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Who governs South Dakota's public higher education system?

The South Dakota Board of Regents' mission is to govern the six public universities and the two special schools for the blind and visually impaired and the deaf. Authority for the regents' governance structure is found in Article XIV, Section 3 of the South Dakota Constitution and in South Dakota Codified Law Chapter 13-49.

Article XIV, Section 3 of the South Dakota Constitution provides:

The state university, the agriculture college, the school of mines and technology, the normal schools, a school for the deaf, a school for the blind, and all other educational institutions that may be sustained either wholly or in part by the state shall be under the control of a board of five members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the senate under such rules and restrictions as the Legislature shall provide. The Legislature may increase the number of members to nine.

Eight members of the Board of Regents serve six-year terms. The ninth member, the student regent, is appointed for a two-year term. No more than six members of the board may be from the same political party, and no two may be residents in the same county.

Click here for more information about current members of the South Dakota Board of Regents.

The board appoints its executive director. The current executive director is Dr. Robert T. Tad Perry, who joined the South Dakota public higher education system in 1994.

What does the Board of Regents do?

The system's primary goal is to provide high quality, diverse educational opportunities and services to the people of South Dakota through the effective use of resources entrusted to it. History has demonstrated that this goal can be met more effectively through an integrated system approach. In this manner, the various campuses complement one another and remain fully responsive to the central authority of the Board of Regents through the presidents and superintendents.

The bylaws of the Board of Regents provide for the self-governing and internal operating procedures of the board. Two standing committees of regents-the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs and the Committee on Budget and Finance-meet regularly to conduct business and recommend actions to the full board. The Board of Regents meets six times a year.

What does the Office of the Executive Director do?

The Office of the Executive Director serves as staff for the Board of Regents. Under the direction of the executive director, the staff manages the system of public higher education and the special schools, based upon the policies, goals, and objectives set by the board. Staff members are tasked with coordinating system activities related to academic affairs; finance and administration; legal and student affairs; system research initiatives; policy and planning; information and institutional research; human resources; and information technology.