Chapter 2

Contents
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Introduction
Structure and Governance of SD Board of Regents
Structure and Governance of DSU Administration
     Table 3:  DSU Organizational Structure
     President
     Executive Council
     Vice President for Academic Affairs
     Vice President for Administration and University
          Advancement
     Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs
     Director of Athletics
     Director of Business and Education Institute
     Director of Non-Profit Grants Office
     Executive Assistant to the President
Structure and Governance of General Faculty
      Table 4:  Demographic Characteristics of DSU Faculty
Structure and Governance of Staff Employees
     Table 5:  Demographic Characteristics of Exempt and
          CSA Employees
Structure and Governance of Students
     Table 6:  Demographic Characteristics of DSU Students
     Table 7:  Enrollments for Degree-Seeking Students, Fall
          1990-Fall 1999
     Table 8:  Student Enrollments by Categories of Students
          andCourse Delivery Locations, Fall 1999 and Spring
          2000
Physical Facilities on the DSU Campus
     Table 9:  DSU Facilities
 DSU’s Financial Resources 
     Table 10:  DSU Operating Budget, FY91 to FY00 (in
          000’s)
Financial Resources Allocated to Academic Affairs 
     Faculty
     Table 11:  Instructional FTE by College
     Academic Support 
          College / Institutional Academic Administration
          Computing Services
          Library Services
          Distance Education
          Table 12:  Student Enrollments in Distance Courses
Financial Resources Allocated to Student Affairs
     Student Activities
     Student Development
     Residence Life
     Student Health Services
     Auxiliary Services
          Dakota Prairie Playhouse
          Trojan Center
          University Bookstore
          University Food Service
          University Card System
Summary of Institutional Strengths and Concerns Relative to
     Criterion 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two

Criterion 2

The institution has effectively organized the human, financial,
and physical resources necessary to accomplish its purposes.

Introduction

This chapter provides evidence that Dakota State University has effectively organized its human, financial, and physical resources to accomplish its educational and other purposes. As discussed in Chapter 1, DSU has a unique and highly focused mission. This specialized mission serves as a guide for all resource decision-making and has had a significant impact on both the organizational structure of the institution and on resource allocations within the institution. The institution's emphasis on integration of technology into the curriculum requires that the institution place a priority on human, financial, and physical investments relative to technology. On-going support for its technology infrastructure and for faculty and staff development relative to technology are critical factors in the successful delivery of DSU's academic programs.

This chapter begins with an overview of DSU's administrative governance structure and then provides statistical information on the allocation of the institution's human, financial, and physical resources.
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Structure and Governance of
South Dakota Board of Regents

The South Dakota Constitution, Article XIV, Section 3, vests control over the Unified System of Public Higher Education in South Dakota, including Dakota State University, with the South Dakota Board of Regents. South Dakota Codified Law 13-49-1 establishes the nine-member board with each board member appointed "by the Governor, by and with the consent of the Senate." Appointments, with the exception of the student regent, are for six years. In turn, the Board is required to appoint an executive director as a full-time employee of the Board to carry out the directives of the Board and be under their general supervision (South Dakota Codified Law 13-49-10). South Dakota Codified Law 13-49 also stipulates that the Board of Regents is empowered to "govern and regulate each institution under its control." (A copy of the legislation establishing the South Dakota Board of Regents and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On-going support for its technology infrastructure and for faculty and staff development relative to technology are critical factors in the successful delivery of DSU's academic programs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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the Unified System of Public Higher Education and the policy manual which governs the operation of the unified system and the Board of Regents will be available in the documents room.)

The current members of the Board of Regents include: 

Harvey C. Jewett, IV (president) 
James O. Hansen 
David Gienapp 
Curt Jones 
Pat Lebrun 
Rudy Nef (secretary) 
Shane Penfield (student regent) 
Jack Rentschler (vice president)

As a group, the Board of Regents understand their responsibilities, function in accordance with stated board policies, and have the resolve necessary to preserve the institution's integrity. (Copies of the vitas for the current members of the Board of Regents will be available in the documents room.)

The Board of Regents maintains its offices in Pierre, the state's capital. Dr. Tad Perry serves as the current Executive Director of the Board of Regents. He and the Board of Regents are supported in their administration of the campuses and the two special schools by a professional staff:

Dr. Bob Burke, Director of Enrollment Services Center 
Dr. Paul Gough, Director of Policy and Planning 
Dave Hanson, Assistant Director of Administrative Affairs 
Kathy Johnson, Director of Administrative Affairs 
Dr. Janet Lewis, Director of Electronic University Consortium 
Dan Petra, Program Coordinator for Academic Affairs 
James Shekleton, General Counsel 
Carol Stonefield, Director of Information and Institutional Research 
Dr. Lesta Turchen, Senior Administrator (Chief Academic Officer) 
Warren Wilson, Director of Regents Information System 
Rob Houdek, Internal Auditor

As a group, the board staff understand their responsibilities, function in accordance with stated board policies, and have the resolve necessary to

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

preserve the institution's integrity. (Copies of the vitas of the current board staff will be available in the documents room.)

The Board of Regents holds six regularly scheduled meetings each year. The meetings are rotated among the six regental campuses plus the School for the Deaf and the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, both of which are also under the direction and control of the Board. In addition to their business meetings, the Board holds at least one annual two-day planning session to consider issues related to future initiatives for the system. Finally, the Board can and does hold special meetings on an ad hoc basis to deal with issues that arise and require attention between the regularly scheduled meetings.

The Board of Regents has adopted and maintains a policy manual that delineates the responsibilities of the Board in relation to the authority of the campus administration. Governance, administration, and management are a shared responsibility between the Board of Regents and the campus administration, with major decisions generally requiring Board approval. In accordance with legislative and BOR directives, DSU is bound by federal and state laws in its treatment of employees and students, in purchasing, budgeting, and finance. Also in accordance with BOR directives, DSU has developed and adopted a set of policies and procedures to govern campus management. The final review process for all DSU policies includes e-mail distribution to all faculty and staff for a 2-week evaluation period prior to final approval by the president. (The BOR and DSU policy manuals will be available in the documents room.) These written policies provide evidence that the institution is governed by well-defined, consistent, and understood policies and procedures.
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Structure and Governance of DSU Administration

The institution is administered by a president and three vice presidents, with the auxiliary and support units reporting to one of the three vice presidents. Table 3: DSU Organizational Structure (below) outlines the administrative structure and responsibilities of the president and the three vice presidents. Table 10: DSU's Operating Budget FY91 to FY00 (included later in this chapter) provides information on the relative size of the budgets and the FTE administered by the three vice presidents. Additional detail on the structure, governance, and FY00 strategic initiatives of the units administered

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by each of the vice presidents are included in Appendix A (academic affairs), Appendix B (business affairs), and Appendix C (student affairs). Table 3 provides evidence that DSU has a well-defined organizational structure and that the organizational structure, policies, and procedures can be clearly articulated to the institution's constituencies. The organizational structure outlined in Table 3 and the system of governance described in this chapter guarantees that dependable information reaches the institution's internal constituencies and that, when appropriate, they are part of the institutional decision-making process.

