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From his first day as the president of ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ, Barry Dunn has stressed the importance South Dakota’s largest community has on the university, and in return, the impact ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ has on Sioux Falls and beyond.

In July, President Dunn and Sioux Falls leaders launched the Sioux Falls Academy: ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ and Sioux Falls, A Winning Combination. The first event was hosted over two days in Sioux Falls and was an opportunity for ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ staff to learn more about the community and its workforce needs, interact with various Sioux Falls leaders and be active in ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ strategies for enrollment growth from school districts in Sioux Falls and the surrounding areas. The sessions on day one included a workforce and economic development panel, education panel and tours of businesses, the Washington Pavilion and various other downtown venues. Day two included a facilitated strategy session with all participants from ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ.

In October, ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ hosted the second Sioux Falls Academy session on campus. President Dunn and others shared information with Sioux Falls leadership about academic offerings and student success at ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ, and how the university prepares students to enter the workforce and positively impact the state and its communities. Breakout sessions in the University Student Union continued the conversations from the July event around workforce and economic development, and student success and how to support the K-12 districts in the area.

The October event ended with a campus tour to showcase many of the impactful areas of campus to the visitors from Sioux Falls, including the Raven Precision Agriculture Center, Ness School of Management and Economics, residence halls, the Avera Health and Science Center, Frost Arena and others.

In December, the final academy event of 2021 was held on the ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ campus. The agenda included a discussion about new activities that started between ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ and Sioux Falls and continued work around visibility and awareness, access to higher education, alumni networking and volunteering, enhanced continuing education, and business and industry relationships.

The Sioux Falls Academy is scheduled to continue in 2022 with further engagement and strategy sessions.