presentation college aberdeen enrollment

City of Aberdeen in talks to repurpose Presentation College campus

Presentation College has closed, but that’s not necessarily the end of the story. The Presentation Sisters – and the city of Aberdeen – are now looking forward to pick up the pieces.

After over 70 years of history, Presentation College is now in the process of shuttering. Next comes the question of what to do with the remaining facilities.

Robin Bobzien is the city manager of Aberdeen. He said the community has entered early talks to save some of the campus.

“The Sisters wanted to make sure that some parts of the campus remained open to the public and remained a big part of the community," Bobzien said. "So, the partnership seemed to be very well aligned. The city at this point is working on some things with the Sisters to make sure the dome and the Strode Center are part of our programming through parks and recreation.”

Now, the city is figuring out how to best use the space.

“Parks and rec has been pondering what it is that we can do with them, what type of programming we can do," Bobzien said. "It’s still pretty early to know exactly how everything is going to work out but our intention is to make sure those facilities are being put to good use and make sure they’re being utilized as the Sisters had intended.”

With Presentation now closed, Bobzien reflected on the impact the school and Sisters had made.

“They’ve done a lot of things to make sure they’re enhance the quality of life for everybody in the area," Bobzien said. "They have a mission and are very empathetic and compassionate to the community and want to make sure they’re doing the right thing for all parts of the community. We’ve had a really good relationship with them.”

Bobzien said he doesn’t expect the closure of Presentation College to be the end of the relationship between Aberdeen and the Presentation Sisters.

Presentation College to close campus after summer session

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Presentation College announced Tuesday that it will not enroll students for the 2023-24 academic year and will cease educational operations at its Aberdeen campus after the spring and summer 2023 sessions.

According to Presentation College, the school’s online BSN programs will be offered by St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. All other academic programs will end after the spring and summer sessions in 2023.

“After careful evaluation of the sustainability of the College’s academic programs, and a thorough review of alternatives, the Board of Trustees and Presentation Sisters reluctantly decided to close the physical campus and implement Teach-Out programs as the most responsible way to steward students’ pathways to completing their degrees,” said Sister Mary Thomas, president of the Presentation Sisters Corporate Board. “We understand and share the heartbreak by our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and Aberdeen community, and we will work closely with them to succeed through this transition.”

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, college leaders began a year-long process of examining data to better understand the school’s financial health and potential for growing enrollment. Its rural location and “significant dependency” on tuition revenue and gifts were major contributing factors in the decision to cease operation. COVID’s impact added to the school’s challenges.

Presentation College has teach-out agreements in place with the University of Mary in Bismarck and Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan, and “continues to pursue adding agreements with other regional and online institutions.” The college is hosting fairs January 30 and 31 to help students and faculty with their transitions to other higher educational institutions. The school will also bring College Possible coaches to campus to assist students with their individual plans.

Copyright 2023 KSFY. All rights reserved.

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Presentation College Student Population

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For the academic year 2022-2023, total of 615 students have enrolled in Presentation College with 600 undergraduate and 15 graduate students.

By gender, 230 male and 385 female students are attending the school.

It has much fewer students compared to similar colleges (1,143 students in average - private (not-for-profit) Baccalaureate College - Diverse Fields).

255 students are enrolled exclusively, and 190 students are enrolled in some online courses.

You can check the student demographics by gender ratio , race/ethnicity , and online enrollment .

Student Population by Gender

Presentation College has a total of 615 enrolled students for the academic year 2022-2023. 600 students have enrolled in undergraduate programs and 15 students joined graduate programs.

By gender, 230 male and 385 female students (the male-female ratio is 37:63) are attending the school. The gender distribution is based on the 2022-2023 data.

Student Distribution by Race/Ethnicity

By race/ethnicity, 390 White, 61 Black, and 11 Asian students out of a total of 615 are attending at Presentation College. Comprehensive enrollment statistic data by race/ethnicity is shown in chart below (academic year 2022-2023 data).

Online Student Enrollment

Distance learning, also called online education, is very attractive to students, especially who want to continue education and work in field. At Presentation College, 255 students are enrolled exclusively in online courses and 190 students are enrolled in some online courses.

49 students lived in South Dakota or jurisdiction in which the school is located are enrolled exclusively in online courses and 206 students live in other State or outside of the United States.

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Transfer-in Students (Undergraduate)

Among 600 enrolled in undergraduate programs, 114 students have transferred-in from other institutions. The percentage of transfer-in students is 19.00%.78 students have transferred in as full-time status and 36 students transferred in as part-time status.

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Presentation College

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About Presentation College

Presentation College is a private, religious college in the town of Aberdeen, South Dakota. Presentation College was founded in 1951 and enrolls 598 undergrads and no graduate students.

Presentation College Acceptance Rate 2009

It is not competitive to get into Presentation College. The acceptance rate at Presentation College is 74%. In 2009, 250 out of 340 total applicants were accepted.

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Presentation College Campus Tours

Presentation College is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota,.

If you are interested in seeing Presentation College for yourself, be sure to plan a visit! The best way to reach campus is to take Highway 281/12 to Aberdeen, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Aberdeen Municipal.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what Presentation College and Aberdeen are like without leaving home.

College Info

1500 North Main Street Aberdeen, SD 57401-1299

Campus Setting: Small Town

Presentation College Application Deadline

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Transfer Applications are Due

The deadline for Fall first-year applications to Presentation College is Continuous processing.

The deadline for Fall transfer applications to Presentation College is Continuous processing.

