Article Body
News Release
Contacts: Jack R. Warner, Executive Director and CEO
Janelle Toman, Director of Communications
Telephone: (605) 773-3455
Fax: (605) 773-5320
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, May 19, 2011
Regents to Administer Dakota Corps Scholarship
ABERDEEN, S.D. – A statewide scholarship program aimed at keeping students in South Dakota to pursue careers in critical-need occupations will soon be administered by the state’s public university system.
The Dakota Corps Scholarship program was created in 2006 by former Gov. Mike Rounds, funded by donations from private business and non-profit corporations. Each year, scholarship recipients receive funding equivalent to the cost of tuition and applicable fees at their postsecondary institution. Once graduated, they are required to enter into a critical-need occupation in South Dakota, with terms of service equivalent to the number of years they received the Dakota Corps Scholarship, plus one year.
Since its inception, the scholarship program has been managed by the Great Lakes Higher Education Corp., based in Aberdeen. Due to a recent corporate reorganization, Great Lakes’ officials determined that administration of the Dakota Corps Scholarship no longer fit within their mission, and the Board of Regents was approached to assume responsibility for managing the program.
“This is a very good fit for us, since our staff already administers four state-level scholarship programs, including the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship, the Jump Start Scholarship, the LEAP grant, and the veterinary tuition assistance program,” said Jack Warner, the regents’ executive director and CEO. “We are pleased to add administration of this important program to our scholarship portfolio managed centrally in Pierre.”
The state labor department routinely determines critical areas of employment shortage in South Dakota. The current occupations which qualify for Dakota Corps Scholarship support are:
· Teaching K-12 music, special education, or foreign language.
· Teaching high school math or science.
· Working as a licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, or in other allied health-care fields;
· Working as a large animal veterinarian.
For more information about the Dakota Corps Scholarship, contact the Board office at (605) 773-3455 or send an e-mail to info@sdbor.edu .