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Avera Gift to SDSU Expands Healthcare Education and Workforce
Avera Health's generosity has positioned SDSU to expand its leading role in meeting healthcare workforce needs in the Sioux Falls metro area.
Read MoreSDSU Metro Center Marks Pivotal Sioux Falls Expansion
SDSU’s nursing and pharmacy programs will thrive in their new Sioux Falls home, thanks to Avera Health.
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SDSU’s nursing and pharmacy programs are regarded among the nation’s best, with first-time pass rates on national licensure examinations to underscore that claim.
The colleges have been a major source for health care workforce needs. SDSU awarded 491 degrees in all fields of health professions in 2023, more than any other university in the South Dakota Board of Regents system.
A missing piece for each was a permanent home for their Sioux Falls-based programs. An investment by Avera Health in April 2024 will now solve that.
More about this inspiring gift
Avera Health gifted its 44,359-square-foot building at 33rd Street and Minnesota Avenue – one of the most heavily trafficked areas in the state’s population center – to the SDSU Foundation. Over an 18-month period, it will be renovated and transformed into the SDSU Metro Center.
“We could not be more appreciative of the relationships we have with Avera and the vision their leadership has demonstrated,” President Barry Dunn said. “The facility will provide a Sioux Falls home for our pharmacy and nursing programs, continuing to expand the connection SDSU has to the state’s largest community and the region.”
“We’re thrilled to help with this expansion of access to SDSU’s nursing and pharmacy training programs,” said Dr. Ronald Place, M.D., regional president and CEO of Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center. “The demand in both areas is increasing and plays an important role in the delivery of high-quality health care.”
The announcement of the SDSU Metro Center came weeks after Avera’s shared plans for a $245 million building project that adds 158 beds, creating an even greater demand on workforce.
University officials say more than 400 students will be educated and trained in the new facility annually. That includes more than 150 from the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions and 240 students within the College of Nursing. Of those, 160 will be pursuing undergraduate degrees; another 80 are in the graduate program.
“Currently, SDSU nursing is largely invisible to the Sioux Falls community,” said Dr. Mary Anne Krogh, the Roberta K. Olson Endowed Dean of the College of Nursing. “The unique location will improve visibility greatly. Additionally, this new space gives us an opportunity to think about expanding our cohort sizes to meet the nursing workforce needs of the state and region.”
The SDSU Metro Center, she added, “will provide the space, technology, and proximity to demonstrate the high-quality programs that already exist at SDSU – and take them to the next level.”
