South Dakota
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 One key to higher education is collaboration
South Dakota’s academic institutions are finding ways to meet student needs by cooperatively developing programs and sharing both facilities and instructors as necessary
5 Agriculture’s
opportunities highlighted; Ag Ambassador recognized South Dakota’s farmers, ranchers, business leaders, elected officials and other industry professionals gathered in Sioux Falls this week to discuss the opportunities in agriculture and rural South Dakota
6 Family business develops new wine varieties
It’s likely that Leif Nygaard’s great-great grandfather would be pleased to know that Leif is continuing the Nygaard family’s long held winemaking tradition that began in their ancestral home in Norway. Nygaard recently garnered his first international awards after creating two new wine varieties being sold through his family’s wineries in Vermillion, SD and Hill City, SD
One key to higher education is collaboration South Dakota’s academic institutions are finding ways to meet student needs by cooperatively developing programs and sharing both facilities and instructors as necessary.
ankton’s Mount Marty College (MMC) established a formal collaborative relationship for use of facilities with Watertown’s Lake Area Technical Institute (LATI) in 1998. “Mount Marty had been located at Harmony Hill in Watertown in 1972,” Dr. Linda Schurmann, Director of Mount Marty College Watertown Campus, says. “Our motive for moving was space and accessibility without a huge investment in facilities. Lake Area had computer labs, classrooms, library and science labs that were mostly vacant in the afternoon and evening. The partnership we developed worked well for both of us.” Among the challenges the partnership posed to MMC was reduced visibility. Often, the public perceived MMC as a part of LATI. “We were really just renters,” Schurmann says. “We developed 2+2 programs so students could complete an Associate degree with LATI and go on to a Bachelor’s
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8 Lake Area Tech ranked as top 10 percent in country
In its first step to identify the nation’s best community colleges and award $1 million in prize money, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program has ranked Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown, SD, as one of the nation’s 120 best community colleges, challenging them to compete for the Prize funds (to be announced in December 2011) by insisting on high standards for learning, college completion without delay, and serving as a training ground for jobs that pay competitive wages Jamie Kerr, Bachelor of Arts in InformationTechnology graduate. (Photo courtesy of Mount Marty College)
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South Dakota
Agricultural land values are booming again in South Dakota, charting a
16.5 percent increase in
2010-2011,
DID YOU KNOW
:
the third-largest since South Dakota State University economists began tracking the farm real estate market in 1991.
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program with us if they chose to. Sharing the facility made it easy for students to make the transition to a BA program. Many graduates wouldn’t have completed the BA without the partnership.” Having access to LATI’s facility meant MMC could provide students with top notch technology, science labs, classroom equipment, etc. “LATI has been a wonderful partner for Mount Marty College and we believe we enhance their educational delivery as well,” Schurmann says. “Our 2+2 program has been continually updated over the years. Recently, as part of that program, we’ve added LATI’s wind energy and several other new LATI programs to our BA in Applied Technology Management. We’re planning our next partnership in nursing, which will make Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees available to graduates of LATI’s LPN program in a 1+3 format on our Watertown campus.” Dean of Continuing and Extended Education at South Dakota State University (SDSU), Gail Tidemann, says the University established a multi-state alliance of research universities in 1994. It was dubbed the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (GPIDEA) and included collaborative agreements with South Dakota State University and nine other institutions including North Dakota State University, Kansas State University, Iowa State University, Montana State University, and the University of Nebraska. “At the time GPIDEA was