Simplified: Southeast Technical College has seen a more than 20% increase in student enrollment over the last decade. That's meant new buildings, new programs and new faculty – but it's also meant challenges when it comes to student housing and wait lists for popular degrees.

Why it matters

  • Southeast Tech's growth comes in the context of a broader statewide push to support workforce development. The state created the Build Dakota scholarship in 2015 to increase the state's workforce, and two years later voted to create the Board of Technical Education, bringing the state's four tech schools outside the jurisdiction of the Board of Regents and giving them more flexibility to respond to industry needs.
  • Southeast Tech is looking to continue that momentum. President Cory Clasemann told the Sioux Falls City Council on Tuesday that it's his goal to see enrollment hit 5,000 students by 2035. Meanwhile, construction starts this year on two new buildings – both funded entirely without bonds.
  • Meanwhile, last fall 16 academic programs filled and had students on wait lists, and at least a dozen programs are already putting students on wait lists for the coming semester.
    • Those students also struggle to find housing, Clasemann said, adding that campus housing has room for 200 students, and last year 400 applied to live there.
"We can only put so many students in a room or in a lab," Clasemann said.

Tell me more about Southeast Tech's growth

Southeast Tech has added and expanded several academic programs in recent years, and the demand from both the workforce and the students continues to grow.

As part of that growth, the school is adding two brand new buildings to campus.

  • The Wells Fargo Home Building Lab will be on the southeast side of campus close to the high school Career and Technical Education Academy. Inside, students will be able to build homes for Habitat for Humanity, as well as learn other building skills. That's set to be completed next spring.
  • The James Abner Center for Advanced Manufacturing will be closer to the interstate on the east side of campus. It'll include an expanded welding lab that almost triples the capacity in advanced manufacturing and adds capacity in the school's mechanical engineering program as well. The $18 million project is funded by a combination of federal and state funds as well as local donors.
"These two facilities will be the first facilities on campus built without any bonds," Clasemann said, adding that the new facilities won't mean an increase in expenses for students.

The improvements are great, but Clasemann said the school is also facing a consistent need to update equipment and technology to keep up with industry needs.

  • He estimates there's about $5 to $10 million annually the school would need to keep equipment updated.

In addition, Southeast Tech is looking at ways to add more on-campus housing options for students.

  • With residential growth in the northwest side of Sioux Falls, there've been more apartments going up in that area, but Clasemann said the challenge is affordability.

What happens next?

Construction on both new buildings is expected to begin in the coming months.