SDSU Metro Center to Serve as Healthcare Hub

South Dakota State University awards more health profession degrees than any other Regental institution in the state.

That status has been achieved, in part, by a robust set of program offerings based in Sioux Falls.

For decades, nursing and pharmacy majors have pursued their studies at different sites in the state’s largest city. The programs have led a somewhat nomadic existence in that time, shifting around to multiple locations – and yet never falling under the same roof.

That will all change in 2026 with the completion of the SDSU Metro Center in the heart of Sioux Falls.

Avera Health gifted a building at 33rd Street and Minnesota Avenue to the SDSU Foundation in April 2024. TSP, Inc. has done the design to optimize the 44,359-square-foot location with classrooms, simulation space, a skills lab and clinical spaces and ample student success areas shared by both academic colleges.

The Journey Group expects to finish renovation and construction by the spring of 2026.

While the transformative investment by Avera Health has laid the groundwork for the project, supplemental gifts are still needed to make the game-changing facility a reality. Naming opportunities are available for those who wish to leave a lasting impact on this innovative space.

The SDSU Metro Center will give the university its first ever permanent home for the Sioux Falls-based programs in nursing, pharmacy, respiratory therapy, medical laboratory science and public health. More than 400 students will be educated and trained in the space annually.

It’s strategically located, situated within a few miles of Avera Health, Sanford Health and the Veterans Administration Hospital where students’ training is enhanced. It lies along a major thoroughfare where 40,000+ motorists pass every day, further instilling the SDSU brand in the state’s largest population base.

“We look forward to the SDSU Metro Center joining Sioux Falls and reinvigorating the area with new energy,” Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken said. “The center’s location will not only enhance educational opportunities for students with its proximity to our healthcare systems, but also strengthen our workforce and drive innovation in our community.”

It addresses a long-term desire by SDSU to have a permanent presence.

Former dean Brian Kaatz was one of the frontrunners of SDSU’s faculty partnerships in Sioux Falls, holding a joint appointment with Sioux Valley (now Sanford Health) in 1977. He later served as the College of Nursing’s dean from 2001 to 2008.

He recalls the nomadic existence that had the program bouncing to multiple locales, including a former downtown senior center that has since been converted into upper-end loft apartments.

Kaatz said the different locations and some logistics weren’t ideal, including access to parking for students. Yet, “we have always been proud of the final product.” He welcomes the news that SDSU will “plant the flag” in Sioux Falls.

An RN Upward Mobility program, now called the RN to BSN option, has been offered in Sioux Falls since the 1990s. SDSU provides other accelerated programs for students to help address the continuing nursing shortage.

“The ability to educate and train students in a community supported so well by the healthcare industries will not only advance our academic programs, but continue to play a pivotal role in meeting the workforce demands,” SDSU President Barry H. Dunn said.