PIERRE, S.D. (KELO.com) — The Joint Appropriations Committee is hearing from all the state regential schools in Pierre.
University of South Dakota President Sheila Gestring was one of the top university and schools officials who testified, along with the deans of the law school and medical school.
One of the hot topics of members of the committee was remedial classes in English and math for entering freshman. About 32 percent of incoming students need remedial classes. That compares to about 21 percent about a decade ago.
USD officials said they have changed how they do remedial courses to not only help get the students where they need to be academically but also not add time and costs to their school. Officials said, for example, in math, they’ve cut the three hour non-credit catch up course to one or two hours and incorporated into a credit course in college algebra.
USD Law School Dean Neil Fulton said this year‘s entering class was at 85, the highest in several years. He said the school has a capacity for about 90 students. He said bar exam pass rates are up because of bar review courses through the law school. Fulton said there is a big need for lawyers in South Dakota, particularly in small and medium sized towns as the Baby Boomer generation retires.
Fulton also said the law school is going to have one day “law camps” in Pierre and Rapid City for high school students to give them a taste of law school and the practice of law. This is one of several initiatives, Fulton said, that should help attract South Dakota students to USD Law School and keep the school’s numbers up.
USD Medical School Dean Mary Nettleman said that 25 percent of the med schools graduates go into family medicine, compared to 9 percent nationally. Nearly all USD Medical School students have some sort of tie to the state.
Rep. Jean Hunhoff (R-Yankton ) asked Dr. Nettleman and Dr. Gestring why national boards pass rates for social work and physician’s assistants were down. Both said there had been leadership turnover in those programs the past few years and they were working on the problem.
