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VERMILLION, S.D. (KELO-AM) – Providing educational opportunities for non-traditional and place bound students who desire more direct contact than online classes, university centers in Sioux Falls, Pierre, and Rapid City increase access to public higher education.
Reports to the South Dakota Board of Regents by the three off-campus centers included information on program delivery and enrollment.
Highlights from the annual reports include:
- Capital University Center, Pierre – CUC delivered a total of 2,048 total credit hours in Fiscal Year 2014. Broken down by semester the fall 2014 credit hours totaled 874, spring credit hours were 935, and 239 credit hours were taken during the summer semester. The unduplicated headcount for fall 2013 was 133, 145 in spring 2014, and 79 in summer 2013. Focusing on the non-traditional student, 73 percent of students enrolled at CUC are at least 24 years of age or older. CUC additionally served students by administering and proctoring placement examinations, tests, and quizzes for online courses. Approximately 1,000 exams were given or proctored at CUC in the 2014 fiscal year.
- University Center-Rapid City – The second full academic year of classes held at the center’s new facilities showed a modest increase in unduplicated student headcount from 3,044 to 3,058. Over the past five years the number of course sections offered at University Center-Rapid City has increased by 31.6 percent. Testing and tutoring services continue to be an important aspect of student support at the University Center-Rapid City, (UC-RC). In Fiscal Year 14, 4,232 tests were proctored at UC-RC and its tutor center served students from all six public universities with a total of 822 students using the resource.
- University Center-Sioux Falls – UC-SF served a total of 2,876 unduplicated students at the Sioux Falls center over the past year with a total of 35,644 credit hours delivered. The unduplicated fall enrollment was 1,656 with 16,165 credit hours delivered. The average age of a University Center-Sioux Falls (UC-SF) student was 26. Tutoring is provided at no cost to university center students in such areas as math, science and writing. In Fall 2013 and Spring 2014, UC- SF tutors provided 390 individual tutoring sessions for center students. Meeting the increased need for test and quiz proctors for online courses and placement exams the Student Resource Center at UC-SF proctored a combination of 8,790 tests, quizzes, and exams throughout the year.
“The university centers are a terrific resource for students in their community. It is the goal of the regents and university leaders to continue identifying and developing ways the centers can make higher education more accessible to the place-bound student,” Jack Warner, executive director and CEO of the South Dakota Board of Regents, said. “Higher education should be available and attainable for everyone if we are to meet the educational needs of the state’s workforce.”