north of Sioux Falls on Interstate-29, 200 miles from Minneapolis and 400 miles east of Rapid City and the Black Hills. Students from communities in Nebraska, North Dakota and Iowa also find SDSU within an easy day’s drive.
Students
- Enrollment - Fall 2020
Total Enrollment - 11,405
Fall 2020 enrollment showed the incoming first-time freshmen class recorded an average high school GPA of 3.5. More than 42 percent of the class registered scores of 24 or higher on the ACT.
Enrollment By Level Undergraduate 9,843 86% Graduate 1,198 11% Professional 364 3% Total 11,405 100% Gender Female 6,304 55% Male 5,094 45% Not Reported 7 0% Total 11,405 100% Race/Ethnicity Nonresident Alien 606 5.3% Hispanic/Latino 298 2.6% American Indian or Alaska Native 123 1.1% Asian 140 1.2% Black or African American 218 1.9% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 5 0.1% White 9,663 84.7% Two or More Races 249 2.2% Race and ethnicity unknown 103 0.9% Total 11,405 100% Residency South Dakota Residents 6,209 54.4% Other States 4,590 40.3% International 606 5.3% Total 11,405 100% - Enrollment Breakdown - Fall 2020
Enrollment by Area Academic Affairs[2] 1,047 9.2% Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences 1,642 14.4% Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences 2,048 17.9% Education and Human Sciences 1,614 14.2% Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering 1,370 12.0% Natural Sciences 698 6.1% Nursing[3] 1,240 10.9% Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions[4] 547 4.8% Graduate School 1,199 10.5% Total 11,405 100% Notes
- Unduplicated headcount with multiple majors being prorated
- Includes nondegree-seeking students [↵2]
- Includes Doctor of Nursing Practice [↵3]
- Includes Doctor of Pharmacy [↵4]
- Student General Information
General Information Student : Faculty Ratio FY 2019 18.5 : 1 Graduate Student Assistants (Fall 2019) 494 Retention Rate
(Fall 2019 bachelor's cohort)81.0% - Graduates -- 2019–2020
Graduates By Degree Type Associate degrees 87 3.4% Bachelor's degrees 1,893 75.0% Master's degree 378 15.0% Doctor of Philosophy 66 2.6% Doctor of Pharmacy/Doctor of Nursing Practice 99 4.0% Total 2,523 100% - Financial Aid for New Students -- 2019–2020
Full-time, First-year Students Full-time, First-year Students 2,057 Percent receiving financial aid 94.56% Average award (including loans) $11,286 Percent receiving institutional scholarships 65.68% Average scholarship award $2,693 South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship New recipients (Fall 2019) 402 Total number of recipients (Fall 2019) 1,380 Average Award Graduate and Undergraduate $12,056 - Estimated Costs of Attendance -- 2020–2021
Undergraduate, Resident (30 credits) Tuition and Fees $9,200 Room and Board $7,082 Undergraduate, Nonresident (30 credits) Tuition and Fees $12,675 Room and Board $7,082 Graduate, Resident (24 credits) Tuition and Fees $9,286 Graduate, Nonresident (24 credits) Tuition and Fees $16,744 Graduate Assistant (24 credits) Tuition and Fees $1,202
Faculty & Staff
- Full-Time Equivalent Employees -- 2020–2021
Employees Numbers Faculty 638.54 Administration 67.35 Professional 697.23 Support Staff 631.28 Total 2,034.40 - Rank of Faculty (Full Time, Permanent) -- Fall 2019
Faculty Rank Professor 144 Associate Professor 110 Assistant Professor 130 Instructor 86 Lecturer 73 Total 543
Alumni
- Graduates
Graduate Numbers Total Graduates (Through May 2020) 96,319 Alumni Living in South Dakota 35,940 Alumni living out of state 38,942 Alumni living out of USA 971
Campus
- Physical Plant -- FY2021
Physical Plant Stats Central campus location (maintained) 386.7 acres Additional acres, including 6 research farms 10,566.21 acres Buildings 179 Building space maintained 4,098,793 sq. ft. Replacement value of buildings $1,182,872,802 Residence hall capacity (Fall 2020) 4,620 students - SDSU Foundation (Calendar Year 2019)
SDSU Foundation expenditures Expenditures to support university programs $20,543,779 Expenditures per student FTE - Fall 2019 $2,184.86 - Operating Budget Authority By Agency - FY2021
Operating Budget University Proper $245,124,197 81% Agriculture Experiment Station $39,986,275 13% SDSU Extension $18,326,382 6% Total $311,148,394 100% - Operating Budget Authority - FY2021
Operating Budget Breakdown Instructional Support $133,307,726 43.9% Research (including AES) $59,936,057 19.8% Public Service (including SDSU Extension) $29,628,374 9.8% Institutional Support $22,666,912 8.1% Operations and Maintenance of Plant $26,506,798 8.7% Scholarships and Fellowships $2,461,085 0.8% Auxiliary Enterprises (Res. Life, Food Service, Bookstore) $26,929,902 8.9% Total $303,436,854 100% - Operating Budget Authority By Source of Funds - FY2021
Source of Funds State Funds $73,072,823 24% Student Tuition & Fees $99,226,845 33% Federal Grants & Contracts/Fed Appropriations $41,051,241 13% Room & Board $17,676,599 6% Other Funds Including General Sales of
Commodities & Services$72,409,346 24% Total $303,436,854 100%
Research
The Division of Research and Economic Development works closely with university researchers, business leaders and other sponsors to promote faculty expertise aimed at solving real-world problems in society and industry. The university has positioned itself as a leader in agriculture and precision agriculture, remote sensing and life sciences. The research enterprise also capitalizes on expertise in digital technology related to agriculture and resource management.
