The Volante
THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887
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W E D N E S D AY, A P R I L 1 8 , 2 0 1 8
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It’s not very often that your university president knows so many students by name and walks their dog through the MUC and stops to have so many conversations with students or goes to the student tailgate and takes pictures. He made people proud to be a Coyote. Teagan McNary, former SGA president
JAMES ABBOTT
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President from 1997 to 2018
Molly Schiermeyer I The Volante
USD President James Abbott moved into Coyote Village this February. He is retiring this June after a 21-year term.
Coyote-in-Chief leaves behind legacy Rachel Newville
Rachel.Newville@coyotes.usd.edu
File Photo I The Volante
Once USD President James Abbott retires, he plans to vacation for six months.
As June approaches, the USD community prepares to say goodbye to the G.O.A.T. and welcome a new university president. University President James Abbott announced his retirement Sept. 27. He’s served as USD’s president for 21 years. Abbott said some of his most memorable moments include the Women’s National Invitational Tournament win in the DakotaDome in 2016 and the student service on campus after 9/11. Commencement is another personal favorite of Abbott’s. He noted in his last state of the university address
that he’s issued 35,148 degrees in 20 years at the job. “Every single year, every single commencement is a memorable day because it doesn’t make any difference on that day whether you’re first or you’re last, the fact is you are leaving here with a credential that you can use to be whatever you want to be,” he said. Abbott’s connection to students is evident in the conversations he has with tour groups to the times he lets students play with his dog, McGovern. He’s been interacting with students even more since moving into Coyote Village in February. See ABBOTT, Page A6
Laura Chandler hired as new CDC director Cheyenne Alexis
Cheyenne.Alexis@coyotes.usd.edu
Following a semester without leadership in the Center for Diversity & Community, a new director was hired with the help of a search committee and students. Laura Renee Chandler, an assistant professor of history at South Dakota State University, was hired as director following a three-part student panel April 2, 3 and 5. When Chandler officially starts her position on June 22, she will be in charge of hiring a new coordinator for the CDC. Lamont Sellers, associate vice president for diversity and part of the search committee, said the panels helped students really get to know their potential leaders. “This particular position addresses a lot of student issues and concerns,” he said. “It really wouldn’t make sense for us as a committee to not include that as an aspect of the interview process.”
Sellers said Chandler has many qualifications to lead the CDC. “The fact that her faculty service as a U.S. history professor, as well as her experience and research with African-American females and African-American studies in general was one of the high points,” he said. “Something else she brings to the table is experience with having difficult conversations.” Sellers said Chandler meets many of his expectations for a director. “I’ve been looking for that colleague on campus that will be able to continue to move things forward for inclusive excellence from the student perspective,” he said. “I’m really excited for her to be able to come in and chart a course for the CDC to continue to be innovated, to continue to address student needs, to address our campus needs and be an exemplar to what a center of this type can be in the region and in the country.”
File Photo I The Volante
Laura Chandler, an assistant professor of history at South Dakota
State University, was hired as the Center for Diversity & Community’s new director. She spoke at the Sioux Falls women’s march Jan. 20.
Logan Rahn I The Volante
Barnes & Noble has had its contract since 2002, which is set to expire in summer 2019.
Bookstore seeks contract renewal Kelli Susemihl
Kelli.Susemihl@coyotes.usd.edu
As Barnes & Noble’s contract is nearing its expiration date of June 2019, a committee of USD faculty is developing a new request for proposal (RFP) for a new campus bookstore. Barnes & Noble has been at USD since 2002 and plans to submit a proposal in order to be considered for a contract renewal. Darby Ganschow, director of auxiliary services and manager of the USD purchasing office, is responsible for developing RFPs and contracts for potential vendors. In an email interview with The Volante, Ganschow said not all contracts have set expiration dates. “There is no set time limit for contracts, it depends on the type of contract, the scope of services and negotiations with the vendor,” Ganschow said. “We have not identified the exact terms for a new bookstore contract.” John Howe, the associate dean of student services and the
chair of the bookstore RFP committee, said the Barnes & Noble contract has been extended several times since the original contract in 2002. “There were some modifications over time to meet students’ needs, like things like textbook rental programs that weren’t in existence in the earlier part of the contract, like e-books,” Howe said. Both Howe and Ganschow said the committee will be looking at other book retail options other than Barnes & Noble, such as Follet Higher Education Group or other online book retailers. However, Howe said they are looking to keep the same type of store. “We’re really looking to keep something like what we already have here, where there’s a physical store that is run by a third party vendor that will meet the best needs of our students,” Howe said. Howe said the committee plans to finalize the RFP by October of 2018. “Then in October, it would
go up… and we’d have everyone who has reported information back to us look through it,” Howe said. “Then the committee will look through that and give recommendations to the administration.” Although Barnes & Noble’s contract is expiring, Howe said the store has been beneficial to campus and has fulfilled the requirements of the current contract. “They have healthy customer relationships. With their reach being really broad, they’re able to pull in aspects of used books,” Howe said. “There’s a large pool of other corporate stores that they’re able to pull from.”
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