VERMILLION, S.D.(WNAX)- The grand opening of the new Health Sciences Building on the campus of the University of South Dakota was held Thursday.

Construction on the forty-five thousand square foot building started in April of 2021.

USD President Sheila Gestring said it’s the result of a long term plan.

Tim Ridgway, Dean of the USD Sanford School of Medicine noted the new building is connected to the Lee Medical School Building.

Ridgway says they now have to provide the next generation of health care professionals.

A report from USD shows over the last ten years, forty four hundred people have earned degrees from the School of Health Sciences, with over sixty percent staying in the state.