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Presentation College SAT Scores

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Presentation College Tuition & Fees

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Wondering what life at Presentation College is like? There are approximately 598 students enrolled at Presentation College. 66% percent of students attend school full-time, 43% percent are from SD and 57% percent of students are from other states.

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2022-2023 Catalog

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Presentation College is a multi-winged complex at the center of the Aberdeen campus. The Main building houses administrative offices, a student lounge, College Library, the Chapel, Café, Java City coffee shop, videoconferencing meeting rooms, IT help desk, and the academic divisions. Videoconferencing classrooms are located on the second and third floors.

A second education building is located southeast of the main building. The Southeast building includes the Division of Nursing's learning laboratory, lecture hall, and classrooms, along with four other videoconferencing classrooms. In Fall 2017, the new Avera Simulation Center was created to provide students with the opportunity to participate in realistic clinical training. The simulation center comprises five rooms built to replicate hospital rooms. The rooms include a critical care/emergency room, an obstetric delivery room, a pediatric room, a surgical suite, and medical/surgical patient rooms.

Students may gather for relaxation or recreation in the main building lounge on the lower level. Located near the coffee shop, Library, and café, the newly designed space includes gaming stations, a pool table, and TVs. Students also enjoy spending time in the student center located just north of the student suites and the common areas in the east suites.

The Strode Activity Center provides opportunities for student events, exercise, wellness, competition, and recreation. It also serves as the official home of Presentation College Saints women's and men's basketball and women's volleyball teams. Features of the activity center include NCAA-regulation basketball and volleyball courts, air conditioning, fixed seating for 1,200, sound system, and acoustics. The Wellness Center was completed in 2013 as an addition to the Strode Activity Center and is equipped with exercise and training equipment. The Wellness Center is also home for the Athletic Training program.

The women's and men's soccer teams practice and play on a natural grass field north of the Strode Center. The football team practices on a full-size artificial surface field located north of the east suites. The artificial surface is also used by the Saints softball and baseball teams as an on-campus practice area.

Presentation College’s Winter Dome was completed in 2014. The Dome, which covers the existing football practice field, provides an additional 108,000 square feet of usable space during the winter months. PC uses the Dome for practices, games, and recreational events. It is also utilized for community and regional sporting events.

Presentation College features resident student suites. The suite-style housing offers an enhanced on-campus student life experience by providing independent living opportunities and modern surroundings for resident students. Three residence units, housing a total of 140 students, and a student center are at the northwest corner of the campus. In 2013, Presentation College completed construction of housing suites with a capacity of 158 students. Located just south of the football practice field, the apartment-style suites are each equipped with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a common living area, and a kitchenette. In addition, each floor has a common living area space with a full kitchen and multiple study rooms as well as other amenities.

It is the policy of Presentation College not to discriminate against students because of a disability with regard to enrollment, accommodations in the classroom and student suites, and telecommunication services. Ramps and lifts have been put in place to allow differently abled individuals access to the buildings. Elevators and accessible reserved parking spaces have been designated at each of the entrances, and a number of the student suites have been built to accommodate different accessibility needs.

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The College

New vice president works to bolster Presentation College's enrollment

The cold plains of Aberdeen don’t bother Marcus Garstecki — he’s been in South Dakota for years.

Presentation College’s new vice president for enrollment and marketing came to the small Catholic college from Dakota State University in Madison.

“I’ve been in enrollment and student affairs for a lot of my career, and when I looked at Presentation, I saw a unique opportunity,” Garstecki said. “We have an array of academic programs to draw students to, which I think is really exciting, but I really like the focus on nursing and health care, because that’s such a huge demand right now.”

Garstecki started at Presentation in November.

It’s a challenging time for all of higher education — enrollments are down at Presentation and at a lot of the public universities in South Dakota.

“But I think what we can do is focus on the mission here at Presentation College, which I think is something that is very appealing to students. I think we can focus on our small class size and campus size,” he said. “So now our job is to be out there, promoting that and making sure students understand that that’s what we have to offer here at Presentation, and that’s why we’re a great option.”

This year Presentation has launched for-a-day programs, giving potential students a peek inside the life of nursing, health occupations and business students.

“I really think a big part of the college-going process is to get students at a younger age excited about a major or a career and then to get them on campus and in front of our great faculty to see what that profession involves and to do hands-on activities,” Garstecki said. “Those hands-on activities generally get students excited.”

Rural health care has been an especially poignant topic lately, and Presentation has a good position to become a leader in training professionals to work in smaller hospitals and clinics, he said.

“Coming here to Presentation, we definitely have a draw for students, helping to educate them, but also develop the workforce here in Aberdeen and really the Aberdeen regional area,” Garstecki said. “Preparing students for the workforce, which of course is then an economic engine for the whole community.”

A large part of recruitment at Presentation is athletics — students come from all over the country to play sports and earn a degree, he said.

“That’s exciting, because then you get to see the students, whether it’s on the field or on the court, doing what they love to do,” Garstecki said. “So it’s really fun to see them as you’re recruiting them, but then also watching them do what they’re passionate about.”

With many student-athletes coming in from the west — there’s even an admissions counselor whose territory includes Alaska — Presentation is also looking at focusing on bigger cities in South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota.

“Those are still things we’re taking a look at to see what our return on investment might be for some of those trips,” Garstecki said. “If we go to some of those larger metropolitan areas, finding ways to set ourselves apart from all the other schools that are there.”