REGENTS REPORT

South Dakota Higher Education: Good Investment. Great Future.   NO. 82, 10/24/97

Spotlight on Faculty

Service and Dedication to South Dakota

Quality teachers are essential if our students are to reach their potential and preserve the quality of South Dakota’s public universities. For the state’s investment in its university teachers, the entire state gets an excellent return through their research, service outreach, and teaching. This report offers a spotlight on South Dakota public university faculty and its contribution to the state.

Faculty Professional Profile

Over three-quarters of our faculty members have attained a terminal degree, that is the highest possible degree in a particular field.

The percentage of faculty with a terminal degree has grown nearly four percentage points in the last four years, shown in the graph to the right.

Contributions

Public university faculty members are also active outside of the classroom to help South Dakotans improve their communities and lives. Listed here are just a few of the contributions public university faculty make to our communities.

• Provide technical assistance to business and industry in such things as product design and improvement.

• Conduct research into important agricultural and animal health issues to help farmers produce more and protect crops and livestock from disaster.

• Conduct research into human health issues such as heart disease.

• Assist small businesses across the state with federal grant applications for research and development.

• Participate in and help to organize education conferences in math, reading, science, music and other training opportunities for K-12 educators.

Maintaining Quality

As with any position, salary is a key component in recruiting and retaining quality faculty. This is especially true for our public universities as they compete with universities across the country for a shrinking pool of qualified faculty. Public university faculty in South Dakota remain the lowest paid in the nation. As South Dakota fails to recruit and retain the best, this becomes a concern for the future quality of education.

This graph shows an average adjusted compensation rate for public university faculty in South Dakota and our neighboring states. The compensation includes benefits and per capita taxation in each state. South Dakota’s faculty are 22% and nearly $12,000 behind the regional average and much further behind the national average.

1996 Chronicle of Higher Education, Alamanac Ed.

E-mail us at: info@bor.state.sd.us

Conclusion

If our universities are not able to reward faculty for their achievements, work, and dedication, South Dakota will face a crisis of quality. Public university faculty contribute to the quality of life in South Dakota by educating our young people and assisting business, agriculture, and K-12 education.