In February of 1942, the Regents of Education of South Dakota adopted a plan for the college organization to be changed to from a Junior and Senior College Division. The functions of the Junior College Division included student personnel services, Senior College preparatory curricula, and terminal curricula. Raymond Y. Chapman was employed as the Director of this Division. In 1949, the Junior College organization was abandoned as such and the Division of Student Personnel Services was organized with Chapman as Dean. As the college grew and administrations changed, the responsibilities of the Division of Student Personnel Services increasingly enlarged and the several student personnel services on the campus were centralized in the Division of Student Personnel Services. This centralization was an apparent effort to reduce the number of individual departments reporting directly to the president of the college and place certain responsibilities in a more limited number of offices and officials. In 1969, an Associate Dean of Student Personnel Services was appointed in order to prepare for the retirement of R.Y. Chapman, who had been Dean since the Division was established in 1949. Plans also began for the reorganization of the Division into a comprehensive Student Services Division. New programs and revised procedures were initiated during 1970. The Division was again reorganized in 1986 and the name was changed to Student Affairs Division. This name remains today.

Until 1958, the Dean of the Division of Student Personnel Services was primarily responsible for determination of administrative policy and program direction of the division and was advised by the president of the college and the Administrative Council together with the actions and recommendations by the faculty and department heads. The Committee on Student Personnel Services also advised the dean. This committee, which was appointed by the president, was chaired by the dean and consisted of the Dean of Women, Dean of Men, Director of Student Activities, Director of Housing, Director of Food Services, the college nurse, and student personnel. This committee served as a policy-recommending group and on a consulting basis until the 1958-60 biennium when the committee was abandoned. Beginning in 1958, staff meetings including representatives of all phases of Student Personnel Services were initiated to facilitate communications within the division.

The Student Affairs Division provides services and activities, which are designed to help the student gain the greatest benefit from their university education. This purpose has been reflected in the annual and biennial reports throughout the years.

Many functions are controlled within the framework of the Student Affairs Division. These functions are: testing services, student counseling services, orientation of new students, administration of the General Registration program, terminal course program, in-service training of faculty counselors, educational research and measurement, teaching of counselor practicum course, veterans records, loans and scholarships, and placement of students (part- and full-time). Responsibilities of the Student Affairs Division that have been handled primarily by the dean over the years are freshman and New Student Week, Student Personnel Records, General Registration, and Terminal Curricula.

Some functions are controlled cooperatively within the framework of the Student Affairs Division and outside agencies. These functions are student health services, student housing, student activities, food services, admissions and records activities, and high school relations activities.