Huron University
Encyclopedia
Huron University, also known as Si Tanka University at Huron, was a private university
formerly located in Huron, South Dakota
. It closed on April 1, 2005.
while it was still in Dakota Territory
. A year later the school became Pierre University. On May 31, 1887 the University conferred its first degree which was the first degree to be awarded in the Dakota Territory.
In 1897, the University moved to Huron and became Huron College. By 1915, the school had become accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
(NCA). Two years later one of its former students won a Rhodes Scholarship
and in 1932 one of its attending students also won the award. One student was George M. McCune
, co-developer of the McCune-Reischauer
romanization
of Korean
.
-based, for-profit business school National College, agreed to manage the school after the town of Huron agreed to take over existing debt as well as purchase the school's Fine Arts Center for $1.5m. On July 11, 1984 the deal was finalized, marking the end of the school's 100 years of Presbyterian affiliation
. The new owner shifted the school's emphasis from liberal arts
education to business. After three years of managing the school, Midwest Educational Systems exercised an option to buy the school for $1 and became the Higher Education Corporation of America.
In January 1989, the school was sold to Lansdowne University Ltd., a South Dakota corporation with ties to a college in London
. The Board of Trustees of the school changed the name to Huron University, and soon opened a new branch: Huron University USA in London
, which became an independent institution.
In February 1992, Eastern International Education Association, a Delaware-based corporation headed by a member of the Japanese House of Representatives
, purchased the school and set up a branch campus in Tokyo
. Businessman Chikara Higashi was assigned as president of the university and chairman of the board of trustees. Unfortunately, different management styles and a lack of understanding of the American education system caused problems for the school, and the North Central Association threatened to not renew the school's accreditation in 1996. Higashi resigned in July of that year and the school went up for sale once again.
In December 1996, the Huron and Sioux Falls campuses were sold for $3.5 million to for-profit Whitman Education Group, Inc., then owners of Colorado Technical University
(CTU). The Sioux Falls campus currently remains a part of the CTU system. A group of local investors bought the Huron campus from Whitman Education Group in August 1999.
. Si Tanka College, named after the Teton Sioux chief of the same name, already had a campus in Eagle Butte
, and both campuses became the two-campus Si Tanka University. The Huron campus became Si Tanka University-Huron, the first off-reservation university controlled by a Native American tribe.
The Tribe financed the deal with $6.6 million in loans and guarantees from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but soon found it could not support the school. The federal government grants that the Tribe had been counting on required at least 50% Native American
enrollment, and Si Tanka couldn't meet that threshold with its new, primarily white Huron campus. The situation was further complicated by a scandal in April 2002, when a freshman basketball player at Si Tanka was arrested and eventually pleaded guilty to intentionally exposing another student to the AIDS
virus. The case received national media coverage and student enrollment the following fall declined by 53 students to 475. The school was faced with too many professors and facilities for its number of students, leading to problems in paying faculty and staff.
The property fell into foreclosure in 2004 after the Tribe defaulted on $6.6 million worth of loans and faced a $2 million federal tax lien. On February 26, 2006, the Higher Learning Commission of the NCA voted to revoke the school's accreditation, effective on August 7, 2006, because the school's trustees had voted to cease operation as a university in the previous January http://www.ncahlc.org/download/PDN_2108.pdf. By March 2005, teachers and staff suffered multiple missed paychecks and gave the administration a vote of no confidence, walking off the job and effectively ending classes on March 28, 2005.
The Huron campus officially closed on April 1, 2005, ending its 123-year history. On April 9, Si Tanka filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. By April 25, the U.S. Department of Education alerted the school that it was no longer permitted to take part in federal grants and that its students were no longer eligible for federal student loans. On April 30, an unofficial graduation ceremony was held for the school's final seniors. Northern State University
, a public university
in Aberdeen
took control of the school's transcripts
.
In February 2006, the Chapter 11 case was dismissed when a federal judge found there weren't enough remaining assets for unsecured creditors. On May 5, 2006, the campus and all its assets were placed onto the auction block, including 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) with classrooms, campus center, dorms, library and gym — along with bleachers, band uniforms, bookcases and basketball banners. Two empty lots, including the football field, were sold immediately, but as of 2006, the bank was uninterested in selling buildings individually and continued to seek a buyer for the property as a whole.
In 2008, The Huron School District
bought the University arena. The Fine Arts Center is now owned by the City of Huron and is a community Fine Arts Center.
