Saturday,  Nov. 02, 2013 • Vol. 16--No. 109 • 19 of 27

(Continued from page 18)

Presentation College closing reservation campus

• ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) -- Aberdeen-based Presentation College is closing its outreach campus on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation next spring.
• The campus in Eagle Butte was created in 1980, when the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe asked the private Catholic school to develop a nursing program to address health care needs on the reservation. Of the campus' 186 alumni, 170 studied nursing.
• College President Margaret Huber said officials think the mission in Eagle Butte has been accomplished, and that there has been a decline in applications and enrollment over the past six years.
• The campus will close in May. Students enrolled there will be able to finish their degrees. Nine are enrolled and five are anticipating a spring graduation. The others can attend classes in Aberdeen with the help of a scholarship fund or take courses online.
• "We are still very much dedicated to providing higher education opportunities to Native Americans," Huber said. "We are just going to be offering those opportunities in a different capacity now."

SD hunger relief organization raising $6 million

• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- The Feeding South Dakota hunger relief organization announced Friday it is launching a $6 million statewide capital campaign to boost facilities and services.
• The organization is trying to reach a goal of providing 16 million meals a year by 2020 -- an annual increase of about 5 million from the number of meals it currently provides statewide.
• Feeding South Dakota wants larger and more efficient facilities in Rapid City, Pierre and Sioux Falls. A $500,000 matching grant from the John T. Vucurevich Foundation is being used for the Rapid City facility, which was purchased early this year and opened in February.
• The organization wants to raise $2 million to support the Rapid City facility, $1 million to expand its facility in Pierre and $3 million for a new facility in Sioux Falls that would combine two existing facilities. Officials said they also are working to grow Feeding South Dakota's mobile distribution, school and volunteer programs.
• "We must find a way to help our fellow citizens -- our neighbors and friends -- who feel the daily pains of an empty stomach," businessman Larry Riddle, who serves as chairman of the Rapid City portion of the campaign, said in a statement.

(Continued on page 20)

© 2013 Groton Daily Independent • To send correspondence, click here.