Cross & Crescent

In 1996, Jim Abbott (South Dakota 1970) had just lost the Democratic bid for the U.S House of Representatives when two University of South Dakota freshmen suggested that he apply for the position of university president.

Although he considered the job to be more academic, Abbott was influenced by the students when they told him that the university needed someone with his unique skill set.

“I always call myself the accidental president,” he says. “I think they thought that morale was rather low and perhaps someone who had a tie to the university and some management expertise might be a good choice for some period of time.”

After a lengthy hiring process, Abbott was named the 17th president of the University of South Dakota on July 1, 1997.

First Alumnus President

Being the first University of South Dakota alumnus to serve as president, Abbott has successfully developed a long-range plan, culminating in a five-year strategic plan entitled “Setting the Standard.”

As part of that plan, the university implemented a programmatic review of every department, college, and school. Building on “Setting the Standard,” a new strategic plan for the next five years is currently underway.

“I think my management experience as the president of a cable TV company and my legal background were more helpful than anything else,” he says about being a successful university president, “along with my familiarity with the university.”

Abbott earned his University of South Dakota Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970 and his Doctor of Law degree in 1974.

He then taught middle and high school social studies and college-level political science before practicing law and later managing various businesses.

Prior to becoming university president, he was president and chief executive officer of Zylstra Communications Corp., a cable TV company in Yankton, South Dakota.

Abbott served from 1985 to 1990 as the city commissioner for Yankton, South Dakota, and from 1991 to 1992 in the South Dakota House of Representatives.

Campaign South Dakota

Being a lifelong resident of South Dakota and having 75 to 80 percent of our students come from South Dakota, Abbott says he truly enjoys interacting with students and their families.

“I know everybody always says this, but it really has been an enormously fun part of the job,” he says. “You really do get to know students.”

Shortly after Abbott was inaugurated, the university established Campaign South Dakota with a goal of raising $60 million.

“Afterward, I found out that our consultant thought we could raise only $30 million,” he says.

However, the campaign has raised a whopping $130 million and a big final celebration is planned for May 19.

The money raised is being used to increase student scholarships, build and remodel facilities for the School of Medicine and School of Business, and fund endowments to increase faculty salaries.

Political Lessons Learned

In 2002, Abbott took a leave of absence from the presidency to seek the Democratic nomination for governor of South Dakota.

He easily won the Democratic nomination but was defeated in the general election by Republican Mike Rounds. After the election, Abbott returned to the presidency of the University of South Dakota.

Even though he lost, Abbott jokes about how he overheard his daughter telling a friend about why they named their dog Adlai after former Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson.

“We have a dog named Adlai and I overheard my daughter saying last summer ‘Yeah, I know that’s a really dumb name but my dad named him after another really old Democrat who didn’t win anything.’”

He says he has no regrets about his losing political campaigns.

“Any time you put yourself out there you learn a little something about your own capabilities. Sometimes you have to sit back and think you know there are some things you do real well and others you don’t,” he says.

Lambda Chi Influences

Abbott has been a strong supporter of the Greek system and any other university-related organization or activity that gives students a second interest or affinity.

“People who are not only university alumni but also members of a fraternity or sorority or an athletic team or something additional besides simply being university students, have a greater interest in the university and its well being,” he says.

Last fall, South Dakota chapter members and alumni, including Abbott, celebrated the chapter’s 90th anniversary. Abbott was influenced to join Lambda Chi when he was in college by Bill Kleibacker (1970), a good friend from high school who was a year older.

“They weren’t trying to be something they weren’t,” he says. “Just seemed like a bunch of really good guys.”

Abbott served as chapter vice president, served on several committees, and directed what was then called the Stroller Show, where sororities, fraternities, and independents teamed up to present vaudeville-type acts.

“It’s sort of like a microcosm of society in general,” he says about his fraternal experience. “It’s an easy place to learn how things work.”

Order of Achievement Award

At the 2006 Leadership Seminar, Abbott was one of two alumni to receive the Fraternity’s Order of Achievement Award that recognizes alumni for outstanding achievement in their professional careers.

Unfortunately, he was not able to attend the event so in October 2006 past Grand High Alpha Ted Grossnickle (Wabash 1973) presented Abbott with the award at a South Dakota Board of Trustees meeting.

“First of all, it was a heck of a lot more emotional than I expected,” Abbott says. “I was surprised by how emotional it was; how emotionally affecting it was.”

What the Future Holds

In an effort to increase national exposure and media coverage, university officials announced that the school will be moving from NCAA Division II athletics to Division I.

“It’s a little trite, but I do think that athletics often is the window to the university,” he says. “They might not know much about the academic quality, they might not know much about the programs, but they do note athletic success whether they want to or not because it does tend to be prominently displayed in local newspapers.”

Abbott says he didn’t always have this opinion before he became president.

“I’ve come to have a healthy respect for athletes, and coaches, and athletic administrators,” he says. “But it’s still very clear to me that one should be a student first and an athlete second.”

Ultimately, Abbott’s focus for making the university better is really about two things — make the best faculty possible and the best students possible.

“I used to always say that everybody should change jobs every 10 years. But now that I’ve been here 10 years, I’m not so anxious to follow my own advice,” he says. “I have some things I want to complete here.”

Every time he thinks it might be time to move on, there’s a new project to think about.

“When it really comes down to it, my heart is here,” he says.