Close DSU? Check the Deed First

Rep. Mark Kirkeby (R-Dist. 35 House) got his Christmas wish for some conversation, at least in the blogosphere (e.g. here, here, and here), about maybe closing a state university campus. The conversation is far from serious policymaking yet, and closing a campus doesn't sound like the kind of happy topic legislators will want to tackle in an election year (of course, that could just be wishful thinking from this employee of the Board of Regents).

Nonetheless, if the conversation does rise from spitballing to serious legislative discourse, Madison's Dakota State university could be in trouble. In two online polls, DSU came out on top of the hit list. Folks seem inclined to think in terms of geography and figure it makes more sense to have campi serving different regions rather than this concentration in the Brookings-Madison-Sioux Falls metropolitan area.

The Legislature would make any decision about closing a campus, but one would think they would consult the Regents about which campus would create the least damage by its loss. Would the Regents put in a good word for DSU? The academic backgrounds of the Board don't offer Madison much comfort:

Regent	Attended
Jewett	USD
Baloun	NSU
Krogman	SDSU
Belatti	USD
Hansen	BHSU
Johnson	BHSU & SDSMT
Morris	BHSU
Pagones	NSU
Venhuizen	SDSU

Dr. Belatti's a Madison guy, but he's up against 3 BHSU alums and 2 with NSU connections.

Should this campus-closing conversation continue, we have to wonder what the state would do with a closed campus. In the case of DSU's $60M-worth of buildings [SDBOR Fact Book 2007, p. 49], the answer is, "Nothing." From the DSU historical archives:

1881: Mr. Charles B. Kennedy offered 20 acres of land on the north edge of Madison, at the end of Egan Avenue. This site was selected for the school. The deed stipulated that if the land were ever used for anything but for the original intent (a teachers preparation institution) or discontinued, the site would be returned to the Kennedy estate.

Why do you think DSU kept its teacher education program through the mission change in 1984? Close DSU, or even move the teacher ed program elsewhere, and the state loses 20 acres of valuable land and buildings.

A pseudonymous commenter at the Hog House says who cares? Close the campus, we'd still save money in the long run. Indeed we would, but we'll make money in the long run if we don't just close a campus but convert one into a money maker for the state and the community in which it sits. We can think of a number of Plans B for the DSU campus, but the state won't have the authority to implement any of them if the Kennedy heirs get the land. If the other candidates for possible closing don't have similar restrictions in their deeds, the state might see a better financial turnaround from closing and converting one of them.

I'm curious, though: what might the Kennedy heirs do with the campus if the state forfeited it back to them? If you're out there, oh honored descendants of one of Madison's founding fathers, let us know!