The South Dakota Board of Regents took a major step in bringing quality public higher education to South Dakota's largest city today by approving an agreement with the Sioux Falls School Board to share a single building to be constructed at the site of Southeast Technical Institute. In addition to agreeing to share a single building, the Board of Regents and the Sioux Falls School Board agree that the missions of the technical institute and the universities will remain unchanged, that the articulation process approved in 1998 will govern the transfer of courses between SETI and the regental institutions, and that the school board and the Regents will jointly review future associate degrees that may be needed to meet the needs of the Sioux Falls workforce. The Sioux Falls' economy is growing rapidly. Employers look at education opportunities when they consider locating a new business or expanding an existing one.
Employees look for continuing educational opportunities as they plan their own career development.
The Board of Regents has an obligation to serve Sioux Falls. Our purpose is to provide public higher education to Sioux Falls residents. Although all were teaching courses in Sioux Falls for many years, in 1992 the Board of Regents formally organized the Center for Public Higher Education. This person is place-bound and cannot move to one of the university cities. Surveys of CPHE students tell us that if the Center were not available, most of these students would not pursue their education, because they do not have the time to drive to one of the public universities.