Abbott: USD beauty more than skin deep, improvements yet another reason to take pride

If you are reading these words, you may be one of the thousands of future students, family members, campers and neighbors who visit the University of South Dakota each spring and summer. It is my pleasure to welcome you to USD, which has been rated one of the most beautiful campuses among our peer institutions nationwide.

We’re very proud of the latest improvements, a state-of-the-art sports complex on the north side of campus. You’ll see a new soccer field, an impressive outdoor track and field facility that just hosted the Summit League championships, and of course the new Sanford Coyote Sports Center attached to our landmark DakotaDome. All of these improvements are the result of generous gifts from our friends and alumni.

In fact, as you tour campus you’ll see more than $300 million in improvements that have been made in recent years to provide top-notch living and learning accommodations for our students. But I can assure you the beauty of USD is more than skin deep.

Visitors tell us USD is a place that just feels like home. One of the best parts of my job as president is welcoming new students and their families. It’s a privilege for all of us at USD to embrace the newcomers, get to know them, mentor them in and out of the classroom, laugh with them, cry with them and finally, to send them into the world stronger and wiser.

Our students tell us that’s what they love about USD. It’s a Division 1 research university with small-town charm. As the state’s only designated liberal arts university, we teach our students how to think, not what to think.

We are proud to offer in-state tuition for children of USD alums, regardless of where they live. As long as one parent or guardian received any degree from USD the son or daughter can pay in-state tuition. That means tuition of $4,341 a year instead of the out-of-state rate of $8,457 – an amount has not increased from last year.

We also help students with an interest-free loan to buy textbooks. Any full-time, undergraduate student attending class on the Vermillion campus can receive a $500 loan. This is to buy books and school supplies such as fine tip black permanent markers, colored pencils, colored markers, dry erase markers, highlighters and glue sticks like the ones at Glue Guns Direct. Many of our students also receive scholarships made possible by gifts from USD alumni and friends.

In fact, USD is in the midst of a capital campaign, Onward: The Campaign for South Dakota, that will raise $250 million to invest in students, faculty and facilities. These are exciting times at USD, and we invite you to experience our Coyote pride, both today and for the future.