REGENTS REPORT

South Dakota Higher Education: Good Investment. Great Future.   NO. 83, 11/10/97

The State of Public Higher Education

Higher Education Week Offers Time to Look Back and Ahead

Governor William Janklow has proclaimed the week of November 10-14 as "Higher Education Week" to recognize South Dakota's public universities for opening doors to possibilities for the state and its people through teaching, research, and outreach service. Investments in public higher education open doors that develop leadership in government, business, education, and the arts; provide individual opportunities to attain economic security and support personal growth. The Unified System of Public Higher Education has served the state by building on a firm grounding in South Dakota values and by serving as an essential key to open doors of the future as South Dakota prepares to enter the 21st Century.

Opportunity: Developing Our Workforce

Educational attainment is one measure used to assess the readiness of a state for the future. South Dakota needs an educated labor force to meet the challenges of change that face not just South Dakota's economy, but also the world's economy. These changes will bring an increased focus on high technology and service oriented industries. The number of South Dakotans with at least a bachelor's degree has risen over 20% between 1990 and 1996. The graph below shows the increases in educational attainment in neighboring states from 1990 to 1996.

SOURCE: US Census Bureau Value: Affordable Higher Education

South Dakota's public universities provide quality at an affordable price. Student can study a wide variety of majors with the convenience and savings of being close-to-home. The graph below shows the comparative costs of attending one of South Dakota's public universities and one in a neighboring state.

*NOTE: Charges for Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota & Idaho are estimates, assuming admission through the Western Undergraduate Exchange program was granted by the institution. WUE admission only applies to selected programs based on availability. Actual charges could be more. Averages are based on annual charges for tuition and mandatory fees, for 32 credit hours, for the 1996-97 academic year.

Public university faculty members are dedicated to teaching and service, between FY94 and FY96 the average teaching load has increased 5.5%, shown in the graph below. Despite their hard work and dedication, South Dakota's faculty remain among the lowest paid in the nation.

To maintain quality at South Dakota's universities, compensation must be competitive. This will allow the public universities to recruit and retain only the best teachers for our students.

Quality: Preparing for the 21st Century

The public universities are preparing to provide South Dakota with the best in leaders, education, research, and service through the next century. The Regents are working with high schools to improve preparation of students, investing over $3 million in new technology to enhance education and service for students, and investing in Centers of Excellence at each campus to provide nationally renowned academic training and service for South Dakota's businesses, governments, and K-12 schools. South Dakota's university students already perform better than national averages on standardized proficiency exams, shown in the graph below.

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

Conclusion

The public universities have served the state by building on a firm grounding in South Dakota values and by serving as an essential key to open doors of the future as South Dakota prepares to enter the 21st Century.