The state board of technical education has approved a new location for Western Dakota Tech in the southern Black Hills.
Despite the expansion, schools like WDT continue to face challenges hindering growth.
The new WDT facility will be housed in Hot Springs and partnered with the Fitzmaurice Veterans Home. It was approved on a vote by the Board of Technical Education Thursday.
WDT president Ann Bolman said it’s an opportunity to expand resources for the community and aspiring licensed practical nurses.
“We have a fantastic opportunity to expand the number of LPN students we can accept into the program with the opportunity to have another cohort in Hot Springs," Bolman said. "We’re looking forward to being able to provide access to high quality LPN programming in that part of the region because it will help a lot with students who are place-bound.”
But Bolman said there are barriers to overcome before mentioning any further expansion.
“In order for Western Dakota Tech to expand its footprint, what do we need to do? The first thing that we’ve got to do is pursue on-campus student housing," Bolman said. "Currently the cost of housing in Rapid City – if you can find it – is way past what typical students can afford to pay.”
Bolman said the reality of housing in the Black Hills directly corresponds to WDT’s bottom line.
“In Rapid City it really is a different type of environment, but when you start also comparing that to how many people want to live in Rapid City and how much the property itself – just the ground – costs, it pulls it up to a completely different complication level coming up with affordable housing," Bolman said. "Because we have this situation, we currently have a very difficult time pulling students from more than 60 miles away from campus.”
Three of the states four technical schools reported minor dips in enrollment over the most recent semester.