Table 3: DSU Organizational Structure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Executive Council is a forum for discussing issues of strategic and operational importance and serves as a principal communication conduit to the University as a whole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The president, the three vice presidents, and the directors who report to the president make up the institution's Executive Council (described in more detail below). Details included in Appendix A, B, and C and the vitas for members of DSU's Executive Council (available in the documents room) provide evidence that DSU is administered by qualified and experienced personnel who oversee institutional activities and exercise appropriate responsibility for them. As is true of all South Dakota regental institutions, the members of DSU's Executive Council are guided in their decisions by Board of Regents policies and by institutional policy and have the resolve to preserve the institution's integrity. (Copies of the BOR policy manual and the DSU policy manual will be available in the documents room.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

President: The president, who is appointed by and reports to the Board of Regents, is the chief executive officer of the institution. The current president is Dr. Jerald Tunheim, who joined DSU in August 1987. The president is assisted in the operation of the campus by three vice presidents and an Executive Council, which meets approximately once a week.

Executive Council: The Executive Council includes the vice president for academic affairs, vice president for administration and university advancement, vice president and dean of students, the athletic director, the physical plant director, and the executive assistant to the president. The Executive Council is a forum for discussing issues of strategic and operational importance and serves as a principal communication conduit to the University as a whole. Minutes of the Executive Council meetings are shared with the faculty and staff via e-mail, as a means of facilitating communication on campus. All of the members of the Executive Council, except the physical plant director, report directly to the President. (The physical plant director reports to the vice president for administration and university advancement.) Also reporting to the president, but not on the Executive Council, is the director of the Business and Education Institute and the director of the Non-Profit Grants Office.

Vice President for Academic Affairs: The vice president for academic affairs, together with the deans of the academic colleges and the directors of the academic support units, is responsible for ensuring the academic integrity of the courses and programs offered by Dakota State University. Dr. Cecelia Wittmayer is the vice president for academic affairs. She was the acting vice president from October 1998 to June 1999 and was formally named to the position in June 1999. She is responsible for the academic programs offered by the institution's four colleges and for the programs and services provided by the Assessment Office, the Center of Excellence in Computer Information Systems, Computing Services, Distance Education, the Graduate Programs Office, and the Karl E. Mundt Library. The vice president for academic affairs, the deans, and the directors of the academic support areas meet regularly as the Academic Council to discuss issues of strategic and operational importance. This group also serves as a direct line of information to the faculty and the university as a whole. Minutes of the Academic Council meetings are shared with the faculty and staff via e-mail as a means of facilitating campus communications. To support the academic functions of the institution, the vice president for academic affairs also directs the activities of

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The vice president for academic affairs, the deans, and the directors of the academic support areas meet regularly as the Academic Council to discuss issues of strategic and operational importance. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

and receives guidance from these institutional committees and advisory groups: Assessment Coordinating Committee, Computing Resource Advisory Committee, Curriculum Committee, Honors Committee, and the Graduate Council.

Degree programs are offered in four colleges, administered by deans: the College of Business and Information Systems, the College of Education, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Natural Sciences. The deans, rather than department heads, are responsible for the day-to-day management of the college and faculty as well as management and oversight of the college's curriculum, scheduling, faculty evaluation, administrative reporting, budget development, and outreach efforts. (A detailed summary of the structure, responsibilities, and FY00 strategic initiatives for these units is included in Appendix A of this document.)

Vice President for Administration and University Advancement: The vice president for administration and university advancement, together with the directors who report to him, is responsible for ensuring that quality services are provided to students, faculty, staff, and the public in the areas of career planning and placement, financial aid, recruitment and admissions, registration and records, and student accounts. Mark Lee is the vice president for administration and university advancement. He has held his current position since 1995. (He held a similar position at DSU from 1991-1993 and a related position in the Business Office from 1984-1991.) He is responsible for the Business Office (accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, budget, human resources, payroll, purchasing), Career and Placement Services, Enrollment Services (recruitment and admissions, registration and academic records, financial aid, student accounts), Public Information Services, Physical Plant, Production Center, and University Development (alumni association and the DSU Foundation). These business / service areas meet regularly as individual units and collectively every 2-3 weeks. The vice president for administration and university advancement is also chair of the institution's Loss Control Committee and is treasurer of the DSU Foundation. (A detailed summary of the structure, responsibilities, and FY00 strategic initiatives for these units is included in Appendix B of this document.)

Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs: The vice president and dean for student affairs, together with the directors of student service programs, is responsible for providing services that contribute to the personal and professional growth of students. Terry Ryan is the vice president and dean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

for student affairs. He has held the position since 1975. He is responsible for the Bookstore, Conferencing / Dakota Prairie Playhouse, Food Service (delivered via a vendor contract with Fine Host, Inc.), Residence Halls, Student Activities, Student Development, and Trojan Center. Staff meetings are held monthly. In addition to these service areas, the vice president and dean for student affairs also directs the activities of and receives guidance from these institutional committees: Student Association Senate, Student Media Board, General Activity Fund Allocations Committee, Cultural Activities Committee, Housing Requirement Exemption Committee, University Disciplinary Board, and the Vending Committee. (A detailed summary of the structure, responsibilities, and FY00 strategic initiatives for these units is included in Appendix C of this document.)

Director of Athletics: The director of athletics is responsible for supervising the coaches and for guiding the intercollegiate and club sports that compete with teams from other institutions. Dr. Tom Gioglio is the athletic director. He has held the position since June 2000. DSU offers the following intercollegiate sports: men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's golf, women's softball, men's and women's track (indoor and outdoor), and women's volleyball.

Director of the Business and Education Institute: The director of Business and Education Institute (BEI) is responsible for guiding the outreach activities of the Business and Education Institute, primarily education and training (non-credit) and software development. Russell Martin is the director. He had held this position since 1994.

Director of the Non-Profit Grants Office: The director of the Non-Profit Grants Office is responsible for providing service to the non-profit organizations throughout the state. Non-profits can receive assistance with identifying funding sources, developing proposal ideas, referral to appropriate agencies and individuals, understanding the grant process, research and organization of proposals, budgeting, and other grant related activities. Dr. Jean Layton has served as the director since 1990.

Executive Assistant to the President: The executive assistant to the president is responsible for managing the executive office (support for both the president and vice president for academic affairs) and for completing ad hoc and recurring projects, as assigned by the president. Linda Brozik is the executive assistant to the president. She has held this position since 1983.
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Structure and Governance of General Faculty

In 1995, the faculty voted to rewrite the General Faculty Constitution and to abolish the Faculty Senate in favor of a general faculty structure. The new constitution established a governance structure that provides for a more collegial approach to academic decision-making. The general faculty elects officers on an annual basis and meets as a body of the whole once a month during the academic year to discuss academic issues and reach consensus on resolutions or recommendations to the administration. The current faculty officers include: Dr. Dale Droge, president; Risë Smith, vice president; and Dr. Michelle Glaros, secretary. The functions of the general faculty are also carried out through a system of standing committees and ad hoc task forces that report to the general faculty. The responsibilities of these standing committees are described in the bylaws of the general faculty. (The General Faculty Constitution and the Bylaws of the General Faculty are included in Appendix B of the DSU Faculty / Staff Handbook, which will be available in the documents room.) Additional policies and procedures governing the faculty are contained in the collective bargaining agreement, known as the COHE Agreement, between faculty and the Board of Regents. (A copy of the current COHE Agreement will be available in the documents room.)

The faculty has primary responsibility for initiation, development, and review of all academic coursework and programs. Faculty support is also necessary to change any policies or procedures related to academic issues. The institution's past practices, protocol, and organizational structure make it possible for the faculty to make recommendations to the institutional administration on these and related issues:

• Courses and programs of study.

• Requirements for admission / enrollment of first-time students.

• Requirements for admission / enrollment of transfer students.

• Standards of performance for academic good standing.

• Standards of academic integrity for both the faculty and students.

• Reinstatement of students suspended for academic reasons and the conditions for reinstatement.