In 2011, The City voted to tear down the Campus to make room for Central Park, a Park and new swimming pool complex, Demoliion has was started on September 19, 2011, Construction due to start Spring 2012. and The Park to Open summer 2013.
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
formerly located in Huron, South Dakota
Huron, South Dakota
Huron is a city in Beadle County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 12,592 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beadle County. Huron was the home of now-defunct Huron University since 1897. Huron is also the home of the South Dakota State Fair...
. It closed on April 1, 2005.
Beginnings
What became Huron University was founded in 1883 as Presbyterian University of Southern Dakota, founded in PierrePierre, South Dakota
Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...
while it was still in Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
. A year later the school became Pierre University. On May 31, 1887 the University conferred its first degree which was the first degree to be awarded in the Dakota Territory.
In 1897, the University moved to Huron and became Huron College. By 1915, the school had become accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
(NCA). Two years later one of its former students won a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
and in 1932 one of its attending students also won the award. One student was George M. McCune
George M. McCune
George McAfee "Mac" McCune was co-developer, with Edwin O. Reischauer, of the McCune-Reischauer romanization of Korean. He was born in P'yŏngyang as the son of an American educational missionary, George Shannon McCune and received his elementary education in Korea...
, co-developer of the McCune-Reischauer
McCune-Reischauer
McCune–Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced McCune–Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000...
romanization
Romanization
In linguistics, romanization or latinization is the representation of a written word or spoken speech with the Roman script, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system . Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written...
of Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
.
For-profit ownership
By the 1980s, the school had become seriously in debt and Midwest Educational Systems Inc., owner of Rapid CityRapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
-based, for-profit business school National College, agreed to manage the school after the town of Huron agreed to take over existing debt as well as purchase the school's Fine Arts Center for $1.5m. On July 11, 1984 the deal was finalized, marking the end of the school's 100 years of Presbyterian affiliation
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
. The new owner shifted the school's emphasis from liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
education to business. After three years of managing the school, Midwest Educational Systems exercised an option to buy the school for $1 and became the Higher Education Corporation of America.
In January 1989, the school was sold to Lansdowne University Ltd., a South Dakota corporation with ties to a college in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The Board of Trustees of the school changed the name to Huron University, and soon opened a new branch: Huron University USA in London
Huron University USA in London
Huron University USA in London, also referred to as Huron University, was a private university located on Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London. The school offered American-style higher education. The university had over 350 students from more than 50 countries and offered a range of undergraduate...
, which became an independent institution.
In February 1992, Eastern International Education Association, a Delaware-based corporation headed by a member of the Japanese House of Representatives
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
, purchased the school and set up a branch campus in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Businessman Chikara Higashi was assigned as president of the university and chairman of the board of trustees. Unfortunately, different management styles and a lack of understanding of the American education system caused problems for the school, and the North Central Association threatened to not renew the school's accreditation in 1996. Higashi resigned in July of that year and the school went up for sale once again.
In December 1996, the Huron and Sioux Falls campuses were sold for $3.5 million to for-profit Whitman Education Group, Inc., then owners of Colorado Technical University
Colorado Technical University
Colorado Technical University is a for-profit university in the United States. Founded in 1965, CTU offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in a number of subjects, focused primarily in the business, management, and technology disciplines...
(CTU). The Sioux Falls campus currently remains a part of the CTU system. A group of local investors bought the Huron campus from Whitman Education Group in August 1999.
Tribal ownership
In April 2001, the University was purchased by Si Tanka College, a former community-college chartered by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Indian ReservationCheyenne River Indian Reservation
The Cheyenne River Indian Reservation was created by the United States in 1889 by breaking up the Great Sioux Reservation, following its victory over the Lakota in a series of wars in the 1870s. The reservation covers almost all of Dewey and Ziebach counties in South Dakota...
. Si Tanka College, named after the Teton Sioux chief of the same name, already had a campus in Eagle Butte
Eagle Butte, South Dakota
Eagle Butte is a city in Dewey and Ziebach counties in the U.S. state of South Dakota. The population was 1,318 at the 2010 census.It is the tribal headquarters of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.-Geography:...
, and both campuses became the two-campus Si Tanka University. The Huron campus became Si Tanka University-Huron, the first off-reservation university controlled by a Native American tribe.
