Abbott to deliver ‘State of the University’ Sept. 17

University of South Dakota President James Abbott will address the campus Wednesday in his annual speech about the direction of USD’s priorities at 4 p.m. in Slagle Hall’s Aalfs Auditorium.

The event is open to all faculty, students and staff.

Last year’s State of the University address focused on student retention and graduation rates, especially regarding men on campus. USD’s first-year, full-time student retention rate has landed around 75 percent the past few years, while the university’s four-year graduation rate is just over 25 percent.

Abbott also said he wanted to encourage campus-wide discussion on how USD can do a better job supporting students involved in on-campus, distance and “hybrid” learning.

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The Volante will be live blogging the address from Aalfs Auditorium. Follow our live coverage on Twitter, Facebook and Volanteonline.com.