• Standards and requirements for granting degrees, diplomas, or certificates to graduating students.

• Rules and regulations for the granting of academic honors and the recipient(s) thereof.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The general faculty elects officers on an annual basis and meets as a body of the whole once a month during the academic year to discuss academic issues and reach consensus on resolutions or recommendations to the administration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Promotion in rank.

• Granting and retention of tenure.

• Institutional academic structure.

• Resolution of grievances.

This organizational and governance structure guarantees that dependable information is available to faculty and, when appropriate, faculty are involved in the decision-making process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

An article from the March 17, 2000, issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, "The Imminent Surge in Retirements," discusses the graying of America's faculty. As indicated on Table 4: Demographic Characteristics of DSU Faculty (above), this trend is not evident at DSU. The relatively young age of DSU faculty bodes well for the long-term stability of the institution. However, much of the institution's enrollment growth is occurring in disciplines where the nation-wide demand for faculty outstrips supply and the current market aggressively competes for good faculty.

Table 4 and vitas for DSU's full-time and part-time faculty (available in the documents room) provide evidence that DSU has a faculty with educational credentials that are appropriate for the courses they teach.
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Structure and Governance of Staff Employees

The DSU staff is composed of 122 full-time and 4 part-time employees, categorized as either exempt or Career Service Act (CSA) employees. (See Table 5: Demographic Characteristics of Exempt and CSA Employees, below.) Both exempt and CSA employees typically report directly to one of the institution's three vice presidents or to a director who reports to a vice president. Exempt employees are those whose duties are classified as political, professional, executive, or administrative in nature and, thus, are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) rules concerning wage and hour policies. All other staff employees are categorized as Career Service Act (CSA) employees and are subject to the FLSA rules concerning wage and hour policies.

The Career Service Act of 1974 established a system for management of career service personnel in state government. The act addresses appointment, promotion, compensation, removal, transfer, and other matters related to personnel management. CSA employees are governed by a council

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

consisting of representatives from five classifications. The council is charged with serving as a liaison to the university president and brings forward employee concerns and recommendations for training, incentives, and recognition programs. The council meets regularly during the academic year and holds a monthly association meeting that is open to all CSA employees. (Minutes of these monthly meetings for the last calendar year will be available in the documents room.) CSA employees also elect a representative to serve on the State Career Service Advisory Council. This state-wide council meets twice each year. (See DSU Policy 04-25-00 and 04-25-01 and BOR policy 1:7:5, available in the documents room.)

The organizational and governance structure for both exempt and CSA employees guarantees that exempt and career service employees receive dependable information and are, when appropriate, involved in the institution's decision-making processes.
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Structure and Governance of Students

In Fall 1999, 2,003 full-time and part-time students were enrolled at DSU, generating 1,335 FTE. (The BOR does not release official headcount and FTE figures for spring semesters, so these are the most current figures available. See Table 6: Demographic Characteristics of DSU Students, below.) As the elected, governing body for the students, the Student Association Senate assists in promoting the general welfare of the University and serves as a liaison between the students and the administration. It is responsible for forwarding student concerns to the administration for resolution, for making recommendations to the president on the allocation of the general activity fee (GAF), and for maintaining student representation on all institutional and ad hoc committees. Current Student Association Senate officers include: Jon Grann, president; Chris Kreul, vice president; and Kathy Shypulski, secretary. DSU Policy 04-20-00 establishes the Student Association Senate and describes its responsibilities. The DSU Faculty / Staff Handbook includes a list of all institutional committees and provides details on student representation on those committees. This organizational and governance structure guarantees that students receive dependable information and are, when appropriate, involved in the decision-making process. (A copy of the DSU Policy Manual and the DSU Faculty / Staff Handbook will be available in the documents room.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the elected, governing body for the students, the Student Association Senate assists in promoting the general welfare of the University and serves as a liaison between the students and the administration. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 6: Demographic Characteristics of DSU Students

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the last three years, Dakota State University has experienced a significant increase in its enrollment, particularly in its flagship programs in the College of Business and Information Systems and in the College of Education. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the last three years, Dakota State University has experienced a significant increase in its enrollment, particularly in its flagship programs in the College of Business and Information Systems and in the College of Education. Table 7: Enrollments for Degree-seeking, Fall 1990 _ Fall 1999 (below) provides a summary of enrollments for each fall since the last comprehensive visit by NCA, beginning with Fall 1990. Table 7 provides evidence that a sufficient number of students are enrolled to meet the institution's stated educational purposes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 7: Enrollments for Degree-Seeking Students, Fall 1990 - Fall 1999

 

 

 

 

 

 

These numbers clearly indicate that the institution's enrollment is growing. It should be noted, however, that the Fall 1998 and Fall 1999 enrollment numbers also include summer enrollments in the Technology for Teaching and Learning (TTL) academies hosted on the DSU campus. (These academies were designed to improve the technology skills of practicing K-12 teachers and are described in more detail in the documents room.) In Fall 1999, the TTL academy increased the DSU fall headcount by almost 400 students but increased the DSU FTE totals by only 25 FTE. Even when enrollment numbers are discounted for the TTL academy enrollments, the institution's enrollment increases have been significant.

Student enrollments can also be analyzed by categories of students and by course delivery locations. As indicated by Table 8: Student Enrollments by Categories of Students and Course Delivery Locations, Fall 1999 and Spring 2000 (below), on-campus student enrollments predominate, with approximately 92 percent of the credit hours generated on the main campus. In addition to student enrollments on the main campus, DSU has a small, but significant academic presence at the Center for Public Higher Education in Sioux Falls. These enrollments increase each year as the programs offered there increase in popularity and as enrollments increase in the general education courses that DSU offers on a rotating basis with the University of South Dakota (Vermillion) and South Dakota State University (Brookings). DSU also has a small but growing on-line, distance education program. (The on-line enrollments in Table 8 include only those students who take courses at a distance. It does not include on-campus students who may occasionally take a DSU online course.) DSU also generates student enrollments from TTL academies and other sponsored courses. (According to BOR policy, sponsored courses are those courses where a school district or other employer pays the

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

direct cost of instruction through contract to the University and the student pays just a registration fee to take the course. That registration fee is set by BOR tuition policy and is $42.85 per credit hour for FY01.) In FY00, DSU also generated student enrollments from a number of graduate-level courses offered to a cohort of students at the EROS Data Center who were enrolled in the information systems graduate program. (The EROS Data Center is a remote sensing facility for the federal government, located outside Sioux Falls near Garretson.) The statistical information provided in Table 8: Student Enrollments by Categories of Students and Course Delivery Locations, Fall 1999 and Spring 2000 (below) provides further evidence that a sufficient number of students are enrolled to meet the institution's stated educational purposes.

 

 

 

 

Table 8: Student Enrollments by Categories of Students and Course Delivery Locations, Fall 1999 and Spring 2000  
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Physical Facilities on the DSU Campus

The Dakota State University campus consists of 21 buildings and 56.2 acres of land in the middle of a residential area in Madison, South Dakota. The statistical information included in this section of Chapter 2 is intended to provide evidence that DSU has a physical plant that supports effective teaching and learning. (Details of the individual budgets assigned to the physical plant will be available in the documents room.)

As Table 9: DSU Facilities (below) indicates, seven campus buildings are considered academic buildings and provide approximately 179,312 square feet of academic space. Two buildings are primarily administrative space and provide approximately 27,857 square feet of space. The other eleven buildings are considered revenue- or auxiliary-enterprise buildings and constitute 262,562 square feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

East Hall, located on the southeast corner of the main campus, is a four-story building built in 1904. It is one of the original "four sisters" _ the four, pink granite academic buildings that anchored the DSU campus in the early 1900s _ and anchors the southeast corner of the campus. It houses the College

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

of Business and Information Systems and most of Computing Services with space for faculty offices, classrooms, and computer labs.

