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James W. Abbott
Education Vermillion, SD
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James W. Abbott has made a commitment to high expectations in all phases of his life -- business, politics and education. By setting priorities and exerting the discipline to improve, upgrade and surpass the ordinary, he has made lasting contributions to South Dakota and its people.
Abbott was born June 12, 1948, in Sioux City, Iowa, the oldest of eight children of Margie McCoy Abbott and James Abbott. The young family moved to Yankton when Abbott was 2 months old where his father, a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps, would pitch for the semi-pro baseball team, the Yankton Terry’s. He attended Yankton public schools. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota in 1970 and taught high school social studies for one year, emphasizing good citizenship, strong character and goal setting. His boyhood goal was to become a lawyer, which he achieved, obtaining a law degree from USD in 1974. He practiced law for several years in Yankton before beginning a business career as an entrepreneur. He took over a small, struggling communications company and turned it around, bringing cable TV to parts of three states, including areas in South Dakota that some said would never be reached.
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He married Colette Pugh of Pierre in 1987. The couple raised three daughters; Sara, Lyndsey and Nancy. Colette was a popular First Lady at USD, known for her passionate dedication to running marathons, her enthusiastic support of Coyote athletics and the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure. Colette died in the spring of 2016 while awaiting surgery for cancer.
Abbott represented Yankton County in the South Dakota State House from 1991-1992. He won respect from both political parties for his business skills and leadership. He served on the Economic Development Finance Authority, Agriculture and Business Development Authority and the State Board of Education. He was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 1994 in an unsuccessful campaign with gubernatorial candidate James Beddow of Mitchell. He also served on the South Dakota Constitutional Revision Committee and was a director of Home Federal Bank from 2007 to 2016. He is a trustee of the Freedom Forum, a Washington, D.C., organization devoted to the First Amendment, and he chairs the Newseum Institute, both founded by USD alumnus Al Neuharth.
In 1997 Abbott was named president of the University of South Dakota, the first alumnus to hold the office and is currently the longest-serving university president in the Board of Regents system. Abbott’s business background was helpful in improving efficiency and accountability at USD. Abbott is credited with setting high performance standards, emphasizing scholarships for USD students and enhancing faculty. At the same time his compassionate nature led him to donate a kidney, saving the life of a USD employee. Abbott took over a venerable 135-year-old university with aging facilities and a campus plagued by low staff morale. His goals for improvement led to Campaign South Dakota, which became the most
successful fundraising effort in state history. By 2006 the campaign had raised $133 million for scholarships, research, building projects and many other needs.
In 2002, Abbott took unpaid leave from USD to become a candidate for governor. In the Democratic primary, he easily defeated three contenders to become the party’s nominee for governor. His platform focused on more money for education and teacher pay, creating centers to turn university research into profitable products, and support for ethanol. Abbott lost the general election to Republican Mike Rounds.
Following the election, Abbott resumed his role as president of USD and continued a top-to-bottom $300 million renewal of the campus. Major private donations resulted in new buildings for the Sanford School of Medicine and the Beacom School of Business. Other buildings were renovated including the Al Neuharth Media Center and the Dean Belbas Center, currently the admissions office. New amenities on campus included a brand new Muenster University Center, Coyote Village--a 500-resident, apartment-style dormitory--and a modern Wellness Center. In 2016, the university completed a $65 million renovation of the north side of campus, opening the Sanford Coyote
Sports Center, the Lilibridge Track and First Bank & Trust Soccer complexes.
In his own words, “Great universities do three basic things each and every day. We teach, we foster research, and we provide service to our students, our state and our region,” he said. “Our extraordinary universities help drive the state’s economy.”
Nominator: Harvey Jewett
President James W. Abbott
Thank you for 20 years of dedication.
