Petty comes to USD after serving as associate vice president and dean for admission at Iowa Wesleyan College. While at the Mount Pleasant, Iowa institution, Petty was an active member of the Iowa Association for College Admission Counseling (Iowa ACAC) where he most recently served as president. He was also a member of the Iowa ACT Council, planning chair for Iowa Private College Week, president of the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance and the 2010 Iowa ACAC Admissions Professional of the Year.

“I'm very excited to be at the University of South Dakota,” said Petty, who received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa. “USD has very solid academic programs and a rich history, and I’m happy to be part of it.”

Petty’s career began in 1999 as an admissions counselor at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. Eventually, he became assistant director and, later, associate director of admissions at BVU before going to Iowa Wesleyan in 2006. His achievements in student recruitment at Iowa Wesleyan include enrolling the largest freshman class in three decades for two consecutive years, increasing the average student profile of the entering class, and implementing a new scholarship program as the institution changed athletic affiliations.

“It’s about working together and building relationships,” added Petty, who has three sons, Luke, 10, Jack, 8, and Bennet, 3, with his wife, Jenny. “At the end of the day, we all want to build a positive relationship with a student and their family as they are moving through the college selection process. If we can do that, have them visit campus to discover all of the great things here, then there’s a great likelihood that they’ll join USD.”

A photo of Petty is available for download at www.usd.edu/press/news/images/releases/Mark_Petty.jpg.

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