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Presentation College in South Dakota plans to close

Dive Brief:

• Presentation College said Tuesday that it will soon shut down, ending the run of the small nonprofit in Aberdeen, South Dakota, which was founded more than seven decades ago by an order of Catholic nuns seeking to provide nursing education to boost rural healthcare.
• Before the COVID-19 pandemic, college leaders started evaluating their prospects for increasing enrollment, which totaled under 600 students in fall 2021. But the college faced challenges including a high dependency on gifts and tuition revenue, a remote location that's hard for out-of-state students to reach, and the pandemic.
• Presentation won't enroll new students for the 2023-24 academic year. It will shut down its Aberdeen campus operations after the upcoming spring and summer sessions and transfer an online nursing program it operates to a Catholic university in Iowa.

Dive Insight:

Several of Presentation College's key metrics mirror those of other stressed or closing colleges. It's small, it has been losing enrollment, and it has been increasingly discounting tuition.

The institution enrolled 821 students in fall 2016, according to federal data. But its student body shrank steadily since then to just 577 five years later.

Presentation discounted tuition at increasing rates over that time period, its audited financial statements show. In fiscal 2016 , it listed $3.5 million in scholarships and grants versus $13.8 million in topline tuition and fee revenue. By 2021 , scholarships and grants totaled $4.3 million against $11.8 million in tuition and fee revenue.  

In other words, the college went from not collecting 25 cents for every dollar it charged in sticker price to forgoing 36 cents, even as it enrolled fewer students.

"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," Sister Mary Thomas, president of the Presentation Sisters Corporate Board, said in a statement Tuesday.

The university has teach-out agreements in place with the University of Mary, in North Dakota, Olivet College, in Michigan, and St. Ambrose University, in Iowa. It's seeking additional teach-out partners.

St. Ambrose is also taking on an online bachelor of science in nursing program operated by Presentation. It will become known as the Nano Nagle Online School of Nursing at St. Ambrose University, named for the founder of the Presentation Sisters.

"St. Ambrose University’s state-of-the-art nursing program is a natural fit with Presentation to create the Nano Nagle Online School of Nursing, ensuring the legacies of the College and the Presentation Sisters," Presentation College President Paula Langteau said in a statement.

Most Presentation programs will end after the spring semester. A practical nursing program will run through August.

Presentation is shutting down after closing a branch campus in Fairmont, Minnesota, where it started operating in 2003 . The institution closed that branch in 2021. 

When the branch closure was announced, Vice President for Academics Diane Duin pointed to low application numbers and increasing local competition. Duin told the Fairmont Sentinel the college had "opportunities for online learning." As of 2019, the branch had enrolled about 50 students.

Presentation College joins a growing list of institutions to close or announce plans to shutter in the wake of the pandemic. 

Among them are several other Catholic institutions. In the last year, two in California, Holy Names University and Marymount California University , decided to close. Chatfield College , a two-year institution in Ohio, opted to stop operating as a higher education institution and turn into a nonprofit group trying to improve degree attainment. And St. John's University laid plans to close a campus it operates on Staten Island, New York, after the spring 2024 term.

In each of those cases, college leaders pointed to declining enrollment. They often also cited rising expenses and pressures exacerbated by the pandemic.

Numerous factors challenging small private colleges existed before the pandemic. Pressures stemming from college costs, student price sensitivity and economies of scale in operations predate the crisis. So do declines in birth rates around the Great Recession that have long been predicted to drive down the overall number of high school graduates available to enroll in college in many parts of the country. 

But colleges were temporarily buoyed by millions of dollars apiece in federal pandemic relief funding. That money was generally most valuable to institutions under the greatest preexisting financial stress.

Now no more aid is coming, leaving college leaders still worried about risks that enrollment constraints pose to their business models. Institutions with noncompetitive admissions are generally considered most likely to lose enrollment and the important net tuition revenue it drives.

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Presentation College history

Presentation college company history timeline.

Founded in 1951 in Aberdeen, South Dakota, Presentation College has a professions focus in the undergraduate programs, including Health and Natural Sciences, Nursing, and Social Science and Humanities.

This building now a landmark in San Fernando, dominates lower Coffee Street, and can be seen from a considerable distance. It was officially opened on May 2, 1956, by His Grace, the Archbishop Count Finbar Ryan, and the Governor of Trinidad and Tobago, Sir Edward Betham Beetham.

The formal commissioning of the new college, PCC as it is know today was held in March 1959 by the then Education and Culture Minister, Doctor Patrick Solomon.

In April 1959, Brother Livinus Kelly assumed leadership and began what would be a long and memorable rule by the Presentation Brothers.

The College conferred diplomas to its graduates until 1966, when the College began offering associate degrees in Arts and Sciences.

In 1968 the college became co-educational.

Bro Michael Samuel became the first local principal in 1975 Under his principalship the school saw a shift away from an emphasis on scholarships to a greater concern on nurturing and maintaining a close family spirit.

