ABERDEEN—At its regular business meeting on the campus of Northern State University in Aberdeen today, the South Dakota Board of Regents reviewed Governor William J. Janklow’s recommended fiscal year 2001 budget.

The total general fund increase of $4.279 million represents a 3.5% increase over the current fiscal year for all public universities and the School for the Deaf and the School for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. The total general fund recommendation for FY01 of $125,312,125 includes funding for the University of South Dakota Medical School and the Cooperative Extension Service and the Agriculture Experiment Station at South Dakota State University.

"The Governor has recommended funding two innovative technology ideas that will work to move public higher education into the information age," said Regents President Harvey C. Jewett, IV, of Aberdeen. "He has recommended funding the creation of a student technology fellowship program and the development of an electronic university. Together these mark a significant commitment of South Dakota resources to technology in public higher education."

The student technology fellowship would fund a program for 200 South Dakota residents, enrolled in one of the regental universities. Each student fellow would agree to work ten hours per week during the semester to assist faculty to integrate application of technology into their disciplines. In addition, each student will take one hour per week of instruction in technology application and administration.

Regents Executive Director Robert T. Tad Perry said, "The student technology fellows program is a win-win program. This will put over $700,000 of new scholarship money into the hands of South Dakota kids, who will in turn be among the most technologically skilled graduates we will produce in highly competitive fields. For this the university faculty will benefit from a pool of technology support personnel that we could not otherwise provide for them. The Governor is aware that, unless people have the training and support to use technology, we cannot realize its full potential."

Additional funds have been recommended to develop the electronic university consortium. Perry said, "The idea of a consortium fits with a request the Legislature made a few years ago. It asked the Regents to operate the universities more efficiently. To accomplish that the Regents have directed the universities to cooperate in the delivery of courses and programs. At the heart of the electronic university consortium is the expectation that any qualified South Dakotan anywhere in the state will be able to log-on to the electronic university, select a course offered by one of the universities, and earn credit acceptable at all of the public universities. The consortium will create a one-stop statewide student service system."

The Governor presented his proposed budget to the Legislature on December 7. The Legislature will approve the state’s budget in the 2000 session starting in January.