Colleges and Schools

Supporting Every Student

Gifts from donors provide us with a competitive edge by helping USD attract the most talented students. As our reputation grows, so does the value of our degrees. Our colleges and schools continue to make strides in their respective areas and produce students who are making a difference in South Dakota and beyond. By contributing to one of our colleges and schools, your gift is inspiring students past, present and future and showing them that you believe in their potential and what they have to offer the world.

The College of Arts & Sciences is the heart of a liberal arts education at USD, having educated our state’s leaders for more than 125 years. The College of Arts & Sciences delivers 27 different undergraduate majors in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. Through outstanding teaching and mentorship, cutting-edge research, creative scholarship, and committed service and engagement, the College of Arts & Sciences educates and graduates the leaders who will solve the future’s most pressing challenges.

Specific needs:

  • Scholarships to attract the best students.
  • Professorships to attract talented teachers/scholars.
  • Student enrichment to provide learning experiences through travel and research.
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The Beacom School of Business is recognized as a world-class learning community where dedicated faculty provide rigorous and relevant experiences leading to rewarding career opportunities. Students also gain knowledge from a vast network of alumni, industry and government leaders who prepare them to lead in the corporate world.

Specific needs:

  • Undergraduate and graduate scholarships to attract the best students.
  • Student and Faculty Enrichment Fund that supports participation by USD students and faculty in research and outreach activities that advance the development of the state and region.
  • Endowed chairs and professorships that assist the university in attracting highly qualified faculty.
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The University of South Dakota’s School of Education has been preparing professional educators since 1927. The only state institution that grants the education doctoral degree, it is a pioneer of the yearlong teaching residency through which students gain a full year of teaching experience incorporated into the traditional four-year plan.

Specific needs:

  • Undergraduate and graduate scholarships to attract the best students.
  • Student and Faculty Enrichment Fund that supports participation by USD students and faculty in research and outreach activities that advance the development of the state and region.
  • Endowed chairs and professorships that assist the university in attracting highly qualified faculty.
  • Capital improvements ― updated equipment and facilities.
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The College of Fine Arts, with its emphasis on art, music and theatre, is the state’s only institution offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts and music. For more than 80 years, the College of Fine Arts has combined rigorous educational standards with opportunities for real-world experience. That preparation has culminated on concert and theatre stages, exhibition galleries and other venues throughout the world.

Specific needs:

  • Undergraduate and graduate scholarships to attract the best students.
  • Student and Faculty Enrichment Fund that supports participation by USD students and faculty in research and outreach activities that advance the development of the state and region.
  • Endowed chairs and professorships that assist the university in attracting highly qualified faculty.
  • Expansion and renovation of the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts.
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Health Sciences, the university’s newest school, seeks to create a facility where students learn and practice in an interprofessional setting. Quality health care is delivered by a team ― physician, physician assistant, nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, medical laboratory scientist, addiction counselor, dental hygienist, social worker, and other health sciences professionals ― working together. Students who learn in small-group collaborative settings are well prepared to deliver today’s patient-centered health care.

Specific needs:

  • Funds to build a health sciences facility and bring together its nine clinical programs.
  • Undergraduate and graduate scholarships to attract the best students.
  • Student and Faculty Enrichment Fund that supports participation by USD students and faculty in research and outreach activities that advance the development of the state and region.
  • Endowed chairs and professorships that assist the university in attracting highly qualified faculty.
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The University of South Dakota’s School of Law has educated generations of South Dakota attorneys, among them 70 percent of the state’s practicing bar. Graduates also include many of the leaders and innovators who sustain the region’s legal and business infrastructure. Since 1901, South Dakota Law School graduates have achieved professional excellence throughout the United States and abroad.

Specific needs:

  • Construction and renovation of the law school.
  • Undergraduate and graduate scholarships to attract the best students.
  • Program Enrichment Fund that supports participation by USD students in programs such as Law Review, trial teams and Moot Court.
  • Endowed chairs and professorships that assist the university in attracting highly qualified faculty.
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The USD Sanford School of Medicine is dedicated to exceptional student education, providing thoughtful and inspirational pathways leading to the Doctor of Medicine degree. With a faculty noted for its clinical expertise and scholarship, students emerge as highly proficient physicians and health care leaders.

Specific needs:

  • Scholarships to make medical school affordable for talented students.
  • Expanded resources for faculty development and education.
  • Endowment support to supply a steady, annual source of funds for the medical school.
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