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{{about|the university in Huron, South Dakota, USA|other uses}}
{{Short description|Private university in South Dakota, US}}
{{about|the university in Huron, South Dakota, US|other uses}}
{{Infobox university
{{Infobox university
|name = Huron University
|name = Huron University
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|image = Huron University logo.png
|image = Huron University logo.png
|motto =
|motto =
|established = 1883–2005
|established = {{start date and age|1883}} 
|closed = <br/>{{end date and age|2005}}
|type = [[Private school|Private]] (closed)
|type = [[Private school|Private]] (closed)
|endowment =
|endowment =
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|colours =
|colours =
|free_label = Affiliations
|free_label = Affiliations
|free = formerly [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA Division II]]
|free = formerly [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA Division II]]
|mascot =
|mascot =
|nickname = Screaming Eagles
|nickname = Screaming Eagles
|affiliations =
|affiliations =
|footnotes =
|footnotes =
|website = {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.sitanka.edu/|title=sitanka.edu}}<br>
|website = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.sitanka.edu/ |title=sitanka.edu}}<br>{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.huron.edu/ |title=huron.edu}}
{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.huron.edu/|title=huron.edu}}
|address =
|address =
|telephone =
|telephone =
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|logo =
|logo =
}}
}}

'''Huron University''', also known as '''Si Tanka University at Huron''', was a [[private university]] formerly located in [[Huron, South Dakota]]. Founded in 1883, it closed on April 1, 2005.
'''Huron University''', also known as '''Si Tanka University at Huron''', was a [[private university]] formerly located in [[Huron, South Dakota]]. Founded in 1883, it closed on April 1, 2005.


==History==
==History==


===Beginnings===
===Founding===
What became Huron University was founded in 1883 as '''Presbyterian University of Southern Dakota''', founded in [[Pierre, South Dakota|Pierre]] while it was still in [[Dakota Territory]]. A year later the school became '''Pierre University''', but was commonly known as '''Pierre College'''. On May 31, 1887, the University conferred its first degree, which was the first degree to be awarded in the Dakota Territory.{{Citation needed|date = February 2019}}
What became Huron University was founded in 1883 as Presbyterian University of Southern Dakota, founded in [[Pierre, South Dakota|Pierre]] while it was still [[Dakota Territory]]. A year later, the school became Pierre University, but was commonly known as Pierre College. On May 31, 1887, the university conferred its first degree, which was the first degree to be awarded in the Dakota Territory.<ref>"[https://www.sdstate.edu/south-dakota-agricultural-heritage-museumblog/welcome-huron Welcome to Huron College," online], March 19, 2022.</ref>


In 1897, the efforts of [[John L. Pyle]], [[Mamie Shields Pyle]], and other Huron residents led to the University's move to Huron, where it became '''Huron College'''.<ref>*{{cite news |last=Hartwich |first=Ethelyn Miller |date=June 24, 1930 |title=Harlan Page Carson Envisioned Huron College In Early Eighties |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/19308454/ |work=[[Plainsman (South Dakota)|The Daily Huronite]] |location=Huron, SD |url-access=subscription |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |page=23 |ref={{sfnRef|"Harlan Page Carson Envisioned Huron College In Early Eighties"}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.southdakotamagazine.com/huron-the-comeback-city|title=The Comeback City|last=Higbee|first=Paul|website=www.southdakotamagazine.com|access-date=April 27, 2019}}</ref> By 1915, the school had become [[school accreditation|accredited]] by the [[North Central Association of Colleges and Schools]] (NCA). Two years later one of its alumni 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 language|Korean]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Shavit|first=David|title=The United States in Asia: a historical dictionary|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|date=November 1990|pages=320|isbn=978-0-313-26788-8}}</ref>
In 1897, the efforts of [[John L. Pyle]], [[Mamie Shields Pyle]], and other Huron residents led to the university's move to Huron, where it became Huron College.<ref>*{{cite news |last=Hartwich |first=Ethelyn Miller |date=June 24, 1930 |title=Harlan Page Carson Envisioned Huron College In Early Eighties |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/19308454/ |work=[[Plainsman (South Dakota)|The Daily Huronite]] |location=Huron, SD |url-access=subscription |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |page=23 |ref={{sfnRef|"Harlan Page Carson Envisioned Huron College In Early Eighties"}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Higbee |first=Paul |title=The Comeback City |url=http://www.southdakotamagazine.com/huron-the-comeback-city |website=www.southdakotamagazine.com |access-date=April 27, 2019}}</ref> By 1915, the school had become [[School accreditation|accredited]] by the [[North Central Association of Colleges and Schools]] (NCA). Two years later one of its alumni 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 language|Korean]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Shavit |first=David |title=The United States in Asia: a historical dictionary |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |date=November 1990 |pages=320 |isbn=978-0-313-26788-8}}</ref>


