Republicans like to squawk that high taxes make rich people move away. The evidence on that claim is dubious at best.
But a new survey by Ithaka S+R indicates that Republican policies restricting academic freedom may be driving more than one in ten academic researchers to move away:
Our survey shows that 10 percent of faculty from states with laws restricting academic speech reported trying to find out-of-state academic positions, and 6 percent reported seeking to leave the academy. In open-ended comments, others volunteered that they were considering early retirement due to the current political climate. However, our questionnaire differed from the studies cited above in that it specifically excluded those whose decisions were due to factors other than laws or policies restricting their ability to conduct research. Four percent of all respondents indicated that they had actively sought employment in another country in 2025 due to restrictions on their research activity. Overall, 11 percent of all respondents indicated that they were seeking to leave the academy or obtain an academic position in another state or country [Dylan Ruediger, Chelsea McCracken, and Jonathan Barefield, “The Impact of State and Federal Policies on Academic Researchers,” Ithaka S+R, 2026.04.20].
The Ithaka S+R authors include South Dakota on a list of 21 states that have “enacted legislation limiting postsecondary instruction on a range of topics, while imposing new requirements and restrictions in areas such as curriculum and shared governance.” They point to work by PEN America that notes South Dakota’s 2019 House Bill 1087, a sham-intellectual diversity bill that was followed by a push to close campus diversity offices and hire conservative profs, and 2022 House Bill 1012, a Kristi Noem bill banning “divisive concepts” from campus trainings and orientations. PEN America also includes South Dakota on a list of states where university faculty were punished for saying things Republicans didn’t like about Charlie Kirk. USD professor emeritus of education administration Karen Card has said that South Dakota’s anti-diversity stance has deterred more applicants for higher ed positions than even the contentious issue of post-tenure review.
Professors and researchers drive real economic development, especially in rural communities. The impact of state politics on academic flight are clearer than claims that tax policy driving millionaire flight. So when will pro-economic development Republicans express concern about state policies hindering South Dakota’s ability to recruit and retain the best higher education workforce?
Why does a welder or a coder or even a registered nurse need a liberal arts education especially when the English Language Holy Bible and The Turner Diaries are all you need to read in South Dakota?