Kennedy Center, just west of East Hall, is a one-story building and houses the College of Education. This building, built in 1986, replaced Kennedy Hall, the second of the four sisters. It provides space for faculty offices, classrooms, and computer labs as well as the RDTN and GEC studios.

Beadle Hall, just west of Kennedy Center, is a four-story building and houses the College of Liberal Arts. Built in 1886, it has the distinction of being the oldest building in South Dakota still being used for its original purpose. It is the third of the four sisters and provides space for faculty offices, classrooms, and computer labs.

The Performing Arts Center, just west of Beadle Hall, is a two-story building constructed in 1910. This building was the fourth of the four sisters and was originally designed as a gymnasium. (It is still referred to, on occasion, as the Old Women's Gym.) It was transformed into a home for band, vocal music, and the performing arts in the 1980s. It provides space for faculty offices, classrooms, practice rooms, costume and scenery storage, and costume and scenery construction.

Lowry Hall, located west of the Performing Arts Center, is a two-story building that anchors the southwest corner of the campus. It was originally built as a residence hall but has been extensively remodeled. It is currently used as an incubator for small businesses and provides office space for the Business and Education Institute. Because of the institution's enrollment growth, this building will be converted to more traditional academic use within the next two years.

The Karl E. Mundt Library is located north of Lowry Hall and anchors the northwest corner of the campus. This two-story building was built in 1968 and provides space for the institution's library collection, faculty offices, meeting, lounge, and study areas, a computer lab, and the Karl E. Mundt archives. In the year it was built and 25 years later in 1994, the Karl E. Mundt Library was awarded a South Dakota Society of American Institute of Architects special award. This award is given to a work of architecture that exemplifies design of enduring significance.

The Habeger Science Center, directly east of the library, is a one-story building built in 1972. It houses the College of Natural Sciences and a portion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the year it was built and 25 years later in 1994, the Karl E. Mundt Library was awarded a South Dakota Society of American Institute of Architects special award. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

of Computing Services. It provides space for faculty offices, classrooms, computer labs, science labs, and the institution's server room and computer repair center.

The Physical Plant, built in 1971, is east of the science center. This one-story building provides space for physical plant employee offices, for maintenance shops, and for the institution's heating plant.

The Smith-Zimmermann Museum, built in 1966, is a one-story building east of the physical plant. Although the building is the property of DSU, the museum itself is operated by the Lake County Historical Society and the collections within the museum are the property of the historical society.

The Trojan Center is a one-story building constructed in 1965 with extensive remodeling in 1995. It houses the University Bookstore, the cafeteria, meeting rooms, game room, television lounge, a computer lab, and offices for student affairs and campus ministries. The Trojan Center is connected to Zimmermann Hall via the Marketplace, the main dining area for the university food service.

Heston Hall, built in 1920, is a three-story building that originally housed the city's hospital. The building was purchased by DSU in 1965 and renovated in 1971. It is the institution's administration building and is located east of Washington Avenue on the northeast corner of campus. It provides space for the administrative offices (the president, the vice president for academic affairs, and the vice president for administration and university advancement) as well as the Business Office, Print Shop, Assessment Office, Graduate Programs Office, Public Relations/Marketing, Enrollment Services, Career and Placement Services, and the DSU Development Office (the alumni association and the DSU Foundation).

The Fieldhouse, built in 1958, is located about three blocks north of Heston Hall and is adjacent to the football and track complex and to the new Community Center. The Fieldhouse provides space for faculty / coaches, classrooms, computer lab, and related athletic space (locker rooms, training room, etc.) Indoor athletic competitions, such as volleyball and basketball, are held in this building. A portion of the facility houses the local unit of the South Dakota National Guard.

Through a lease with the Dakota State University Foundation, DSU operates and manages the Dakota Prairie Playhouse, located on the northwest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

corner of the campus and just west of the Fieldhouse. It was built in 1991 and provides space for management offices, a 700-seat theatre, and a 6400-square foot conference center.

The Community Center is a recreational facility built in 1999-2000 in partnership with the City of Madison. The partnership mandates that the campus and city jointly govern and manage the facility. The facility has a nine-member governing board that will develop the usage schedule, establish rules of operation, and oversee the staff. When the center opens in Fall 2000, it will contain about 67,000 square feet of recreational and related space for its campus and community membership. Dakota State University students who enroll in at least 6 credit hours will automatically be members of the Community Center. Madison area residents will be able to buy individual or family memberships. The facility is intended to operate on the basis of its membership revenue and support from the University and City. This facility includes a large, two court gymnasium with a wood floor, a small, single-court gymnasium with a multi-use surface, two racquetball courts, a large natatorium with a six-lane swimming pool and a zero-depth entry pool, locker rooms, meeting rooms, offices, and a youth center for high school and middle school youth. On the second floor of the facility is a fitness center, an aerobics room, and a 1/12-mile walking and jogging track.

Dakota State University has four residence halls located on the main campus. These four halls have an occupancy capacity of 620 students, with two students assigned to a room. Three of the residence halls are four-story facilities: Higbie Hall (built in 1965), Emry Hall (built in 1968), and Richardson Hall (built in 1970). Higbie Hall and Zimmermann Hall (built in 1963) are coed; Emry Hall is a women's residence hall and Richardson Hall is a men's residence hall. In 1999, the institution leased residence space at the Lake Park Motel, and in 2000 DSU will again lease residence space from the Lake Park Motel and also from the Country View Retirement Home, formerly used as an assisted living center, to provide overflow housing for students. The motel has been designated as Zimmermann Hall West and the assisted living center as Higbie Hall West.

DSU is currently working with an architectural firm to produce a master plan for the campus. As mentioned above, DSU currently has more demand for residence hall rooms than there is space available, and this space crunch is

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

expected to continue as the Dakota State freshman class climbs to 400-plus. To find a long-term solution to this housing problem, DSU is working with private partners to develop additional housing adjacent to the campus. DSU is also working to increase the academic capacity on campus. As mentioned above, Lowry Hall will be converted from auxiliary to administrative space in 2000-2001. (The process began in 2000, with the relocation of BEI to Lowry Hall.) A major renovation of the Performing Arts Center is also in the very early planning stage. This renovation would produce additional office space, classroom space, computer lab space, and a 200-seat auditorium that could be used as performance and academic space. The main campus of Dakota State is relatively land-locked and students continue to campaign for additional parking space. (The current car-to-student ratio approaches one to one). To reduce the parking crunch, DSU purchased residential space on Washington Street and converted the space (just south of Heston Hall) to a 90-car parking area in 1999. Other parking solutions continue to be explored, so that the enrollment growth does not negatively affect the residential neighborhoods surrounding the institution.
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DSU's Financial Resources

Three documents highlight DSU's financial resources: the annual operating budget, the financial report, and the position management report. (Copies of the institution's most current operating and revenue budgets will also be available in the documents room.) The statistical information included in this section of Chapter 2 (taken from those financial reports) is intended to provide evidence that DSU manages its financial resources to maximize the institution's capacity to meet its purposes and that the institution has a pattern of financial expenditures that demonstrate a commitment to provide both the environment and the human resources necessary for effective teaching and learning.

