Dakota State, located in Madison, South Dakota (about 50 miles north of Sioux Falls) has an annual enrollment of approximately 2,500 students, but the biggest surprise is that nearly 60% of the students are non-traditional students.

In fact, the college actually caters to the "non-trad", in its scheduling of classes, and offering optional schedules, like Saturdays, or online classes, or even closed circuit tv. Since so many students live off campus, and drive a distance, the school tries to accommodate their needs. What this means, is that if a class is offered at 8 am, it will also be offered later in the day, and probably in the evening as well.

The students at DSU have a choice in their fields of study, from Business and Information Systems, Education, and Natural Sciences. DSU graduates approximately 300 students each year, with a 90% placement record for employment within the first year.

It is a beautiful campus, that turns out excellent teachers, computer specialists, business majors, as well as degrees in the math and sciences.

Students at DSU graduate with enough computer credits (in any major) to be certified to teach computers at a high school level, or go on to work in a computer related field. DSU is the only school in the state that can boast that EVERY class at DSU is computer intensive, meaning that no matter what subject you might want to study, you will be on the computer in every class. Some instructors include assignments that are turned in over the network, others hold help sessions online, some even have chatrooms set up for assistance for the students.

The campus is small, compared to others, but friendly. Students get to know each other and the faculty, and live in one of the dormitories, or off campus, or commute from as far away as Sioux Falls, or further.

Most of the faculty at DSU hold docorates in their chosen field, and all are readily available to students for mentoring - it is not surprising to wander thru East Hall and find the doors to the teacher's offices wide open, and hear student's and faculty voices intermixed, some in debated discussions, some in humorous bantering back and forth.

Madison is a community of about 5,000, and is the county seat of Lake County, named for obvious reasons. There are many campgrounds, and public lakes surrounding the Madison area, and it is a popular destination for campers, fishermen, and hikers. Nature preserves, great fishing lakes and rivers nearby, and located only 25 miles from the Minnesota border, and 50 miles from Sioux Falls, make Madison a popular and frequently visited family vacation spot for many.

Madison sits close to a part of the midwest that has quite a popular historic interest - 20 miles away is the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, where the school she taught, and the house she lived in, are open to the public, along with tours and historic artifacts from that period, and her life.

The campus and the town are charming and friendly, and I would invite you to visit if you are in the area. The best home-made pies and coffee in the county, are at a place called "F&M's - west of town on Hiway 34 - they'll leave the light on for you....




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