USD President, city of Vermillion strategizing how to fix the housing shortage in town
VERMILLION — With enrollment growing at the University of South Dakota this year as it welcomed its largest main campus incoming class since 2018, and with Vermillion’s population increasing by more than 1,000 people in the last decade, it adds up to the town facing a housing shortage.
USD reached near-capacity in university housing this fall, too. Scott Pohlson, USD vice president for enrollment, marketing and student services, said USD gave out a record number of housing exemptions for returning students in the spring.
Midway through the summer, more than 30 students still had to figure out where they were going to live for the school year, USD President Sheila Gestring told the Argus Leader on Thursday night after her annual state of the university address.
The housing shortage, and USD’s strategy to address it, is what Timothy Schorn, an associate professor of political science at USD, asked Gestring to speak on publicly after she gave her address.
Gestring said she will be working with the mayor, city council and business leaders to address the problem in the coming days and weeks. She and Pohlson are working with community leaders and private developers to expand both on- and off-campus housing options in town.
For the more than 30 students who didn’t know where they were going to live this school year, Gestring said USD was “able to work with our local community and find them a bed to sleep in.”
The city of Vermillion released a housing needs assessment a year ago that identified housing is needed “in all the different segments,” Gestring said, including affordable housing, housing for young faculty, houses, apartments, student housing and more.
'Coyote Beginnings’ scholarship and more
USD is fundraising for, and awarding money through, a new scholarship called “Coyote Beginnings” that seeks to bridge gaps in students’ financial aid, Gestring said, targeting those in the middle between being Pell-eligible or coming from affluent families.
“Many of USD’s current, former and prospective students come from hardworking families,” she said. “These students have limited options for financial aid and can be overlooked for certain scholarships. Affordability remains the number one consideration of these students in deciding whether or not to attend a college.”
This scholarship will stay with students rather than being tied to their academic unit or a department, which Gestring said is relevant as nearly 80% of students change their majors during their undergraduate studies and will change it an average of three times, she added.
“Coyote Beginnings is what we feel can empower those students to pivot to a new path without fear of losing their financial footing,” she said.
The new scholarship program began as a pilot in 2021 with a small cohort of less than 100 students who were awarded an average of $2,500 to $3,000, Pohlson said, and the objective is to keep growing the scholarship.
Other updates from Gestring’s address include the following:
USD’s overall faculty turnover last year was 10.2%, which Gestring said is about 40 of the 400 full-time faculty. She said while other universities saw increasing turnover, USD’s turnover rate decreased by 2.6% last year.
Charlie’s Career Closet has provided more than 800 clothing items to more than 250 students for job interviews, internships and other professional development.
The USD Discovery District in Sioux Falls should see its first building completed by Dec. 2024.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: USD President Sheila Gestring addresses Vermillion's housing shortage
