Gestring assumed the role of USD’s 18th president on June 22, 2018, after previously serving as the university’s vice president of finance and chief financial officer since 2010 and serving on the USD finance staff since 2006. She became USD’s second alum and woman to serve as president.

As president, Gestring has remained focused on championing the university’s mission, supporting students and addressing workforce needs in the state. She has guided the university through critical periods of transformation, navigating challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and opportunities such as the establishment of USD – Sioux Falls as it exists today. Under her leadership, USD reached its highest-ever enrollment, now reporting three consecutive years with 10,000 students enrolled, as well as record fundraising achievements. The last nine years have also been shaped by Gestring’s strong financial leadership that, paired with public and private support, has strengthened programs and facilities across the university.

In reflecting on the past nine years, Gestring credits the USD community with making these achievements possible and positioning the university for success in welcoming a new president.

“Serving as USD’s eighteenth president has been the honor of my professional life,” Gestring said. “Since assuming this role in June 2018, I have had the privilege of working alongside extraordinary students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, community partners, legislators and friends of the university. We have guided USD through a period of remarkable growth and momentum, and I could not be prouder of what we have accomplished. Together, we have laid the foundation for a strong future for USD, and we are in a prime position to welcome a new president who will lead us in the years to come.”

South Dakota Board of Regents Executive Director and CEO Nathan Lukkes emphasized Gestring’s stable leadership and commitment to serving South Dakota.

“President Gestring has always been deeply committed to her students, to South Dakota, and to higher education. It has been a privilege working alongside her,” Lukkes said. “Under her leadership, USD has reached new heights, from enrollment and fundraising records to investments in modern facilities that enhance the student experience. She has also been a trusted voice and leader among her fellow presidents and partners across the state. We are grateful for her many contributions to USD and for her lasting commitment to the university.”

In a video posted by USD on Oct. 14, Gestring shared that she and her husband Keith plan to remain in Vermillion to enjoy retirement and look forward to staying connected with the Coyote community.

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VERMILLION, S.D. (KTIV) - A man from South Dakota was sentenced to decades in prison after pleading guilty to attacking two people while he was out on parole.

A 44-year-old Vermillion man, Derrick Petersen, has been sentenced in Clay County Circuit Court to 32 years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary following a guilty plea to domestic assault charges.

A press release from the Clay County State’s Attorney’s office states that Petersen pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a June 19, 2025 domestic assault of two victims, followed by witness tampering and multiple no-contact order violations while in custody.

According to the attorney’s office, Petersen was on parole for a 2022 possession of a controlled substance conviction when he severely assaulted two people inside the home they all shared. Both victims were hospitalized and diagnosed with significant injuries.

While Petersen was incarcerated in the Clay County Jail awaiting trial, authorities say he sent correspondence to a victim’s family member that amounted to witness tampering and made numerous attempts to communicate with the victims, which violated a court-ordered no-contact order.

The press release also stated that Petersen has a 25-year criminal history that includes five prior felony convictions and multiple prior assault convictions.

At sentencing, Clay County State’s attorney Michael J. Smith argued that rehabilitation efforts, including treatment, shorter incarceration periods and parole supervision, had failed and that a lengthy sentence was needed to protect the victims and the public.

The Clay County Court ordered the sentences to run consecutively to one another, after the sentence he was already on parole for, which means his 32-year penitentiary sentence will not begin until he finishes his 2022 drug sentence.

How’s the waterfowl hunting around the area?

Table for just four of us tonight. The server got half the order wrong. 2 people's orders were wrong. Did they care? Not really. Over a half hour later when the food was brought out I asked the guy to see a manager.... Anything? Nope. Nada.

I noticed they had zero problems charging us for everything.

This was about the 5th time eating there, and we're done.

Ribs Rods & Rock 'N Roll is this weekend.

Stew Powers is a new pastor at Pulse of Life. He discusses his life in Sweden and how he ended up in South Dakota of all places.

Who else is excited for the Vermillion Vortex Film Festival happening at the end of the month? Based off of the schedule, there’s some good movies: https://coyotetwin.com/vortex/

I’m personally looking forward to the film “Alien Diner” directed by Carson Knecht.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) —  During Monday night’s meeting, the City of Vermillion’s Planning and Zoning Commission once again brought up the topic of its proposed data center ordinances.

No action was taken regarding the proposed data center ordinances in the meeting on Monday night. The commission will continue the discussion at its next meeting on September 14.

To pass a city ordinance in South Dakota, it must first pass its initial commission, in this case the planning and zoning commission, where they will offer a recommendation on the ordinance; then it will go through the city council, where they must complete two distinct readings of the title, hold a vote for each reading recorded vote.

During the previous meeting, councilors heard from several citizens, many of whom asked for a one-year moratorium on data centers, preventing them from entering the city, allowing city staff to do additional research and take in more public comments. Several concerns raised by citizens during the meeting involved data centers’ water usage, ambient sound, electricity usage, and the effectiveness of the ordinance.

• Ordinance 1565 would create definitions related to data centers.
• Ordinance 1566 would create a section for Data Centers that would have specific rules and requirements for them, regardless of the zoning district they are in.
• Ordinance 1567 would place data centers in the GB General Business district and update all other district requirements.
• Ordinance 1568 would place data centers in the LI Light Industrial district and update all other district requirements.
• Ordinance 1569 would place data centers and large data centers in the GI General Industrial district and update all other district requirements.
• Ordinance 1570 would place data centers and large data centers in the HI Heavy Industrial district and update all other district requirements.

Ordinance 1566 would create a section in the Zoning Regulations that will set all the requirements for data centers. The major points this section address buffers, water for cooling, and noise. This section will require that all data centers have a closed-loop water-cooling system, as well as prohibit the use of cooling towers or any other process that requires water to be continuously added for evaporative cooling of data centers.

Ordinances 1567 and 1568 will place “Data Center” as a Conditional Use in the General Business district and in the Light Industrial district, respectively. Additionally, these ordinances will limit the ability of data centers to be combined to create a “Data Center” larger than 10 acres. The ordinances will also address the opportunity for an existing building to be converted into a data center by removing the new setbacks and the required buffer.

Ordinances 1569 and 1570 will place “Data Center” as a permitted use in the GI General Industrial district and in the HI Heavy Industrial district, respectively. These two districts would also see the addition of “Large Data Center” as a Conditional Use. Similarly to Ordinances 1567 and 1568, these ordinances will limit the ability of data centers being combined to create a “Data Center” or a “Large Data Center” without going through the appropriate processes.

City crews are performing cleanup from damage that occurred with the storm on Tuesday, September 1. They will work in a triage fashion, taking care to ensure City-maintained streets are clear and structures are safe. When this process is complete, they will begin picking up limbs and tree-debris city wide. Please move storm tree debris to the right of way no later than Tuesday September 8.
https://www.vermillion.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=835