Speakers

Higher education has long been considered a gateway to opportunity and a major contributor to workforce development. While this continues to be true as demonstrated by credible data sources, institutions of higher learning are being increasingly confronted with adapting to rapidly changing societal expectations and navigating demographic challenges that threaten the traditional business model of the industry.  Dr. Brett Bradfield, President of the University of Sioux Falls, will give a brief overview of disruptive forces impacting the enterprise of higher education, discuss the need for finding balance in embracing the rich traditions of the past, leveraged against the necessity to consider an alternative future in higher education and then explore strategies for overcoming paradigm paralysis and seizing mission centric opportunities for innovation in the higher education enterprise.

Networking and lunch from 11:30 am - noon with the program beginning at noon. Lunch costs $15, payable at the door. Programs are open to Rotarians and their guests. All programs are recorded and Facebook Live Streamed. Local media are invited to attend to record the session.

Rotary International is one of the premier service organizations in the world. The Rotary Club of Downtown Sioux Falls is among the largest 40 clubs in the world.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Brett Bradfield is a graduate of Dakota State College (SD) and holds a Master of Arts degree in educational psychology and counseling, and a Doctor of Education degree in educational administration from the University of South Dakota. Upon completion of his doctorate, Dr. Bradfield was awarded the Dr. H. C. Rustad Memorial Award recognizing the Outstanding Dissertation of the Year on the topic of board leadership in education. Prior to moving into higher education in 2000, he held various instructional and administrative roles in public and private K-12 education. These roles included service in the Harrisburg Public School District and serving as Principal of O’Gorman High School for many years just prior to entering higher education full-time in June 2000. During his years in K-12 education, he also served as an adjunct instructor for the graduate educational administration program at the University of South Dakota, teaching in various content areas relative to leadership in the field of education.

Dr. Bradfield currently serves as President at the University of Sioux Falls (USF).  Prior to being appointed as the University’s twenty-third President, he served as its Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, an appointment he accepted in 2006. Upon arriving at the University in June 2000, his first assignment was a newly created position as Director of Graduate Programs in Education. In 2003, he was elevated to Vice President for Professional Studies, another new position designed to increase the institution’s footprint in the adult learning market.

Throughout an extensive career, Dr. Bradfield has demonstrated his passion for educational leadership and commitment to fostering the delivery of affordable, high quality educational programming and services to students and families. In 2018 and after four years of research, Dr. Bradfield implemented a bold “Tuition Reset” initiative at the University of Sioux Falls that reduced tuition by $10,000 per year for students. The primary incentive for this effort was to make higher education more accessible for students from all socio-economic backgrounds and reduce suffocating loan debt for graduates of the institution.

Dr. Bradfield and his wife, Jane, have 4 children and 2 sons-in-law; Brittany (Josh) Childress, Brooke (Lane) Mellegaard, Blake, and Braden.  In addition, Dr. Bradfield and Jane have 7 grandchildren; Creighton, Kate, Isaiah, Meile, Berklie, Kase, and Clara, ranging in age from 4 to 11 years old.

 

Please join us for the final meeting of 2019 and ring in the holidays with fellow Rotarians. The annual holiday party will feature musical numbers by Rotarians. Rotarians and their significant others are invited to attend.  The music will begin at about 11:30 am, with lunch and social from 12:00 to 12:30, followed by a short holiday musical program and then ending with a sing-a-long of holiday favorites.  Lunch will be served and is complimentary for Downtown Rotarians and their significant other.

Please RSVP using this link: Rotary Holiday Celebration RSVP