Academics
VIDEO: First-year exceeds expectations in Lakota class
USD to offer unique Native American language studies degree next fall, pending SDBOR approval Colton Sierra hopes to one day start his own business. But if that doesn’t work out the way he’s imagined, he’s counting on his culture to construct a life-long, fulfilling career. Sierra, a first-year business major with an undecided specialization, is […]
Medical school only accepts students with ties to S.D.
The University of South Dakota’s Sanford School of Medicine hopes to better meet the state’s healthcare demands by restricting admission to South Dakota residents, or applicants with strong ties to the state. Paul Bunger, dean of Medical Student Affairs at the School of Medicine, said about 40 to 45 percent of Sanford School of Medicine […]
Honors students push academic limits with theses
Although leaders of the United States haven’t yet come up with a successful solution to balancing the federal budget, junior Sydney Duncan thinks she might have the answer to a seemingly impossible endeavor. “For my honors thesis, my intention is to balance the federal budget in hopes to essentially decrease the deficit of the United States and […]
Women and gender studies program switching hands
Next fall, the reigns of the women and gender studies program will be handed over to the history department. The transition comes after Miglena Sternadori, program coordinator and associate professor in the media & journalism department, accepted a job at Texas Tech University. She is training Sara Lampert, an assistant professor in the history department, how to run […]
University examining religion absence policy
The University of South Dakota might soon recognize more religious holidays and funerals as excused absences under a new attendance policy. Currently, the university’s policy asks students to notify professors two days prior to missing class for university-related absences. Gerald Yutrzenka, co-chair President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusiveness, said the council has introduced a resolution […]
Year-long class registration to go into effect this spring
Changes to class registration are going to effect in the coming weeks. University of South Dakota administrators are implementing a new year-long registration process in which students will sign up for summer, fall and spring classes next year all at once. The new process is effective for the upcoming school year. Jim Moran, provost and […]
Education students weigh career options
According to the National Education Association, the average starting teaching salary for South Dakota is $29,851 and the average public school teacher salary is $39,018. Hee-sook Choi, interim dean of the School of Education, said about 60 percent of the students who graduate from the University of South Dakota’s teacher education program stay in state, […]
Cadaver lab provides USD students with new experience
Anatomy 411 — human gross anatomy — has a clear set of rules for its students on the first day of class. Rule No. 1: students are required to make the first cut into the body placed in front of them. “It bothered me at first,” said junior Jen Allen, a medical biology and chemistry double […]
Ernetta Fox mixes family experience with helping students
Ernetta Fox didn’t originally intend to work with Disability Services. The current department director graduated from the University of South Dakota with a degree in theatre. After teaching at a university in Texas, she moved back to Vermillion to care for her mother, who was disabled From there, she transitioned into working professionally with individuals […]
Substance abuse specialization cut won’t affect addiction studies program
The elimination of a substance abuse specialization will not affect the University of South Dakota’s addiction studies program, although the two areas of study share similarities. Because of low enrollment, a request for the removal of the specialization in the Counseling and Psychology in Education graduate program was submitted to the South Dakota Board of Regents last November. According to https://mcshin.org/resources/drug-addiction-help-who-needs-it-and-how-to-get-it, […]