Work is completed on SDSU’s new American Indian Student Center

Construction is complete on South Dakota State University’s American Indian Student Center.

The 12,000-square-foot center is located on the north end of the Rotunda Green between Abbott Hall and Harding Hall.

The $4.5 million center was built with $4 million from private donor funds and $500,000 from school and public lands cash.

Lars King, a sophomore from Rosebud, says the new center is great for all Indigenous youth because it makes students feel a part of a community, sort of like a home away from home. He says it will help students ease into the transition to college life.

SDSU President Barry Dunn says the center would not have been possible without the involvement and generous support of donors. Dunn says the new center is a fulfillment of the pledge they made when they announced the Wokini Initiative. He says it will create opportunities and support for thousands of American Indian students to receive the benefits of higher education, while connecting the rest of the campus to the culture and values of the indigenous people of the state and region.

The facility includes office space, meeting rooms, multipurpose rooms, technology resources, student support space and academic support space. Its primary function will be dedicated to student support programming and services. The facility also features solar panels provided by SDSU’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

July 9, 2020