MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2023 - DAKOTA STATE MISSION CHANGE #1

 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2023 DAKOTA STATE THOUGHTS - 1

I am going to Madison, South Dakota, for a celebration at Dakota State University in ten days. Forty years ago (1984), by the action of the Governor, Board of Regents, and Legislature, the mission of Dakota State was changed to “Computer Information Systems.” 

This week, I will give my perspective on the mission change. I left Dakota State in 2000 after eighteen fantastic years - and there has been continued success at the University.

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South Dakota is a lightly populated state. At the time of the 2020 census, it was the fifth smallest state by population (after Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, and North Dakota).

That was true in the 1980s.  

There were seven state colleges in the state in 1980:  The University of South Dakota (Vermillion); South Dakota State University (Brookings), Northern State University (Aberdeen), Black Hills State University (Spearfish), South Dakota School of Mines (Rapid City), Dakota State University (Madison), and Southern South Dakota College (Springfield). (The names reflect current names - for example, Dakota State University was Dakota State College then).

The governor at the time (Bill Janklow) and his advisors thought seven state colleges were too many. Plus, for growth, a major financial institution (Citibank) had recently moved its credit card operations to Sioux Falls (the biggest city in the state).

The proposal was to close the smallest (Southern State College), make it a prison, and change Dakota State’s mission to computing.  

Dakota State was originally a teacher education college. It was once called “Dakota State Normal College” and General Beadle State College. (Both names were significant but beyond this week’s blog).

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CITIBANK

Citibank was a significant financial institution in New York City. As such, it was regulated by New York Laws. One of the laws was that it limited in what it could charge credit card customers. South Dakota - wanted to grow and attract new businesses and changed their financial laws so that credit card companies could charge whatever interest they wanted.  

So, Citibank moved its credit card operations from New York City to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Only some of their credit card staff wanted to move from New York to South Dakota. So, they needed local people to add to the staffing.  

In particular, they needed programmers and analysts familiar with business computing. Computer Science was excellent - but they required staff that understood accounting, finance, marketing - and computer programming.  

So, how do you get such staff in a sparsely populated state like South Dakota? You educate them in a college. But which college? Dakota State was in the middle of the bullseye. The teacher education mission was okay, but the demand for teachers was pretty level. Why not change the mission of Dakota State to be computer-focused? Computer programmers, analysts, and database experts - generally paid more than teachers - would generate more tax dollars. 

South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota were the “flagship” institutions of the state. SDSU had engineering and computer science programs. USD had business programs. But, that unique blend of computing and business skills was lacking.  

The proposal to change “sleepy” (my term) Dakota State (teacher-focused) to computer information systems-focused made a lot of sense. 

On February 29, 1984, the state legislature passed a bill changing DSU’s mission to include instruction in computer-related technology in all majors.

With the change in mission, the legislature and board of regents would need to pump some money into the new program. South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota wanted the new program and money.  

[Aside - I would be remiss without mentioning two Madison people who were instrumental in this effort - Jerome Lammers - Lawyer and State Representative, and Jerry Prostrollo - prominent businessman of Prostrollo Motors. The Governor needed lieutenants to help push the proposal through the state legislature. They were instrumental in the “making it happen” arena.]

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So, what does Bruce White (now Karen White) do with all of this?

Well, Bruce White had been a high school mathematics teacher (seven years) and had taught math at Winona State University for one year and computing for a second year, and then taught computing for two years at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon.  

In the middle of his first year at Winona State, the Department of Math and Computer Science chairman told Bruce that if he could teach a computer course, he could have summer employment. Connie White instantly decided that: “We could use the money.” So, Bruce White, in his first year at Winona State, started taking all the computing classes that would fit into his teaching schedule - and maybe the most important was COBOL - Common Business Oriented Language. The following summer, Bruce White was the COBOL teacher, and in his second year at Winona State, he combined more computer classes with teaching COBOL and math.

When he could no longer teach at Winona State (Bruce White didn’t have a doctorate), he worked as a computing instructor at Mount Hood Community College.  

In the spring of 1982, my dad (Woodrow Wilson White - the original “www”) had a mild heart attack, and I wanted to be closer to my parents. Connie wanted to be closer to her family in Minnesota. I applied to colleges with computing openings that didn’t require a computing degree or a doctorate.  

I got an interview at Dakota State for a computing position - that neither required a computing degree nor a doctorate. I was told that if I was offered the position and declined, they would only pay 20% of my travel/interviewing expenses. (I was paying this out of pocket).  

I was offered the position, and rather than turn it down and eat the expense, I accepted. Connie said she’d consider moving if it was within 25 miles of Minnesota, and Madison is about 20 miles from the Minnesota border. Her grandmother lived in Sioux Falls, and her other relatives were in South Dakota.  

So, I was at Dakota State College when the discussions were being held. (Right place at the right time) - GOD IS GOOD!!

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, NOVEMBER 2023