formed, SDSU was just beginning to look at online classes,” Tidemann says. “Several Deans of Human Sciences from the region gathered to discuss how to proceed. We knew we didn’t have the faculty we needed to offer a full degree online. We were also interested in making Master’s degrees available. We knew that no one state would have huge numbers of students. Still there was a need for that kind of program.” Through detailed discussions, the universities realized they could bring together the region’s best faculty to collaborate in developing curriculum and making the online courses available. Students are now able to complete degrees, minors and some certificate programs online. “We’ve recently worked with military officials to provide programs suited to military families who experience a move and find they can’t continue degree plans on a campus,” Tidemann says. “We’re also developing a Family Financial Planning program to serve military families and reviewing an Early Childhood undergraduate degree that would benefit military families.” SDSU also has a presence in Pierre at the Capital University Center (CUC) there and at the University Center in Rapid City. CUC Academic Program Coordinator, Laura Hayden-Moreland, says CUC began as a private enterprise when local Pierre residents recognized a need for local higher education opportunities. ”Those who developed the CUC Foundation realized they had citizens in Pierre who could contribute greatly to the community with the ability to advance their education,” Hayden-Moreland says. “About seven years ago the Foundation merged with SDSU to continue developing CUC.” Hayden-Moreland helps students identify their most suitable degree path. Students have access to financial aid
resources, academic application advisement, and all the class-related services they would find on a standard campus. “Sometimes just that face-to-face communication helps students work through the hurdles they face in returning to college,” Hayden-Moreland says. “If someone is unsure whether or not they want to commit to returning to college or completing a degree, they can try a few classes
”Those who developed the CUC Foundation realized they had citizens in Pierre who could contribute greatly to the community with the ability to advance their education,” and determine if that’s the right way for them to proceed.” CUC also makes lifelong learning opportunities available in the Pierre community. Classes are developed based on community needs and/or interest. Some are daylong or for an evening. Topics can be as simple as how to properly build a retaining wall. “Since CUC was established, similar centers have been organized in Rapid City and Sioux Falls, using Pierre’s center as a model,” Hayden-Moreland says. “The original Foundation members were determined to find a way to offer educational opportunities here. They kept working at it and thinking outside the box as to how to make it happen.” Recent degree developments include an Associate and Bachelor’s degree of general studies, which allows students who changed majors or for some reason have completed 64 or more credit hours to complete a degree. The General Studies degree allows students to select classes from a variety of focus areas in order to complete their degree. Tidemann believes collaborative programs and alternatives to standard campus settings will continue to grow and develop in an effort to offer the education and training workers need to take to the workplace. “At SDSU, we have the highest enrollment ever on campus,” Tidemann says. “Our student body has continued to grow over the years. However, if you compare the growth in numbers of online students to the growth of our face-to-face students, the online growth percentage has increased more rapidly. In nearly every aspect of the workplace, you see a growing need for workers to have the ability to understand and utilize technology that’s essential to their job. In this region we are seeing a higher percentage of people obtaining their Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. We’re also seeing new types of jobs, such as those in bio-energy and sustainable technology. There’s a growing demand for workers who really understand science and the principles associated with those types of high tech jobs.” More information about the programs available at MMC, GPIDEA and CUC is available at www.mtmc.edu, www.sdstate.edu/cee/distance/gpidea.cfm and www.cucpierre.com. SDPB Loretta Sorensen, Owner, Prairie Hearth Publishing, LLC. sorensenlms@gmail.com.
