SDSU Connect brings higher education and the Sioux Falls community together

Started as the Sioux Falls Academy in July 2021, SDSU Connect creates meaningful connections to individuals, organizations and communities in the state’s largest and fastest-growing city.

The Sioux Falls Academy began with a 40-member task force that included campus partners for several areas of the university. After a year of discovery and connecting with Sioux Falls leaders, educators and community members, SDSU Connect became reality in 2022 with several strategic initiatives.

SDSU Connect has evolved into three critical areas that engage South Dakota’s largest, most comprehensive university with Sioux Falls and its land-grant mission that serves its citizens and communities while providing them the benefits of higher education.

Engaging SDSU in Sioux Falls includes initiatives that connect the university with community groups, organizations and community leaders to build impactful relationships between SDSU experts and resources to meet the needs of the workforce and K-12 students in Sioux Falls.

Vernon Brown, a 1990 graduate of SDSU with 20 years of business executive leadership, was hired as the associate vice president for external affairs in September.

Brown’s primary responsibilities are to enhance existing partnerships and develop new ones in the Sioux Falls region by working with key stakeholders, industry leaders and educators. Fostering Sioux Falls’ unprecedented growth by aligning SDSU’s expertise and resources will have the greatest impact in Brown’s new role.

Brown previously worked as an executive with SDN Communications and served eight years on the Sioux Falls City Council following a career as a television reporter.

Christi Garst-Santos, director and associate professor of Spanish in the School of American and Global Studies, is serving as the campus team lead for engaging SDSU in Sioux Falls. The team developed a number of different events, including sponsoring five concerts hosted at the Levitt at the Falls summer series, several films shown at the State Theatre, events at Jack's Imagination Lab on First Fridays at the Washington Pavilion and a day of science fun at the Brandon Boys & Girls Club. All eight SDSU colleges were involved in hosting Sioux Falls events.

The School of American and Global Studies also held a World Languages and Cultures Film Festival. Seven films debuted, with two in Brookings, one in Rapid City and three at the Orpheum Theater in Sioux Falls as part of SDSU Connect. The festival received funding from the South Dakota Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Engaging Sioux Falls with SDSU builds programs that bring Sioux Falls K-12 students and community leaders to the Brookings campus to experience the value of a four-year degree and the opportunities afforded by South Dakota’s first land-grant university.

• The Promising Futures Fund eighth-grade initiative took 260 students from George McGovern, Whittier and Ben Reifel middle schools to visit SDSU and attend the Jackrabbits football game against the University of South Dakota. Included in the group were 160 football players from the three middle schools and 100 members of the Ben Reifel Marching Band.

The band members from Ben Reifel joined the morning rehearsal of The Pride of the Dakotas and were on the field prior to the football game to perform the national anthem with The Pride. Members of the middle school football teams spent time with Jackrabbits football players, while the dance team from Whittier Middle School practiced with the SDSU dance team and was on the field during part of the game.

The day also included hearing from a panel of SDSU students where the middle schoolers could ask about life in college and attending an academic fair that included faculty from several academic programs showcasing interesting topics in their field. Lunch, accompanied by President Barry Dunn, and some world famous SDSU ice cream were also served.

Enhancing the SDSU brand will include building on SDSU’s already strong presence in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area by capitalizing on opportunities to showcase SDSU, its people and students.

• SDSU sponsored five concerts as part of the Levitt at the Falls season. The season included 50 free concerts of various genres in downtown Sioux Falls. Each concert was sponsored by different areas of campus, including the Office of the President, intercollegiate athletics, the SDSU Foundation, the School of American and Global Studies and University Marketing and Communications.
• In recognition of National Teacher Appreciation Week, members of the SDSU Admissions team and staff from University Marketing and Communications delivered SDSU ice cream to all middle schools and high schools in the Sioux Falls area.
• SDSU Connect provided elementary and middle school teachers who are part of the Promising Futures Fund supplies for their classrooms during the 2022-23 academic year. The supplies included disinfecting wipes, boxes of tissues, dry erase markers and ear buds for when students have required testing.