USD President Abbott Announces Retirement at State of University
“This has been both the most rewarding – and the most demanding – job of my life,” Abbott said. “USD is positioned well for the future. We have a strong and growing enrollment, academic programs that are second to none, and Division I athletics.”
“I’m proud of my alma mater and all the progress we’ve made,” he said. “Now it is time for new leadership to take USD to the next level.”
Abbott is USD’s 17th president, the only alumnus to serve as president and the second longest-serving president in the university’s 155-year history. The 69-year-old Abbott became president of USD on July 1, 1997.
Abbott entered the president’s office with a budget of $90 million. Today the university’s budget is $215 million. Enrollment has grown from 7,448 to 10,261 students. The number of full-time faculty has grown from 393 to 436, while the staff has stayed the same at about 1,400.
Scholarships and financial awards to students have nearly tripled, from $6.5 million in 1997 to $24 million last year. The USD endowment is six times larger, growing from $45 million to $258 million, thanks to two successful fund-raising campaigns during Abbott’s tenure.
During the past 20 years Abbott has led a vigorous building campaign to repair and refurbish historical structures on campus and upgrade laboratories while adding these new buildings:
– Lee Medical Building (2008)
– Muenster University Center (2008)
– Beacom School of Business (2010)
– Coyote Village residence hall (2010)
– Wellness Center (2011)
– Sanford Coyote Sports Center and Track-Soccer Complex (2016)
In addition, the USD Discovery District, now under construction near University Center in Sioux Falls, will realize Abbott’s dream of turning university research into viable, commercial products, boosting the economy and providing research opportunities for USD students.
The district will expand on the success of the GEAR Center (Graduate Education & Applied Research) also located next to University Center. GEAR, built in 2009, supports applied research by the public universities in the state and is home to USD’s Biomedical Engineering doctoral program.
View the full presentation. Download a photo of President Abbott.
