PIERRE — Last week, the South Dakota Board of Regents concluded its annual planning meeting.

The board meets every summer to address long-term goals and plans for South Dakota’s public university system. This year’s topics included opportunity centers, prior learning enhancements, apprenticeship coursework, admission and enrollment strategy and various campus and system updates.

“The August Board of Regents meeting is a great opportunity to take a moment, think big picture, and determine dynamic actions,” Regents Executive Director Nathan Lukkes. “This is our time to consider five, 10, or 15 years out and examine the future of South Dakota’s public university system.”

In the reports shared, there were updates on long-term initiatives of the board, including the results of the Senate Bill 55 Taskforce and the 2022-27 BOR Strategic Plan. The Senate Bill 55 Taskforce was created during the 2020 legislative session to examine the university system’s structure and processes. It provided goals and objectives that led to the creation of the 2022 BOR Strategic Plan. Dr. Janice Minder, the system vice president of academic affairs, presented an annual report highlighting progress in academics, access, workforce, financial health, and other areas.

During the meeting, the University’s opportunity centers were a significant point of discussion. The primary objective of establishing these centers is to consolidate all student support services, ensuring optimal opportunities for everyone. Each campus presented a progress report on their opportunity centers’ accomplishments and the student success outcomes over the past two years.

“The work done by our universities to make their individual Opportunity Centers thrive is inspiring,” board president Tim Rave said. “The collaboration shown by each of these partners proves the campus’ desire to assist every student on campus regardless of academic needs, backgrounds, or interests.”

The August meeting concluded with an update on Our Dakota Dreams, a college preparation tool for South Dakota K12 students. The work done through the Regents and stakeholders aims to comprehensively prepare the next generation of higher education students and promote the opportunities South Dakota’s colleges and universities provide.

The next South Dakota Board of Regents meeting will be on the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Campus on Oct. 4-5.