===For-profit ownership===
===For-profit ownership===
{{unreferenced section|date = February 2019}}
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2019}}
By the 1980s, the school had become seriously in debt and Midwest Educational Systems Inc., owner of [[Rapid City, South Dakota|Rapid City]]-based, [[for-profit college|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 Church (USA)|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.
By the 1980s the school had fallen seriously into debt. After the town of Huron agreed to take over existing debt as well as to purchase the school's Fine Arts Center for $1.5m, Midwest Educational Systems Inc. (owner of [[Rapid City, South Dakota|Rapid City]]-based [[For-profit college|for-profit]] business school [[National American University|National College]]) agreed to manage the school. The deal was finalized on July 11, 1984, marking the end of the school's 100 years of [[Presbyterian Church (USA)|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 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 [[House of Representatives of Japan|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 February 1992, Eastern International Education Association, a Delaware-based corporation headed by a member of the [[House of Representatives of Japan|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.
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.


===Tribal ownership===
===Tribal ownership===
{{unreferenced section|date = February 2019}}
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2019}}
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 Reservation]]. Si Tanka College, named after the Teton Sioux [[Spotted Elk|chief of the same name]], already had a campus in [[Eagle Butte, South Dakota|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.
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 Reservation]]. Si Tanka College, named after the Teton Sioux [[Spotted Elk|chief of the same name]], already had a campus in [[Eagle Butte, South Dakota|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 Americans in the United States|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 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 Americans in the United States|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]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. 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 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]{{dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}. By March 2005 teachers and staff had 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===
===Closure===
{{unreferenced section|date = February 2019}}
{{unreferenced section|date = February 2019}}
[[File:HuronCollege.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Voorhees Hall at the former Huron College, photographed November 10, 2006 as the campus awaits a potential buyer.]]
[[File:HuronCollege.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Voorhees Hall at the former Huron College, photographed November 10, 2006 as the campus awaits a potential buyer.]]
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, South Dakota|Aberdeen]] took control of the school's [[Transcript (education)|transcripts]].
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, South Dakota|Aberdeen]] took control of the school's [[Transcript (education)|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 {{Convert|23|acre|m2}} with classrooms, campus center, dorms, library and gym &mdash; 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 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 {{convert|23|acre|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 (South Dakota)|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 2008, the [[Huron School District (South Dakota)|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 of Huron voted to tear down the campus to make room for Central Park, which will include a park and new swimming pool complex. Demolition was started on September 19, 2011. Construction was due to start in early 2012, and the park to open Summer 2013.{{needs update|date=April 2021}}
In 2011, the City of Huron voted to tear down the campus to make room for Central Park, which was to include a park and new swimming pool complex. Demolition was started on September 19, 2011. Construction was due to start in early 2012, and the park to opened in 2013. As of 2021 all but a few buildings on the old campus was demolished: McDougal Residence Hall (1953), originally a women's dorm, was sold and converted into the Huron Area Senior Center in 1978; the city renovated and kept the Campus Center (1970) & Fine Arts Center (1973).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=178926|title = History of Huron College / Huron University Historical Marker}}</ref>


==Notable alumni==
==Notable alumni==
*[[Nikko Briteramos]], basketball player
*[[Garney Henley]], [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]] player
*[[Garney Henley]], [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]] player
*[[Muriel Humphrey]], wife of [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Hubert Humphrey]], served briefly as [[US Congressional Delegations from Minnesota|U.S. Senator from Minnesota]]
*[[Muriel Humphrey]], wife of Vice President [[Hubert Humphrey]]; served briefly as [[US Congressional Delegations from Minnesota|U.S. Senator from Minnesota]]
⚫
*[[Gladys Pyle]], South Dakota secretary of state and interim U.S. senator
⚫
*[[Harvey L. Wollman]], [[Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota|Lieutenant Governor]] and [[Governor of South Dakota]]
*[[Lynn Schneider]], member of the [[South Dakota House of Representatives]]
*[[Nikko Briteramos]]; Former Huron University Basketball Player
⚫
*[[Harvey L. Wollman]], [[Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota|lieutenant governor]] and [[governor of South Dakota]]
⚫
*[[Gladys Pyle]]; South Dakota Secretary of State and interim US Senator
*Wes W. Hazlett; Former [https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Wes_Hazlett Huron University Baseball Player]