1982 Presentation College is built by the parish, in response to the demand for greater facilities for boys and girls and aware of the value of co-education.

In 1990 the College was also accredited to confer four-year professional baccalaureate programs.

1994 Transition Year introduced.

The athletics program began in 1995 and continues to grow and expand.

In 1996 another expansion programme was started under the Principalship of Bro.

The 1,200-seat Strode Activity Center was dedicated in 1998 as the home of Saints Athletics.

The name of the pool will be “The St Michael’s Swimming Pool”. It is expected to be opened in 1998.

A new student housing complex opened in 1999, featuring suites with private bedrooms, semi-private bathrooms, living rooms, kitchens, computers and Internet access.

Distance learning programs at the College were added in 2000 under the umbrella known as PC Virtual.

In 2013, Presentation College opened a multi-million dollar student suites housing facility, as well as a new athletic training and wellness center with expanded space and high-tech exercise equipment.

In 2017, the Presentation Sisters transferred the governance of Iona Presentation College to the Archbishop of Perth.

At the beginning of 2017, construction began on the Avera Simulation Center, a high-tech, hands-on learning center for students in Nursing, Athletic Training and other Allied Health Fields.

During the summer of 2017, a new Welcome Center for visitors, alumni, prospective students and families was constructed at the entrance of the main building. “Saint Square,” a resource and service office for students, was designed on the second floor.

Also in the fall of 2018, Presentation College launched its first-ever graduate program: a Master’s in Nursing with two tracks: Family Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Educator.

Presentation College Fairmont would close its doors in May of 2021 after a full teach out of all degrees.

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Presentation College, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Presentation College. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Presentation College. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Presentation College. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Presentation College and its employees or that of Zippia.

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Aberdeen, SD

Legacy Lives On: City of Aberdeen Provides Anchor to Presentation Campus 

October 18, 2023

The Presentation College campus is poised to begin an exciting new chapter through a partnership with the city of Aberdeen.

In recent months, a partnership with the city of Aberdeen and its Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department was formed to guarantee that the College campus and its facilities will continue to benefit the community even after its tenure as home to Presentation College. The city will acquire a significant portion of the Sisters’ campus, encompassing the Strode Center, the dome, soccer field and the northeast parcel of undeveloped land.

“These properties will help us continue to improve quality of life in Aberdeen by allowing us to expand our commitment to providing year-round recreational opportunities to everyone in the community,” said Mayor Travis Schaunaman. “The Sisters have been integral to the success of Aberdeen and I’m glad that we’re able to help them perpetuate their legacy for generations to come.”

We are grateful for the city’s partnership. “Our congregation has a long tradition of partnering with others to enhance the quality of life for all the people of Aberdeen. We found a strong, reliable partner in Mayor Schaunaman and are grateful that children of all socio-economic status will have access to these resources for years to come. Both the city of Aberdeen and the Sisters value being inclusive as a pathway of being in right relationship with all people,” said Sister Mary Thomas, congregational president.

Together, may we carry forward the legacy of Nano Nagle, perpetuating a tradition that offers opportunities, hope and compassion for all.

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City of Aberdeen opens Presentation College facilities for community use

ABERDEEN, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - One year ago, Presentation College announced it would be closing its campus permanently. Now, city officials in Aberdeen have found that one man’s campus is another man’s recreational treasure.

For many months, there were questions around the city of Aberdeen about what was going to happen with the buildings on Presentation’s campus, such as the Presentation Dome and the Strode Center. That decision laid with the Presentation Sisters, and they were the ones who reached out to Aberdeen Parks and Recreation with an idea.

A lease agreement to transfer control of the facilities to the city was formed with the Sisters. In December, Aberdeen officially opened the Strode Center and newly renamed Aberdeen Dome to the community.

For a small daily fee or the purchase of a punch card, residents can utilize the Saints’ fitness center, basketball court and indoor turf field, which lies in a temperature-controlled dome and also features batting cages.

Those facilities quickly generated interest from Aberdeen’s residents.

“Right now, we have offered some Dome hours. It’s kind of how we are scheduling things in the mornings to allow people to come in and use these facilities every morning.  We are working with other groups in town, certainly the Hub City Soccer Club, Northern State University, and Central High School have all scheduled times already,” said Recreation Aquatic Supervisor Travis Lemer.

Northern State University’s head distance running coach, Macy Heinz, was just one of the many that jumped on the opportunity to have their team practice in the Aberdeen Dome. Since winter’s arrival, it’s already proved to be an asset.

“As far as I know from last year, we struggled to get outside, especially with the winter we had last year.  I think this is a really good tool that we can have now to utilize to A: for the city of Aberdeen and B: for athletes to get some good training in a fairly temperature regulated, not icy surface,” said Heinz.

Parks and Rec Director Mark Hoven believes the facilities will bring new opportunities to Aberdeen’s residents.

