Aug. 3, 2020

USD’s law school now will be called The USD Knudson School of Law, in honor of longtime lawyer and former state legislator Dave Knudson.

The naming is the result of a $12.5 million gift from philanthropist Denny Sanford, who is Knudson’s friend and colleague. The donation is meant to “ensure the law school remains a national leader in excellence, service and leadership,” USD said in a statement.

“It’s quite meaningful to see an investment of this size and to see the vision Mr. Sanford and Mr. Knudson have for securing the future of law in the state of South Dakota,” USD president Sheila Gestring said. “The USD Knudson School of Law is the only law school in the state, and most of our graduates practice in the state and regionally. This gift is very important to continuing law in South Dakota.”

Knudson serves as senior vice president at Sanford’s United National Corp., the holding company for First Premier Bank and Premier Bankcard. He previously worked at Sanford Health as a senior vice president and practiced law at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, where he became a partner. Knudson’s political career includes serving as state Senate majority leader from 2007-11. He served eight years in the Legislature and was chief of staff for former Gov. Bill Janklow.

“This gift is tremendous because it more than doubles the size of our current endowment at the law school, and it will fund up to 10 full-tuition student scholarships for every incoming class,” said Neil Fulton, dean of the law school. “It literally changes the lives of 10 students every year, and it gives us the opportunity to help 10 students begin their careers right here in South Dakota.”

The Knudson family has strong ties to USD. Knudson’s wife, De, is an alumnus and one of their two sons, Michael, also graduated from USD.

“Dave chose to come back to South Dakota because he cares about his home,” Fulton said. “Dave is a perfect example of what a lawyer can do here in South Dakota, and for the students of the law school to walk in the front door every day and see ‘USD Knudson School of Law,’ it’s transformative.”