==References==
==References==
Line 95: Line 97:
==Sources==
==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070311060425/http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/14506700.htm Auction ushers end to college], ''[[Aberdeen American News]]'', May 5, 2006, ''Accessed May 5, 2006''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070311060425/http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/14506700.htm Auction ushers end to college], ''[[Aberdeen American News]]'', May 5, 2006. Accessed May 5, 2006.
*[[Associated Press]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311060439/http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/14506705.htm Timeline of significant events in history of former Huron University], ''[[Aberdeen American News]]'', May 5, 2006, ''Accessed May 5, 2006''
*[[Associated Press]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311060439/http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/14506705.htm Timeline of significant events in history of former Huron University], ''[[Aberdeen American News]]'', May 5, 2006. Accessed May 5, 2006.
*Roger Larsen, [http://www.plainsman.com/main.php?story_id=8841&page=23 City wants court to decide if it owns Fine Arts Center free of all mortgages, liens and encumbrances],{{dead link|date=December 2019}} ''[[Huron Plainsman]]'', ''Accessed May 5, 2006''
*Roger Larsen, [http://www.plainsman.com/main.php?story_id=8841&page=23 City wants court to decide if it owns Fine Arts Center free of all mortgages, liens and encumbrances],{{dead link|date=December 2019}} ''[[Huron Plainsman]]''. Accessed May 5, 2006.
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.sitanka.edu/|title=Si Tanka Huron University (www.sitanka.edu)}}
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.sitanka.edu/ |title=Si Tanka Huron University (www.sitanka.edu)}}
*{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.huron.edu/|title=Huron University (www.huron.edu)}}
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.huron.edu/ |title=Huron University (www.huron.edu)}}


{{coord|44|21|26|N|98|13|09|W|format=dms|display=title|type:edu_region:US-SD}}
{{coord|44|21|26|N|98|13|09|W|format=dms|display=title|type:edu_region:US-SD}}
{{authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Huron University| ]]
[[Category:Huron University| ]]
[[Category:Defunct private universities and colleges in South Dakota]]
[[Category:Defunct private universities and colleges in South Dakota]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1883]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1883]]
[[Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 2005]]
[[Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 2005]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Huron, South Dakota]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Huron, South Dakota]]

Latest revision as of 21:04, 14 April 2024

This article is about the university in Huron, South Dakota, US. For other uses, see Huron University (disambiguation).
Huron University
TypePrivate (closed)
Active1883; 141 years ago (1883) –
2005; 19 years ago (2005)
Location
Huron
,
South Dakota
,
United States
Affiliationsformerly NAIA Division II
NicknameScreaming Eagles
Websitesitanka.edu at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
huron.edu at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

Huron University, also known as Si Tanka University at Huron, was a private university formerly located in Huron, South Dakota. Founded in 1883, it closed on April 1, 2005.

History[edit]

Founding[edit]

What became Huron University was founded in 1883 as Presbyterian University of Southern Dakota, founded in Pierre while it was still Dakota Territory. A year later, the school became Pierre University, but was commonly known as Pierre College. On May 31, 1887, the university conferred its first degree, which was the first degree to be awarded in the Dakota Territory.[1]

In 1897, the efforts of John L. Pyle, Mamie Shields Pyle, and other Huron residents led to the university's move to Huron, where it became Huron College.[2][3] By 1915, the school had become accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). Two years later one of its alumni 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.[4]

For-profit ownership[edit]

By the 1980s the school had fallen seriously into debt. After the town of Huron agreed to take over existing debt as well as to purchase the school's Fine Arts Center for $1.5m, Midwest Educational Systems Inc. (owner of Rapid City-based for-profit business school National College) agreed to manage the school. The deal was finalized on July 11, 1984, 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.

Tribal ownership[edit]

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 Reservation. 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 [1][permanent dead link]. By March 2005 teachers and staff had 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[edit]

Voorhees Hall at the former Huron College, photographed November 10, 2006 as the campus awaits a potential buyer.

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 (93,000 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 of Huron voted to tear down the campus to make room for Central Park, which was to include a park and new swimming pool complex. Demolition was started on September 19, 2011. Construction was due to start in early 2012, and the park to opened in 2013. As of 2021 all but a few buildings on the old campus was demolished: McDougal Residence Hall (1953), originally a women's dorm, was sold and converted into the Huron Area Senior Center in 1978; the city renovated and kept the Campus Center (1970) & Fine Arts Center (1973).[5]

Notable alumni[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Welcome to Huron College," online, March 19, 2022.
  2. ^ *Hartwich, Ethelyn Miller (June 24, 1930). "Harlan Page Carson Envisioned Huron College In Early Eighties". The Daily Huronite. Huron, SD. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Higbee, Paul. "The Comeback City". www.southdakotamagazine.com. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  4. ^ Shavit, David (November 1990). The United States in Asia: a historical dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 320. ISBN 978-0-313-26788-8.
  5. ^ "History of Huron College / Huron University Historical Marker".

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

44°21′26″N 98°13′09″W / 44.35722°N 98.21917°W / 44.35722; -98.21917

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