DSU's single largest revenue source is state general funds, appropriated annually through the South Dakota State Legislature. In addition to the funds appropriated to DSU directly, other general funds (such as funds to cover salary policy and special appropriations) flow to the campus through central pools from the Board of Regents. As a general rule, additional general funds are not appropriated for operations and maintenance inflation. To offset this revenue shortfall, the Board of Regents has generally adopted a policy of a small annual increase in student tuition and/or fees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSU's single largest revenue source is state general funds, appropriated annually through the South Dakota State Legislature.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

A complete listing of the tuition, fees, and other charges assessed students by DSU and by the other regental institutions is included in the FY00 BOR Fact Book. (A copy of the FY00 BOR Fact Book will be available in the documents room.) In general, two types of tuition are collected and centrally managed by the Board of Regents: state-support tuition and self-support tuition.

State-support tuition is assessed based on student residency, with the undergraduate resident student paying the lowest tuition and the graduate non-resident student paying the highest. State-support tuition from all the regental institutions is collected and deposited into a single, centrally managed tuition account. Each institution is given an appropriation from this fund on an annual basis. If the total revenues in the fund match total allocations, each institution gets the planned amount. If revenues fall short, the BOR requires institutions to absorb the shortfall. Until recently, this has been done on an annual basis, but in FY00 the BOR calculated the anticipated revenue shortfall into its allocation process to bring revenues and allocations more in line with each other.

The State of South Dakota has tuition reduction programs with other states that reduce the amount of state-support tuition paid by non-resident students. For instance, DSU has a reciprocity program in place with Minnesota that permits South Dakota students to attend Minnesota schools and Minnesota students to attend South Dakota schools at the rate that they would have paid in their home state. The State of South Dakota is also a member of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE), which allows participation in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) tuition program. Students from a WICHE state can attend an institution in any of the other states and pay 150 percent of that state's resident tuition rate. In addition, and most recently, the Board of Regents adopted a tuition reduction program entitled Adjacent States Tuition, scheduled to go into effect in Fall 2000. This tuition reduction program permits a student from an adjacent state (such as Iowa) to attend a South Dakota regental institution at a rate equal to approximately 2.4 times the in-state resident tuition rate. Students can take advantage of either the Adjacent States Tuition program or one of the other tuition programs (such as Minnesota Reciprocity or WUE), whichever is most advantageous to the student.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-support tuition, the second category of tuition, is charged for all coursework delivered off campus. Most of DSU's self-support tuition revenue is generated by enrollments in classes delivered at the Center for Public Higher Education (CPHE) in Sioux Falls or through the institution's Office of Distance Education. Some self-support tuition revenue is also generated by enrollments in remedial coursework completed by on-campus students. DSU's cooperative arrangement with the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University at the Center for Public Higher Education has been in place since 1992. The number of credit hours delivered by DSU at the CPHE has grown significantly over the last several years. (See Table 8: Student Enrollments by Categories of Students and Course Delivery Locations, Fall 1999 and Spring 2000, provided earlier in this chapter.) DSU also delivers individual (generally, general education) courses and major-field courses for the Health Information Administration degree program via the Internet. (Health Information Administration is the only DSU program delivered completely via distance. It was approved for distance delivery by NCA after a focused visit in April 1999.) Since its inception in FY97, the credit hours delivered through enrollments in distance-delivered coursework have also increased significantly. (See Table 12: Student Enrollments in Distance Courses, provided later in this chapter.) In FY99, BOR moved remedial coursework from state-support to self-support tuition. The self-support tuition rate is set as part of the BOR tuition policy. Self-support tuition revenues are not deposited into the central tuition pool but are retained and managed on the campus to perpetuate these activities.

A significant portion of DSU's funding (general funds and state-assisted tuition, in particular) is apportioned to the institution under the BOR funding framework. This funding framework was developed to stabilize funding for the regental institutions at a time of declining enrollments within the system. The funding framework contains two basic components: base funding and incentive funding. Each regental institution's base funding was set using the institution's enrollment levels in the base year (FY97). As long as the institution's enrollments remain within 4 percent of that base year enrollment, the institution's funding remains stable (other than increases for such things as salary policy, inflation, or targeted appropriations). If the institution's enrollment decreases by more than 4 percent (i.e., drops below 96 percent of its base enrollment), the institution must remit to the central tuition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fund an amount equal to the average, per-student FTE funding at the system level (currently $4,599). Similarly, if the institution's enrollment increases by more than 4 percent (i.e., increases above 104 percent of its base enrollment), the institution receives additional funds equal to the average, per-student FTE funding at the system level. Because DSU has experienced a period of significant enrollment increases over the last three years, the institution has received approximately $1.16 million in new funding for FY01 through this funding framework. However, these funds come to the University only if they are available in the tuition fund (i.e., if another regental institution has experienced an offsetting enrollment decrease). For FY01, the additional funds due DSU will be available in the tuition pool, but it is not certain that these funds will continue to be available in the year 2002 and beyond, as the other regental institutions become more aggressive about increasing their enrollments.

The second component of the funding framework is incentive funding. Each institution is required to put 5 percent of its operating budget into a centrally distributed incentive pool. For DSU in FY00, that amounted to $63,120 in each of five different categories:

Incentive Fund #1 - Access for qualified South Dakotans

Incentive Fund #2 - Enrollment in programs contributing to economic growth

Incentive Fund #3 - Academic Improvement

Incentive Fund #4 - Collaboration

Incentive Fund #5 - Raising external funds

Performance goals are set for each institution in each category and the institutions essentially compete against each other to meet their particular targets and to get their funding back. Institutions that exceed their performance targets retain their own funds and receive additional incentive funds, assuming funds are available in that incentive pool because one or more institutions have failed to meet performance targets. In each of the first two years of incentive funding, DSU has received additional operating funds from the incentive pool (i.e., DSU has retained its contribution to the incentive pool and has received additional incentive funds because of exceptional performance in the five funding categories). However, the same caution cited for the base funding framework also applies to this funding source. DSU cannot count on continued incentive funding since the institution's performance in previous years has resulted in performance targets for DSU

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because DSU has experienced a
period of significant enrollment increases over the last three years, the institution has received approximately
$1.16 million in
new funding for
FY01 through this funding framework.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

that are significantly higher than those set for the other regental institutions, especially in the incentive pools related to enrollment growth.

Student fees are another major source of revenue for DSU. Although student fee rates are set at the system level, the fees are collected, retained, and administered by each institution rather than being routed through a central pool. In some academic courses and/or programs, special fees are levied (in addition to tuition) to help cover the cost of program / course delivery. However, two fee categories constitute the largest sources of fee revenue for DSU: the University Support Fee and the General Activities Fee. The University Support Fee (USF) was instituted by the BOR to fund a continued shortfall in operations and maintenance expenses and to provide program funding that could not be achieved through state general funds. For FY01, DSU students will pay a USF of $39.16 per credit hour. The USF currently differs from campus to campus, but the BOR has mandated that the USF be set at the same per credit hour rate at all regental campuses. This mandate, passed three years ago, will equalize the USF rate in three years by raising the lower rates _ including DSU's rate _ to meet the highest rate in the system. Therefore, DSU students will experience several significant increases in the USF rate over the next several years. From the institution's perspective, this mandate will provide DSU with additional fee revenues in each of the next two years. Since the mission change in 1984, DSU has used the USF as its primary revenue source for technology funding, a critical component of DSU's mission and strategic plan. A portion of DSU's university support fee, about $1.23 per credit hour, has been allocated to maintenance and repair of campus facilities. The BOR has also mandated that a portion of the system-wide increase in the USF be used to fund the regental salary competitiveness program.