Total Research Expenditures — FY2020 ---- $60,870,864
- Research Highlights
1,429 graduate students, most of whom are engaged in faculty research, enrolled in 36 master’s degree programs and 17 doctoral programs in seven colleges.
Faculty in the College of Natural Sciences and Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering are tackling the novel coronavirus through funding from the National Science Foundation’s Rapid Response Research mechanism to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
The precision agriculture initiative brings together experts from computer science, statistics, engineering, remote sensing and agriculture, as well as industry partners to increase the profitability and sustainability of agriculture.
Undergraduate researchers present their work at events, such as the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Day; the South Dakota Legislative Poster Session; and through the Journal of Undergraduate Research. Research opportunities are available at the department and college level.
As part of their graduation requirements, students in the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College complete independent study projects that often involve conducting original research under the supervision of a faculty member.
Industry partners, such as Raven Industries, POET, Dynamic Solutions and Query AI, as well as faculty-led companies have offices at the Research Park at SDSU to access its unique collaborative opportunities to advance research and workforce development.
Faculty researchers provide scientific leadership through the North Central Regional Sun Grant Center, Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence, Ethel Austin Martin Program in Human Nutrition, Biosystems Networks and Translational Research (BioSNTR), and the South Dakota Center for Biologics Research and Commercialization. In addition, SDSU researchers will play a key role in the state’s newest research center, the South Dakota Biofilm Science and Engineering Center.
SDSU Extension
- SDSU Extension
South Dakota State University is home to SDSU Extension, the outreach arm for South Dakota’s 1862 land-grant university. SDSU Extension provides unbiased, scientific knowledge and innovative educational strategies to the citizens of South Dakota. Core educational programs are offered in the areas of:
- Competitive Crop Systems
- Competitive Livestock Systems
- 4-H Youth Development
- Community Development
- Food and Families
- Rural and Urban Initiatives
- Native American Outreach
SDSU Extension faculty, field specialists and 4-H youth program advisers are based on the campus of SDSU, at SDSU West River Research and Extension in Rapid City, at one of seven SDSU Extension Regional Centers (Aberdeen, Lemmon, Mitchell, Pierre, Sioux Falls, Watertown or Winner), at one of the tribal extension offices on the Rosebud, Pine Ridge or Cheyenne River Indian Reservations or at county extension offices throughout the state. Visit the virtual office of SDSU Extension.
- SDSU Extension Operation Budget Authority, FY 2021
Operation Budget of SDSU Extension State Funds $9,078,505 50% Federal Funds $6,776,691 37% Other/Local Funds $2,471,186 13% Total $18,326,382 100% SDSU Extension Stats Number of Regional Extension Centers 8 Number of Field Specialists 40
South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station
- Agricultural Experiment Station
South Dakota State University is home to the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Faculty scientists carry out research on campus and at seven stations strategically located across the state. New discoveries are made available to the people of South Dakota, commodity groups and industry through the educational programs of SDSU Extension. Agricultural Experiment Station research programs directly support student education in the colleges of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences; Natural Sciences; Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; and Education and Human Sciences.
Seventy-two percent of the S.D. Agricultural Experiment Station resources are directed to five critical issues that are vital for South Dakota and the region:
- Regenerative Livestock Systems (23%);
- Regenerative Agronomic Systems (20%);
- Natural Resources and Environmental Systems (13%);
- Food Systems, Nutrition, Health and Well-Being (9%); and
- Family Youth and Communities (7%).
- Agricultural Experiment Station Operating Budget Authority, FY 2021
Operating Budget of Agricultural Experiment Station State Funds $13,193,188 33% Federal Funds $11,240,106 28% Other / Local Funds $15,552,981 39% Total $39,986,275 100%
South Dakota Board of Regents
- Board of Regents
- Brian Maher, Executive Director
- John W. Bastian, President
- Jim Morgan, Vice President
- Pam Roberts, Secretary
- Jim Thares
- Kevin V. Schieffer
- Randy Schaefer
- Joan Wink
- Barb Stork
- Brock Brown, Student Regent
SDSU Executive Officers
- Executive Officers
- Barry H. Dunn, Ph.D., President
- Dennis Hedge, Pharm.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs - Mike Holbeck, Ph.D.
Vice President, Finance and Budget - Michaela Willis, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management - Daniel Scholl, Ph.D.,
Vice President for Research and Economic Development - David Overby
Vice President for Technology and Safety - Tracy Greene, J.D.
Vice President and General Counsel
Interim Vice President, Human Resources - Karyn Weber, Chief of Staff
- Kas Williams, Chief Diversity Officer