South Dakota public universities are on board with College Portrait

South Dakota public universities are on board with College Portrait All six public universities in South Dakota have joined in a national effort to deliver common data and information to prospective students and their families. College Portrait, a new Web-based information tool, was introduced across the nation today, and will become a visible part of each South Dakota public universityâ�?�?s Web site. â�?�?Sifting through so much available information about colleges can be a daunting task,â�? said Regentsâ�?�? executive director Robert T. Tad Perry. â�?�?College Portrait was created as â�?�?go-toâ�?�? source of basic information about public institutions presented in a common format. It will provide consistent, comparable, and transparent information for students, families, policymakers, campus faculty and staff, and the general public,â�? he said. The data available from College Portrait include institutional and student characteristics, cost of attendance, core educational outcomes, and student engagement with the learning process. â�?�?These are key data elements we hope will lead everyone to a better understanding of how public colleges and universities operate,â�? Perry said. Each participating university in South Dakota will place the College Portrait icon on their home page or an alternative Web site such as the admissions page. A link to College Portrait information for South Dakota public universities also has been placed on the Board of Regentsâ�?�? Web site at www.sdbor.edu. College Portrait is part of the Voluntary System of Accountability initiative, a collaborative effort of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, and the public higher education community. The associations represent more than 500 public institutions that annually enroll 7.5 million students and award 70 percent of the bachelorâ�?�?s degrees in the U.S. each year.