The second major fee charged on a per-credit-hour basis is the General Activity Fee (GAF). For FY01, students at DSU will pay a GAF of $19.36 per credit hour. The types of activities that can be funded by the GAF are restricted, somewhat, by the Board of Regents. At DSU, the GAF is primarily used to fund student activities, intercollegiate athletics, and campus student organizations, although a few exceptions to that general rule also exist. For example, the GAF was increased by $2.69 per credit hour in FY95 to help fund the debt service for the newly remodeled and expanded Trojan Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

and by $4.00 per credit hour in FY00 to help fund debt service and student memberships for the Community Center, currently under construction and scheduled to open in Fall 2000. Therefore, of the $19.36 charged to students in FY01, $6.69 goes toward debt service. Approximately $1.50 per credit hour is also used to fund the operation of the Student Health Office on campus.

As is the practice on other regental campuses, students are charged for their meal plans and for housing in the residence halls. The revenues generated by these two auxiliary services are expected to cover the cost of operations and to provide for the maintenance and repair of the facilities. Generally, the residence halls are organized into double-occupancy rooms, and the meal plan is structured with a base plan, although students can increase the size of their meal plan. As noted earlier in this chapter, the food service contract is with Fine Host, Inc. and DSU receives a percentage of total sales. The residence halls are operated internally and managed by DSU staff.

In addition to the revenue resources listed above, DSU receives another annual allocation from the centrally administered tuition pool. Twenty percent of the tuition paid into the central pool is dedicated to the Higher Education Facilities Fund (HEFF). A portion of the HEFF revenues is allocated back to the campuses on an annual basis for long-term maintenance of buildings. In FY01, DSU will receive an allocation of $234,980 in HEFF revenues to be used for long-term maintenance and repair projects. These funds may not be used for any of the auxiliary enterprises and may only be used for academic and administrative buildings.

Table 10: DSU's Operating Budget, FY91 to FY00 (below) summarizes the allocation of institutional revenues since the last NCA comprehensive visit. As with most institutions of higher education, the bulk of the revenue is allocated to activities that support instruction: academic support and student services. Relative to other regental institutions in South Dakota, DSU has allocated a higher proportion of its funding to academic support activities, primarily because technology purchases are funded centrally. (As described earlier in this chapter, technology is funded through an annual process using the Computing Resource Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations to the president).

Table10: DSU's Operating Budget, FY91 to FY00 (below) also summarizes the institution's primary revenue resources. From FY91 to FY97, the revenue resources for DSU were not consistent, so a complete, year-to-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 10: DSU's Operating Budget, FY91 to FY 00 (in 000's)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

year comparison is difficult. However, revenue resources have been stable since FY97, so comparisons from FY97 to FY00 are valid.
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Financial Resources Allocated to Academic Affairs

Academic affairs includes the faculty and the functional areas of the institution that report to the vice president for academic affairs. Additional detail on the structure, governance, and FY00 strategic initiatives for these units are included in Appendix A of this document. The statistical information included in this section of Chapter 2 is intended to provide evidence that the academic resources and equipment allocated by the institution are adequate to support the institution's educational purposes:

Faculty: Table 11: Instructional Faculty FTE by College (below) provides a summary of the budgeted allocation of faculty FTE by college. The timeframe included in the table is intended to give a sense of the change in the faculty since the last NCA comprehensive visit. (A list of DSU's full-time and part-time faculty and their vitas, which describe their academic preparation and experience, will be available in the documents room.) As Table 8 (earlier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 11: Instructional Faculty FTE by College

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Table 8 (earlier in this chapter) indicated, student FTE has grown from 880 in FY91 to 1,335 in FY00, an increase of 52 percent. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in this chapter) indicated, student FTE has grown from 880 in FY91 to 1,335 in FY00, an increase of 52 percent. In that same time period, faculty FTE has grown by about 35 percent, moving DSU's student FTE-to-faculty FTE ratio from 17.56 to 19.80. (According to the FY00 BOR Fact Book published by the BOR office, the system-wide student FTE-to-faculty FTE ratio is 16.8.) Although continuation of this trend could be problematic, the recent student enrollment growth has enabled DSU to increase its faculty base and has protected faculty from system-imposed employment cuts.

To aid in the retention of qualified faculty, the Board of Regents adopted a salary-enhancement program in 1998, to be funded through both state funds and an increase in student fees. It was adopted as a three-year program (first year of implementation was FY 99), with a goal of raising faculty salaries by 10 percent or more over the three-year period. (These salary-enhancement raises were given to faculty in addition to the annual increases mandated by the state salary policy.) At DSU, these annual increases have been awarded consistent with the terms negotiated between the BOR and the faculty bargaining unit (COHE). Monies from the salary enhancement program have been used to reward faculty for outstanding classroom performance, to

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

compensate for changes in market salaries, and to reward performance relative to institutional priorities (predominantly related to the integration of technology into the curriculum).

Including promotions, the average faculty salary increase was 8.38 percent in FY99, 7.30 percent in FY00, and 6.11 percent in FY01. The salary enhancement program has enabled the institution to reward faculty for strong classroom performance and to be more competitive in recruiting new faculty and retaining current faculty in high-demand disciplines, such as information systems and computer science. However, faculty salaries remain a system-wide issue, with South Dakota higher education salaries ranked 15.5% below the national market. (Details of the salary requirements mandated by the current COHE agreement and the institution's budget for faculty salaries will be available in the documents room.)

Academic Support: The academic support units within academic affairs ensure that students and faculty have access to the academic resources they need for effective teaching and learning. The university's academic support budget includes funds for college / institutional academic administration, Computing Services, Karl E. Mundt Library, and Distance Education. (Details of the individual budget for the academic support areas will be available in the documents room.)

College / Institutional Academic Administration: The university budget for academic administration includes the human resources for college administration, the Assessment Office, and the Graduate Programs Office. The four academic colleges within DSU are administered on a daily basis by deans, rather than department chairs. DSU has assigned 4.0 FTE to cover the administrative duties of the four academic deans, one assistant dean, one graduate program director, and two undergraduate program directors. The remaining FTE for these positions are recorded as teaching FTE. The Assessment Office is responsible for administering activities associated with DSU's assessment plan and for conducting surveys and preparing reports related to institutional research. DSU has assigned 1.50 FTE to that office. Staff includes the assessment specialist and a part-time secretary plus one quarter-time work-study position. The Graduate Programs Office (new to DSU in FY00) is responsible for providing policy support to the colleges offering graduate programs. (The colleges retain control of the curriculum and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

admissions processes.) DSU has assigned 1.25 FTE to that office. Staff includes a three-quarter-time program administrator and a part-time secretary. DSU budgets centrally for faculty and staff recruitment and for faculty development, so no FTE is assigned to this administrative function. Instead, funds for faculty recruitment and interviewing and funds for faculty development are allocated to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, with some faculty development expenses covered by individual colleges. (The availability of funds and the method used to apportion faculty development costs are described in more detail in Chapter 3.)

Computing Services: The university budget for Computing Services includes the human resources for both administrative and academic computing support as well as operations and maintenance budgets to maintain the institution's computer technology infrastructure. DSU has assigned 14.5 FTE to this area. Staff includes a director, 3 area managers, and 10.5 support staff. (An organizational chart for Computing Services will be available in the documents room. Details of the individual budgets for these areas will also be available in the documents room.)