South Dakota News AGRICULTURE’S OPPORTUNITIES HIGHLIGHTED; AG AMBASSADOR RECOGNIZED outh Dakota’s farmers, ranchers, business leaders, elected officials and other industry professionals gathered in Sioux Falls to discuss the opportunities in agriculture and rural South Dakota. The Governor’s Ag Development Summit fostered unconventional thinking and generated new ideas for agricultural development in the state. “Agriculture is our No. 1 industry,” said South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Walt Bones. “It truly is the backbone of our state economy, and it will take our continued determination, cooperation of resources, and collaborations of thought to drive our industry forward for the good of all South Dakotans.” At a banquet following the Ag Summit, Dr. Dan Gee was presented with the first-ever South Dr. Dan Gee (left) receives Ag Ambassador Award. (Photo courtesy of SD Department of Agriculture) Dakota Ag Ambassador Award. The award was given to Dr. Gee for his contributions to South Dakota’s agriculture industry, including a 30-year career at South Dakota State University as a professor and coach of the livestock judging team. Upon retirement from SDSU, Dr. Gee became the Executive Director of the South Dakota Ag and Rural Leadership program. He developed the organization and trained a number of leaders for South Dakota’s most important industry. “Dan has developed not only a number of leaders in various organizations, but he’s reshaped the way ag businesses are actually working,” noted Bones. Agriculture is South Dakota's No. 1 industry, generating nearly $21 billion in annual economic activity and employing Ag banking panel discussion. over 143,000 South Dakotans. SDPB (Photo courtesy of SD Department of Agriculture)
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RAPID CITY REGIONAL HOSPITAL NAMES MICKELSON AWARD FOR NURSING WINNER Vernal Trove has been named the recipient of the 2010 George S. Mickelson Award for Nursing Excellence at Rapid City Regional Hospital (RCRH.) Trove works as a Hospital Coordinator and has been employed at the hospital for 22 years. Trove is recognized for her performance, professional contributions, commitment to self-improvement and commitment to providing excellent care to patients. She is described as “being able to handle any difficult situation with the patient as her focus.” RCRH managers nominate nurses to receive this honor. All nurses, except nursing administrators and managers, are eligible to receive the award. The award was established in honor of Gov. George S. Mickelson and seven other distinguished South Dakotans who died in a plane crash April 19, 1993. Following Mickelson’s death, RCRH asked the governor’s wife, Linda, for permission to establish a nursing award in her husband’s honor to which she agreed. Each year thereafter, a hospital committee has selected an RCRH nurse to receive the George S. Mickelson Award for Nursing Excellence. Trove was honored at an employee celebration May 13. Also honored during the event were employees who have served five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years with Rapid City Regional Hospital. SDPB Vernal Trove
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South Dakota
Family business develops new wine varieties It’s likely that Leif Nygaard’s great-great grandfather would be pleased to know that Leif is continuing the Nygaard family’s long held winemaking tradition that began in their ancestral home in Norway.
ygaard recently garnered his first international awards after creating two new wine varieties being sold through his family’s wineries in Vermillion, SD and Hill City, SD. The son of Valiant Vineyards and Stone Faces wineries developers Eldon and Sherry Nygaard, Leif received a Gold Medal for his “Buck Naked” rose wine and a Bronze Medal for “Full Throttle,” a table wine. Both wine varieties were entered in the 11th Annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (FLIWC) in Rochester, NY. A panel of 60 judges from several different countries selected competition winners. “This was my first major awards competition,” Nygaard says. “I was very happy with the results. Our Buck Naked label is pretty unique, somewhat risqué and I had some concerns about how it might be perceived by the judges. We were thinking about marketing and branding when we developed the name. We wanted names for the wines that were bold and iconic. That can often make a difference in whether or not consumers pick up your product.” Full Throttle’s label is also non-traditional, featuring a skull that seems to have connected to the audience the Nygaard’s were considering when they developed the wine. “It’s a pirate-style image,” Nygaard explains. “We had it designed with the Full Throttle Saloon at Sturgis in mind. It’s the biggest biker bar in the world. We’ve been selling some of our wines there and doing pretty well with that market. We expect this wine to be pretty popular during this year’s Sturgis rally.” Branding savvy is one of the skills Nygaard has developed since he began working with his family to build their wineries. His interest began in high school as he studied organic chemistry and began understanding the wine-making process. “It’s pretty fascinating to learn how hydrocarbons and substitute hydrocarbons work to form alcoholic beverages,” he states. “Blending that knowledge with some good math skills and a sense for blending fruit and sugar flavors is what it takes to start creating new wine varieties.” Understanding consumer preferences and needs is
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Leif Nygaard netted international awards after creating two new wine varieties. (Photo by Loretta Sorensen)
