University of South Dakota Continues to  Grow Sioux Falls Campus

     As the city of Sioux Falls continues to grow, so does USD’s second campus. 

     Some of the developing areas on USD-Sioux Falls’ campus include the addition of programs, increasing student enrollment and the expansion of buildings.

     One of the biggest expansions underway on the campus is the USD Discovery District Building.   

     The building is a part of the Discovery District, which is USD’s research park located in Sioux Falls and is adjacent to the USD-Sioux Falls campus. The first building in the Discovery District is currently under construction. 

     The goal of this building is to connect USD students to innovation-driven businesses, and this building will help grow businesses in Sioux Falls. 

     In the future, The Discovery District is expected to house developing businesses working in cutting-edge fields. Students at USD-Sioux Falls will have the opportunities to interact closely with both scientists and entrepreneurs. 

     There are approximately 790 students currently enrolled at USD-Sioux Falls, and enrollment numbers are on track to grow next fall. 

     The campus is hoping to continue to grow little by little each semester as the campus continues to expand.

     With not having dorms, student life looks a little different than the main campus located in Vermillion. Some of the clubs at Sioux Falls include a Lost and Found Chapter, Business Club, Sociology Club and Student Nurses Association. 

     However, the faculty does their best to connect students with events going on at the Vermillion Main Campus and encourage students to be involved with the clubs available. 

     The staff consists of full-time people who are assigned to the Sioux Falls campus, along with people who split their time between working in both Vermillion and Sioux Falls. The student to staff ratio is 11:1, including 16 full-time employees, three graduate students and some part-time staff. 

     USD-Sioux Falls provides services that are based out of Vermillion, and the staff work a rotating schedule, such as the librarians.   The Center for Teaching and Learning and the Opportunity Center also rotate between campuses.

     Currently, USD-Sioux Falls offers 20 undergraduate majors along with three graduate fields. These programs are specifically targeted to the workforce demand greater in the area of Sioux Falls, such as business, healthcare and education. 

     In addition to these, USD-Sioux Falls also offers fields in psychology, criminal justice and sociology. Along with these, the elementary education program was just added this year. 

     The three graduate programs are biomedical engineering, social work and doctor of nurse anesthesia practice program. 

     Sioux Falls is the largest and fastest growing city in South Dakota. It is also the center of the state for healthcare and business, with many internships and clinical placements available to students.  

     Jay Perry, Vice President for USD-Sioux Falls, said, “By having the state’s only public university campus in Sioux Falls, we accomplish two things: first, we help fulfill our mission by providing options for students to go to college that otherwise might not have had that opportunity. Second, it helps the main campus in Vermillion by reinforcing the USD brand to the Sioux Falls population.”