As described earlier in this chapter, investments in the institution's technology infrastructure are guided by the Computing Resource Advisory Committee (CRAC), an institutional committee of faculty, staff, and students. The committee makes recommendations to the president on the expenditure of the centrally controlled technology funds each year. (A copy of the FY01 allocations recommended by the CRAC committee will be available in the documents room.) The technology rotation schedule adopted by this committee and by DSU guarantees that all faculty and student computers will be updated every three years and staff computers will be updated at least once every five years. To meet this mandate and to extend its institutional advantage in this mission-critical area, DSU moved to a leasing program (rather than an outright purchase) for its desktop computer technology in FY00. This leasing program helped the institution leverage its technology resources and also made it possible for the institution to begin to upgrade the network infrastructure. When the network upgrade is completed in FY01, it will include one-gigabit transfer rates between buildings and 100-megabit rates from the backbone to the desktop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All faculty and student computers will be updated every three years and staff computers will be updated at least once every five years 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

All DSU's buildings are wired for network and Internet access, including the residence halls (two drops per room). Computer Resources for Students (contained in Appendix D) summarizes the current computer resources available to students for in-class work and for out-of-class assignments. The current student-to-computer ratio (4.4 to 1) does not include computers that students own personally and that are connected in the residence halls to the campus network. (Approximately one student in four living in the residence halls has his/her own computer and is connected to the campus network.) Residence halls also have their own labs and the Trojan Center has the Gateway CyberCafe, which includes an open-access lab and portable computers for use in the dining area. The Karl E. Mundt Library has a lab that is reserved primarily for information literacy instruction but that is also available as an open-access lab when it is not being used for information literacy instruction.

Library Services: In an information society, information literacy is critical. Students must be able to find, evaluate, and use information for problem-solving and decision-making in all aspects of their lives — at home, in the workplace, and as informed citizens in a democratic society. (This is, in fact, one of DSU's information technology literacy assessment goals.) To support this institutional goal, the library dedicates its resources to providing the instruction and tools students need to be effective information users. DSU has assigned 7 FTE to the library. Staff includes a director, two reference librarians (one position added in FY01), a technical services librarian, and three library associates. The library also utilizes 12 work-study positions.

The staff strives to create an environment in the library and on the Web that will help students develop the higher-order thinking abilities necessary for continued learning and work in their fields. Collaboration between classroom faculty and library faculty produces projects and activities that teach students to use information effectively at the same time that subject matter is covered, thereby enriching in-class discussions and strengthening students' understanding of the subject matter. (A complete listing of the learning resources in the library will be available in the documents room.)

Distance Education: The Office of Distance Education, founded in FY97, re-defines the university experience for students by providing a flexible learning environment that is not directly linked to a physical classroom. DSU

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

has assigned 3 FTE to the Office of Distance Education. Staff includes a director, an instructional technologist, and a secretary. In addition, the department is responsible for assigning 19 on-line student assistants and is responsible for supervising 10 technology fellowships, provided to students on an annual basis to support faculty instruction and the integration of technology into the curriculum. (Details of the individual budgets for distance education activities will be available in the documents room.)

Innovation in technology is encouraged in DSU's academic programs and the infrastructure allows the institution to deliver courses and, in the case of the Health Information Administration degree program, entire degree programs to diverse populations throughout the state, the nation, and the world. (Distance delivery of the HIA program received NCA approval in August 1999. Other distance-delivered degree programs are in the planning process, in collaboration with the system's Electronic University Consortium.) Distance delivery policies and procedures have been developed and are updated on a regular basis. DSU delivers courses via the state's Rural Development Telecommunications Network (RDTN), the Governor's Electronic Classroom (GEC), and the Internet, in addition to the courses and programs that are delivered on-site at the Center for Public Higher Education in Sioux Falls. The office also coordinates the College Fast Track Program, a dual-credit program that gives high school students the opportunity to complete general education courses via distance.

Many of the goals of the Office of Distance Education are the same as those for the university at large: deliver quality, focused, academic programs and foster the ideals of life-long learning. The office provides university services to distance students, promotes programs, and provides faculty development. The instructional technologist and a cadre of Computing Services staff are organized into an instructional support team to work with faculty in course development and other projects.

A summer grants program, begun in Summer 1997, has also been used to encourage the development of alternative course delivery. These grants, ranging in size from $1,500 to $3,500, have been awarded to faculty who want to develop courses for online, RDTN, and GEC delivery; to integrate Real Video into on-line materials; and/or to transfer course materials to CD-ROM. (The summer grants program is described in more detail in Chapter 1 and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Innovation in technology is encouraged in DSU's academic programs and the infrastructure allows the institution to deliver courses and, in the case of the Health Information Administration degree program, entire degree programs to diverse populations throughout the state, the nation, and the world. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3. A summary of the annual summer grant expenditures will be available in the documents room. Copies of the final reports for Summer 1998 and Summer 1999 grant recipients will also be available in the documents room.)

To aid course management, the faculty workload policy was revised to recognize special needs of faculty teaching via distance delivery and special guidelines on class size were established. (More details on workload and class size policies are contained in Chapter 3.) Faculty teaching online or using other alternative delivery methods are assigned on-line student assistants. (A copy of the guidelines for assignment of on-line student assistants and the DSU workload policy will be available in the documents room.) As Table 12: Student Enrollments in Distance Courses (below) indicates course enrollments in distance courses have increased steadily over the last three years.
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Financial Resources Allocated to Student Affairs

Student affairs includes the functional units within the Student Affairs Office which report to the vice president and dean of students. These functional units are intended to support the learning process, stimulate student growth, and assist the student in defining and reaching career and academic goals. Additional detail on the structure, governance, and FY00 strategic initiatives for these units are included in Appendix B of this document. The statistical information included in this section of Chapter 2 is intended to provide evidence that the services provided to students afford them the opportunity to succeed. This section also provides evidence that the institution makes a conscientious effort to provide students with a safe and healthy living and learning environment. (Details of the individual budgets for the units within student affairs will be available in the documents room.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Activities: Students are encouraged to participate in one or more student organizations in order to strengthen their interpersonal and organizational skills, bolster their self-confidence, and contribute to the quality of campus life. DSU has assigned .90 FTE to this area. Staff includes .60 FTE for the director and .30 FTE secretarial support. They provide assistance to student organizations through periodic one-on-one meetings with organization officers and through group meetings and workshops. The office sponsors the Activities Fair during the third week of the fall semester to acquaint new students with the approximately 30 student organizations on the campus. In addition, the Adventure Program provides students with leadership training and service-learning opportunities on the campus and within the community. And, the office provides assistance to the Student Activities Board, which is responsible for planning entertainment events for both campus and commuting students.

Each recognized student organization has at least one advisor, selected by the organization from the faculty and staff, to serve as a resource regarding institutional policies. When the organization is linked to a particular academic discipline (such as Phi Beta Lambda/Business Club), the advisors are faculty members from that discipline, thereby providing students with opportunities for out-of-class contact with their faculty. The vice president and dean for student affairs and the director of student activities serve as the principal advisors to the Student Association Senate and the Student Activities Board. The office annually publishes a student organization manual on the Web as a resource for student organizations.

The Activities Office sponsors the Certificate of Merit program to provide recognition to student organizations for their achievements. Students nominated to membership in Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities, together with those selected as outstanding campus leaders by the institution's Honors and Awards Committee and/or by the college faculty, are recognized at the Honors Night Banquet in April. This recognition highlights student achievement in extra-curricular activities and helps identify role models for other students. DSU student organizations are also eligible for Board of Regent awards, given annually in two categories: organizational leadership and academic excellence. These system-wide awards are presented to the student organizations when the Board of Regents meets on that campus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honors Night Banquet highlights student achievement in extra-curricular activities and helps identify role models for other students. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Development: The Student Development Office supports student learning and growth by providing a variety of counseling services to students. Taken together, these services are intended to aid students in self-understanding and self-direction by helping them set goals and recognize their personal assets. DSU has assigned 2.5 FTE to this area. Staff includes a director/counselor, an alcohol and other drugs counselor and a half-time secretary.