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key to creating wine flavors and names that appeal to specific market segments. As he’s worked with his family and developed his own wine preferences, Nygaard has cultivated a knowledge of the market demands that exist in South Dakota and the surrounding region. “Consumers in this area often like wines that remind them of the German style wines their family used and was familiar with,” Nygaard says. “We’ve found that they like slightly sweet, slightly dark wines. I made Dragon Meade using sour cherries and honey, which was quite successful. The following year we harvested a lot of black currants. I used the same approach, the honey and fruit, which resulted in a wine that’s both sweet and tart.” Even in sparsely populated South Dakota, wine markets continually change and evolve. The most recent market developments Nygaard has seen is emergence of a college-age consumer and motorcycle enthusiasts. “There’s a growing number of college students who aren’t into the binge drinking trend,” he says. “They’re choosing wines to go with a nice meal or to drink in a casual setting. The bikers coming to Sturgis are typically doctors, lawyers, and upper middle class people who like to take a vacation that allows them to kick back and enjoy life. That’s a fastgrowing market. We’re seeing people purchase the wines we bottle just for the rally and take them home as collectibles.” Nygaard has also seen a growing interest in wine in the general population. Numerous resources are available for consumers who desire to learn more about wine varieties and how to compliment meals with appropriate wine varieties. “There are also a growing number of consumers who prefer to purchase wine made by a farm winery rather than a company with a mass production process,” he states. “They’re often looking for quality and are more apt to purchase a product that was produced in the local area.” While their wines have been well received in South Dakota, Eldon and Sherry Nygaard have also looked beyond local opportunities, establishing a presence in Europe several years ago. Most recently
they began exporting wine to China. “Full Throttle is just exploding across Europe,” Leif Nygaard states. “Several years ago a Finnish motorcycle group poured a bottle of Full Throttle over the grave of a colleague as part of the funeral ceremony. That resulted in a huge demand for that variety.” The Nygaard’s China connection came about following a tour there where they met and interacted with Chinese wine importers. “There’s a new era of successful entrepreneurs in China,” Eldon Nygaard states. “We’ve organized a process for selling direct to end users there. We’ll be making a trip to personally deliver some of the wine to the mayor of what they call one of their smaller cities there, a population of six million.” The Nygaards are excited about the potential they see in domestic and foreign wine markets. Eldon Nygaard is pleased to play a role in helping balance trade activities with China. Leif Nygaard expects to continue working with additional wine varieties and monitoring evolving market demands. “Making wine is something I enjoy immensely, he says. “It’s a peaceful process. You need a lot of patience, it takes time. I’ve learned the process by working with my family here at the winery, a hands-on process. We see a trend for red wine so we’ll keep that in mind as we develop our varieties. We’ll continue to pay close attention to market trends and do all we can to produce quality wines that meet consumer needs.” SDPB Loretta Sorensen, Owner, Prairie Hearth Publishing, LLC. sorensenlms@gmail.com.
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South Dakota
Lake Area Tech ranked as top 10 percent in country
In its first step to identify the nation’s best community colleges and award $1 million in prize money, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program has ranked Lake Area Technical Institute, Watertown, SD, as one of the nation’s 120 best community colleges, challenging them to compete for the Prize funds (to be announced in December 2011) by insisting on high standards for learning, college completion without delay, and serving as a training ground for jobs that pay competitive wages.
Did you Know: South Dakota state government ended the 2011 fiscal year on June 30 with a balanced budget and without using any state reserve funds. Source: Office of the Governor
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itchell Tech of Mitchell, SD also made the list. Lake Area Tech and 119 other community colleges will be narrowed down to eight-toten finalists in September based on how much students learn, how many complete their programs on time, and how well students do in the job market after graduating. The colleges are now eligible to submit applications containing detailed data on these criteria. They must demonstrate that they deliver exceptional student results, use data to drive decisions, and use that information to continually improve over time. In addition, The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has selected Lake Area Technical Institute as a leader among institutions of higher education for their support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. Lake Area Tech was admitted to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for engaging its
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students, faculty and staff in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community. Deb Shephard, President of Lake Area Tech states, "It gives such a great sense of pride in our staff and students to receive this highly respected national award for the third consecutive year. Social responsibility is one of the cornerstones that we instill in our students. Working on community service projects plays an important role in the students’ overall personal growth and educational training. This past year, with all projects combined, Lake Area Tech students and staff have given over 13,000 hours back to the community.” The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, admitted a total of 641 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth. SDPB