South Dakota State University | Bush Prize 2019

“We won't be successful unless we change as an institution...there's just no more excuse to not do a better job of serving these people.

I can't wait until thousands of young people have gone through this program and benefited from it, because we will have changed the world.”

-Barry Dunn, South Dakota State University President

As a 2019 Bush Prize for Community Innovation winner, South Dakota State University is on a mission to transform its campus into a welcoming environment for American Indian students. SDSU’s Wokini (“new beginning” in Lakota) Initiative seeks to eliminate the significant barriers that American Indian students face in achieving a college degree. The program combines transformational change in campus culture with holistic support for Native students, including dedicated scholarships, extensive outreach, academic mentoring, and emergency funds.

This micro-doc is one of several collaborations between Passenger and The Bush Foundation as part of the Bush Foundation's "Bush Prize for Community Innovation" series.