Student Affairs Division Records

In February 1942, the South Dakota Board of Regents adopted a plan to reorganize the college structure, creating a Junior and Senior College Division. The Junior College Division was responsible for student personnel services, preparatory curricula for the Senior College, and terminal programs. Raymond Y. Chapman was appointed Director of this new division.

By 1949, the Junior College Division was discontinued, and in its place, the Division of Student Personnel Services was established with Chapman as Dean. As the college expanded and administrative structures evolved, the division assumed greater responsibilities. Various student services were centralized under this division, reducing the number of departments reporting directly to the college president and consolidating oversight under fewer offices.

In 1969, an Associate Dean of Student Personnel Services was appointed in preparation for Chapman’s retirement. Reorganization plans were set in motion to transition into a more comprehensive Student Services Division. New programs and updated procedures were introduced in 1970. Another reorganization in 1986 resulted in the division’s name being changed to the Student Affairs Division, a title it still holds today.

Until 1958, the Dean of Student Personnel Services oversaw administrative policy and program direction, guided by the college president, the Administrative Council, faculty, and department heads. A Committee on Student Personnel Services—chaired by the dean and composed of key staff such as the Deans of Women and Men, Directors of Housing, Food Services, and Student Activities, the college nurse, and student personnel—provided policy recommendations and consultation. This committee was dissolved during the 1958–60 biennium, and regular staff meetings were introduced to improve internal communication across the division.

The Student Affairs Division offers a wide range of services and programs designed to support students in maximizing their university experience. Annual and biennial reports consistently reflect this mission.

Core functions of the division include testing and counseling services, new student orientation, General Registration administration, terminal course programs, faculty counselor training, educational research and measurement, teaching of counselor practicum courses, veterans’ records, financial aid (loans and scholarships), and student placement (both part- and full-time).

Additionally, the division has historically overseen New Student Week, student records, and other core student programs. Several functions are managed in collaboration with other campus or external offices, including student health services, housing, food services, student activities, admissions and records, and high school outreach.