The Army Administration Schools, Enlisted Branch No. 3 at South Dakota State College was established on December 3, 1942. Initially designed to train clerks for general administrative duties in the Air Corps, the school graduated a total of eleven such classes. On May 19, 1943, a classification course was added, focusing primarily on classification subjects with some administrative training included. Six classes completed this segment of the program.

Students of the Army Administration School shared all South Dakota State College facilities with civilian students. The program fully occupied the Central Building, Old North Building, East Men’s Hall, West Men’s Hall, and Wecota Annex. For the convenience of the trainees, an exchange was maintained in East Men’s Hall. Health services for the command were provided by local physicians, thereby freeing military medical personnel for other assignments.

Military discipline and ceremonial practice were emphasized through close order drill and organized transitions between classes. Weekly retreat parades were conducted, some held in honor of visiting dignitaries. Each class had formal opening and closing exercises in the college auditorium. Additionally, in the fall of 1943, school personnel assisted with the regional harvest in the Brookings area, helping to meet labor shortages caused by the war.