“It was really a quality of life type thing. You live in Aberdeen... a lot of winters here. This provides an opportunity for people to get out of the winter. So, we’re pretty excited to have the opportunity to come in and have both this and the Strode Activities Center to be available to the citizens of Aberdeen to use,” said Hoven.

City officials say they are leasing the facilities on a month-to-month basis, but hope to reach a purchase agreement with the Presentation Sisters in the near future.

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Presentation College closing Aberdeen campus

The 2022-23 calendar year will be the last year students will be able to enroll in classes at Presentation College's Aberdeen Campus.

According to an announcement posted on the Presentation College website, students will not be enrolled in the 2023-24 academic year and operations at the Aberdeen campus will cease after the spring and summer 2023 sessions.

Three Teach-Out Agreements with other higher educational institutions are in place, which provide complete credit acceptance and comparable net tuition costs for current students. These agreements are with St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa; University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D.; and and Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan.

St. Ambrose University and Presentation also announced plans last week to offer as an online program, Presentation's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, a pathway for nursing students. This online program will become the Nano Nagle Online School of Nursing at St. Ambrose in honor of Nano Nagle who founded the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Aberdeen.

Presentation employees will have staggered end dates

According to the release employees are being provided staggered end dates and final compensation based on their responsibilities.

Presentation Sisters founded the College in 1951 to fulfill its mission of rural health care and service through nursing education. The College later expanded to include academic programs in Health and Natural Sciences, and Social Science and Humanities, to support its mission of development of the whole person, in the Catholic tradition. Presentation Sisters have continuously sponsored the College and retained ownership of the campus land with the College as a separate nonprofit.

More: Presentation College announces new re-envisioning plan with focus on rural health care

"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,” Sister Mary Thomas, president of the Presentation Sisters Corporate Board said in the news release. “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.”  

Presentation is hosting a Teach-Out/career fair Jan. 30-31 to assist students and faculty with their transitions to other institutions, according to the release. Presentation is also bringing independent academic coaches from College Possible to campus to assist students with their individual plans. A job fair will also be organized later this spring to help staff explore future employment opportunities.

Discussion about the campus' future started before the COVID pandemic

Just before the COVID pandemic in 2020, the College, the Board of Trustees, and the Corporate Board of the Presentation Sisters embarked on a year-long process of examining data and market impacts, engaging constituent groups to better understand the financial health of the College and its potential for growing enrollment to achieve sustainability. Its rural location, difficult for many out-of-state students to access, was already a known factor, along with a significant dependency on tuition revenue and gifts. The impact of COVID exacerbated the College’s challenges. 

“The College explored and brought to the boards numerous partnership options over the last year, resulting in their selection of St. Ambrose University for continuing the Online BSN programs,” said Paula Langteau, president of Presentation College in the release.

Presentation's nursing program is going online

Last week Presentation and St. Ambrose. University announced the creation of the Nano Nagle Online School of Nursing.

More: Presentation, St. Ambrose University sign agreement to enhance online nursing education

“As previously announced, St. Ambrose University’s state-of-the-art nursing program is a natural fit with Presentation to create the Nano Nagle Online School of Nursing, ensuring the legacies of the College and the Presentation Sisters,” Langteau said in the release. “SAU also will serve as one of a number of Teach-Out Partners for other majors. It is important to us that every student has multiple, comparable options to complete their chosen degrees on time and without an increased financial investment.”

How will the teach-out partnerships work

According to information on the Presentation College website, the teach-out agreements guarantee admission to St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa; University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D.; and and Olivet College in Olivet, Mich.

Students are also guaranteed tuition that is equal to or less than Presentation and students are guaranteed to complete the programs at the same time they would have completed them at Presentation.

Olivet College has a D-III athletic program and is part of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. University of Mary has a D-II athletic program and is part of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. St. Ambrose University is part of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

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2022-2023 Catalog

Presentation college.

1500 North Main Street

Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401

Telephone: 605-225-1634

800-437-6060

www.presentation.edu

An Independent Catholic College

Incorporated by

The State of South Dakota

Sponsored by

THE SISTERS OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Aberdeen, South Dakota

Information in this catalog is as complete and accurate as possible at the time of publication. It does not constitute a contract as the College reserves the right to change degree requirements, fee structures, regulations and other items contained herein.

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Presentation College closing its Aberdeen campus

Presentation College is closing the doors at its Aberdeen campus.

The campus will cease operations after the summer semester, according to a press release from the college.

Three teach-out agreements with other higher educational institutions are in place to help students continue their degrees. An online nursing program will continue to be offered through Iowa-based St. Ambrose University.

Employees will be provided staggered end dates and final compensation "based upon their responsibilities," the release said.

“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.”

The board began a year-long evaluation of the college's sustainability just before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Officials said the study identified many challenges to Presentation's growth, including its rural location and dependence on tuition revenue and gifts. The impact of COVID exacerbated these challenges.

The private college was founded in 1951 by the Presentation Sisters, a Catholic religious institution, with a focus on its nursing program. Other academic programs were added later.

Read the full statement from Presentation College here .