March 15, 2024

The president of Southeast Technical College is stepping down after eight years.

Robert Griggs announced his resignation Thursday. It will take effect this summer.

The Sioux Falls School Board has hired Hazard Young Attea Associates to assist its search for a new president.

“President Griggs’ authenticity and ability to engage with local businesses, organizations, the city and the school district have made him an exceptional leader,” said Carly Reiter, school board president. “He leans in and listens before charging forward, and that leadership style has served the college well in strategic planning, developing new programs and partnering with the school district and others to best meet its workforce mission.”

Griggs, who took on the role in 2016, has seen the college through developments such as campus facility expansions, development of new programs, increased enrollments and retention, new and expanded collaborations, internal restructuring and external rebranding.

“It’s been an honor to work closely with President Griggs,” said Nick Wendell, executive director for the board of technical education. “His leadership was instrumental in securing the funds for STC’s new Healthcare Simulation Center. It serves as just one example of how his hard work and vision have and will continue to impact thousands of students and graduates.”

Financing for the center included three gifts from Avera Health, Sanford Health and Forward Sioux Falls, totaling $5.6 million. Those donations were boosted by a $4.5 million appropriation by the South Dakota Legislature.

“Southeast Tech is an award-winning technical college recognized as one of the nation’s best, and we’re proud of the district’s ongoing partnership with STC,” Reiter said. “President Griggs is leaving from a position of strength, and doing so provides the college’s next president a springboard for further success and innovation in advancing STC’s mission and strategic goals.”

At the local level, the Sioux Falls School Board focuses on Southeast Tech’s operations, maintenance, and review and approval of policies. It also hires the college’s president, delegates administrative authority to the president and convenes monthly for STC board meetings. At the state level, STC is authorized to provide programs under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Board of Technical Education.