The office provides personal counseling for students (both self-referrals and referrals from faculty and staff) and maintains regular contact with students on academic probation to encourage and assist them in the asset building process. The office also directs the activities of the Campus Asset Team, a group of faculty and staff who track the progress of students who have been identified as needing assistance in order to persist in their studies. The campus Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Program is coordinated by the campus AOD counselor, who is a member of the Student Development staff. In addition to providing individual counseling, the AOD counselor conducts the Insight Class, required of all students involved in an alcohol or other drug infraction of the Student Conduct Code, and serves as advisor to Project SHAPE (Students for Healthy Alternatives and Preventative Education). Project SHAPE seeks to educate students in no-risk and low-risk alcohol use, provides alternative entertainment, and conducts "RespecTeen," a project that provides peer counseling at several area public schools.

The student development director coordinates the Freshman Success Seminar, a mandatory, six-week program designed to help freshmen function effectively in their new environment and to help them form connections with other students. The office also funds a free tutoring service for students, with trained upper-class students providing approximately 50 hours of tutoring in a variety of disciplines each week in the Karl E. Mundt Library. Reference resources that can help students gain greater self-awareness, make progress in career exploration, and enhance their skills in such areas as time management, test anxiety, and stress management are also available through this office. And, the office provides interest tests as well as ACT Residual and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests for students.

Residence Life: In addition to providing a safe and comfortable setting in each of the four residence halls on campus, the residence staff works to

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

provide a living environment in which students learn to recognize and respect the rights of others. DSU has assigned 7.7 FTE to this area. Staff includes .70 FTE administrative support and 1.0 FTE secretarial position plus four part-time resident directors (one for each hall totaling 2.0 FTE) and four custodians (4.0 FTE). Additionally, there are 18 student resident assistants (one for each floor in each hall). The challenge for these staff members is to help students understand that the diversity of life styles, value systems, and opinions among the members of their floor presents a definite learning opportunity. Staff members also serve as resource persons for the members of their hall. Responsibility for selection, training, and supervision of the resident staff lies with the vice president and dean for student affairs.

The campus has four residence halls: Emry Hall (women — capacity 154), Richardson Hall (men — capacity 192), Higbie Hall (coed — capacity 150), and Zimmermann Hall (coed — capacity 124). The halls are designed with two-person rooms and contain twin-sized beds, desks and chairs, chests of drawers, and closets. The rooms are wired for telephone, cable TV, and access to the campus Local Area Network. Each hall has a lounge on each floor and one or more kitchens, a washer/dryer room, and a small computer lab. The individual halls are governed by hall councils, which advise the resident director on issues and concerns of hall members. These councils also plan social, educational, and recreational activities. Funds for this programming, as well as for the purchase of particular items for the halls, come from proceeds from hall washers/dryers, cable TV hookups, hall dues, and fundraisers.

To meet the increased demand for student housing due to enrollment increases, DSU has temporarily leased a former assisted-living center and a portion of a local motel, both located about one mile from campus. These housing facilities are affiliated with one of the on-campus halls for administrative and governance purposes and expand the campus housing capacity by about 76 students. These leases are seen as a short-term solution only and DSU is actively seeking permanent solutions to its housing shortage.

Student Health Services: The student health nurse serves as a health educator and advocate for the campus. DSU has assigned .70 FTE to this area. A registered nurse staffs the office six hours per day, Monday through Friday during the academic year, and provides referral service through

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

contracts with the Interlakes Medical Center and the Madison Community Hospital. Both of these health providers are adjacent to the campus.

In addition to providing health information to individual students, the nurse is involved in educational programming for students throughout the school year and is the chief sponsor of the campus health fair, which provides booth space for over 20 health advocates/providers from on-campus, the Madison community, and beyond. The nurse also serves as a member of the campus Wellness Team, which includes representatives from the Alcohol and Other Drug Program, the Intramural Sports Department, the Student Development Office, the University Food Service, and the Wellness Center. This group meets periodically to coordinate campus wellness programming.

Auxiliary Services: Auxiliary enterprises generate their own funding, with no state funds used in their operation. At DSU, the auxiliary enterprises include the Dakota Prairie Playhouse, the residence halls, the Trojan Center (student union), the University Bookstore, and the University Food Service. These auxiliary operations annually contribute to the institution's maintenance and repair fund to cover the cost of major capital asset expenditures. A multi-year planning process supports the continual prioritizing of M&R needs within the auxiliary area. (Budgets for the individual units within auxiliary services will be available in the documents room.)

Dakota Prairie Playhouse: The Dakota Prairie Playhouse, which opened in July 1991, was originally a community operation with its own board of directors. In January 1993, direct management responsibility was given to the University and, in January 1999, ownership was transferred to the DSU Foundation. The playhouse includes a 6,400-square-foot conference center and a 700-seat theater. A variety of institutional activities take place in the conference area, including dances and banquets. The theatre area is used by the DSU theatre and music departments for performances throughout the school year. DSU has assigned 1.5 FTE to this area. Staff includes a director and a half-time custodian. The director of the playhouse also serves as the conference coordinator and is responsible for scheduling all facility events, such as corporate workshops, art and craft shows, wedding receptions, etc.

The Trojan Center: The Trojan Center (student union and known on campus as the TC) serves as the "family room" of the campus. Located within

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A multi-year planning process supports the continual prioritizing of M&R needs within the auxiliary area. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the TC are the Marketplace (University Food Service), the University Bookstore, Sneakers (a party room with a nightclub motif), two student lounges, a game room, the Gateway CyberCafe, and six meeting rooms. The building also provides office space for student affairs (Student Activities, Residence Life, Student Affairs, Student Development, University Card offices, and the Student Health Office), as well as office space for the Student Association Senate, Student Activities Board, Intramural Sports Council, and Project SHAPE. DSU has assigned 1.0 FTE for custodial staff to this area. The director of student activities has management responsibility for the building.

University Bookstore: The University Bookstore provides textbooks and educational materials to support the academic programs of the University. Used books are available for many courses at substantial savings. The general reading section includes a reference area, study aids, New York Times bestsellers, literary classics, selections from regional authors, and computer resource books. Books not in stock can be ordered. The bookstore also stocks greeting cards, gift items, university apparel, backpacks, school memorabilia, office supplies, and a great many convenience items. DSU has assigned 3.5 FTE to this area. Staff includes a director, a bookstore buyer, and 2 part-time sales clerks.

University Food Service: The University Food Service operates through a contract with Fine Host, Inc. DSU does not assign any FTE to this area, since staff is provided by Fine Host, Inc. The Fine Host staff includes a director, 11 full-time employees, and approximately 39 part-time employees. The cafeteria, called the Marketplace, is open 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Friday; 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Saturday; and 11:00 a.m. to midnight Sunday. The cafeteria offers snack items, full meals, salads, fresh baked goods, deli items, grill orders, and cooked-to-order specials, plus "Stone Willy's" pizza, which is also available for on-campus delivery. A food service advisory committee meets regularly with the food service director to examine suggestions and concerns.

University Card System: The Trojan Card serves as the official identification card for students and staff and provides access to the library, the Wellness Center, and athletic, cultural, and entertainment events on campus. The card features a magnetic stripe that carries the student's current balance in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSU is in a unique position of strength from both an enrollment and a political perspective
in South Dakota.