University of South Dakota Athletics

South Dakota athletics has unveiled a strategic plan titled We Are South Dakota that redefines and prioritizes goals to achieve its vision and mission, USD Athletics Director David Herbster announced Wednesday.
 
We Are South Dakota establishes seven themes that identify and communicate priorities that are significant to achieving Coyote athletics' vision and mission. Those themes are:

• Academic Success & Student-Athlete Development
• Student-Athlete Well-Being & Performance
• Championship Culture
• Inclusion, Equity & Respect
• Financial Resources
• Athletic Facilities
• Collaboration

The announcement comes at a time of unprecedented athletic and academic success within the department. In its first decade of the Division I era, USD boasts three national champions, a WNIT championship and a combined 22 Summit League titles from nine programs. Last week, USD received the Summit League's Institutional Academic Achievement Award for the second time. In addition, the department has seen its first NCAA Walter Byers Award recipient, three Summit League Scholar-Athletes of the Year, 13 academic All-Americans and seven postgraduate scholarship recipients.
 
"These extraordinary achievements have only heightened our expectations," said Herbster. "From new facilities to cost-of-attendance measures to establishing a new program, this era has been defined by our enhanced commitment to the well-being and academic achievement of student-athletes. It is our responsibility to maintain this momentum, and the plan is in place to do just that."
 
USD consulted with CarrSports and received input from several stakeholder groups including University leadership, coaches, student-athletes, staff, community members and fans. Each of the seven themes is guided by a set of core values and contains several goals to chart progress and accountability. The full strategic plan can be found at www.GoYotes.com/strategicplan.
 
New Campaign
The We Are South Dakota campaign will guide the USD athletic department's messaging across multiple platforms in the coming year. It will be reflected in nearly all of marketing's collateral including posters, billboards, social media (#WeAreSouthDakota), advertisements and more. It replaces the FeaRED campaign, which will be phased out.
 
"We are the state's flagship university and the premier research institution in the state of South Dakota, and our fans, students, alumni and community take pride in that fact," said USD Deputy Athletic Director David Williams. "We represent our community and ultimately our state, and we wanted this campaign to encompass that. We are South Dakota, and we are proud of that."