The Tribe financed the deal with $6.6 million in loans and guarantees from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but soon found it could not support the school. The federal government grants that the Tribe had been counting on required at least 50% Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
enrollment, and Si Tanka couldn't meet that threshold with its new, primarily white Huron campus. The situation was further complicated by a scandal in April 2002, when a freshman basketball player at Si Tanka was arrested and eventually pleaded guilty to intentionally exposing another student to the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
virus. The case received national media coverage and student enrollment the following fall declined by 53 students to 475. The school was faced with too many professors and facilities for its number of students, leading to problems in paying faculty and staff.
The property fell into foreclosure in 2004 after the Tribe defaulted on $6.6 million worth of loans and faced a $2 million federal tax lien. On February 26, 2006, the Higher Learning Commission of the NCA voted to revoke the school's accreditation, effective on August 7, 2006, because the school's trustees had voted to cease operation as a university in the previous January http://www.ncahlc.org/download/PDN_2108.pdf. By March 2005, teachers and staff suffered multiple missed paychecks and gave the administration a vote of no confidence, walking off the job and effectively ending classes on March 28, 2005.
Closure
Northern State University
Northern State University is a four-year public university located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States. NSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and offers 38 majors and 42 minors, as well as six associate, eight pre-professional and nine graduate degrees.-History:Founded on the...
, a public university
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
in Aberdeen
Aberdeen, South Dakota
Aberdeen is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States, about 125 mi northeast of Pierre. Settled in 1880, it was incorporated in 1882. The city population was 26,091 at the 2010 census. The American News is the local newspaper...
took control of the school's transcripts
Transcript (education)
In education, a transcript is an inventory of the courses taken and grades earned of a student throughout a course.- United States :In United States education, a transcript is a copy of a student's permanent academic record which usually means all courses taken, all grades received, all...
.
In February 2006, the Chapter 11 case was dismissed when a federal judge found there weren't enough remaining assets for unsecured creditors. On May 5, 2006, the campus and all its assets were placed onto the auction block, including 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) with classrooms, campus center, dorms, library and gym — along with bleachers, band uniforms, bookcases and basketball banners. Two empty lots, including the football field, were sold immediately, but as of 2006, the bank was uninterested in selling buildings individually and continued to seek a buyer for the property as a whole.
In 2008, The Huron School District
Huron School District (South Dakota)
The Huron School District is a public school district in Huron, South Dakota. It contains four elementary schools, a middle school, a vocational school, a high school, two Hutterite colonies and an alternative high school. The School District owns and operated the local arena and the former Si...
bought the University arena. The Fine Arts Center is now owned by the City of Huron and is a community Fine Arts Center.
In 2011, The City voted to tear down the Campus to make room for Central Park, a Park and new swimming pool complex, Demoliion has was started on September 19, 2011, Construction due to start Spring 2012. and The Park to Open summer 2013.
Notable alumni
- Garney HenleyGarney Henley-College career:He attended Huron University in South Dakota, starring as a running back from 1959 to 1959 A First Team NAIA All-America in 1959, set NAIA career records with 394 points scored and over 4,000 rushing yards.-CFL career:Henley was drafted in 1960 by the NFL's Green Bay Packers in the...
, Canadian Football Hall of FameCanadian Football Hall of FameThe Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
player - Muriel HumphreyMuriel HumphreyMuriel Fay Buck Humphrey Brown was the widow of former Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Following her husband's death, she was appointed to his seat in the United States Senate, thus being the first wife of a Vice President to hold public office...
, wife of Vice PresidentVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Hubert HumphreyHubert HumphreyHubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
, served briefly as U.S. Senator from Minnesota - Harvey L. WollmanHarvey L. WollmanHarvey Lowell Wollman was the 26th Governor of South Dakota. He was the first Lieutenant Governor in the history of South Dakota to move into the Governor's office. As of 2009, he is also the most recent Democrat to hold the title of South Dakota governor.Wollman was born in 1935 in Frankfort,...
, Lieutenant GovernorLieutenant Governor of South DakotaThe Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota is the lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of South Dakota.He or she is the second-ranking member of the executive branch of South Dakota state government and also serves as presiding officer of the South Dakota Senate...
and Governor of South DakotaGovernor of South DakotaThe Governor of South Dakota is the head of the executive branch of the government of South Dakota. They are elected to a four year term on even years when there is no Presidential election. The current governor is Dennis Daugaard, a Republican elected in 2010....