ABERDEEN, S.D. (Hub City Radio) —

Northern State University has been awarded $2,999,989 in federal funds over five years through the U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) to implement Designing Pathways to Success, a comprehensive initiative focused on student success, retention, graduation, career readiness and workforce outcomes.

The grant will help Northern connect students’ academic experiences, personal goals and future opportunities through a coordinated, campuswide approach. The project builds on Northern’s student-centered culture, strong faculty-student relationships and commitment to experiential learning.

“This $3 million grant is a tremendous investment in Northern’s students and our commitment to student success,” said Dr. Alan LaFave, president of Northern State University. “I am grateful to everyone who contributed to the development of this proposal and helped make this award possible. Their work will allow us to build on Northern’s student-centered culture, strengthen pathways from enrollment through graduation and better connect our students’ educational experiences with their future careers and communities.”

“This investment will allow Northern to transform how we support students from their first interaction with the university through graduation and beyond,” said Britt Lorenz, executive director of student success and co-principal investigator for the grant. “By bringing advising, career development, mentoring and experiential learning into a more coordinated model, we can help students identify meaningful goals, connect their learning to future opportunities and confidently navigate the lives they want to build.”
The initiative includes four connected priorities:

• Implement personalized academic pathways and concierge advising.
• Establish a Center for College Experience and Life Design.
• Expand the design, tracking and assessment of experiential learning.
• Develop a comprehensive alumni and employer mentorship network.

The Center for College Experience and Life Design will serve as the institutional hub for integrating academic advising, career development, mentoring and life-design programming. Students will receive support in developing individualized academic and career plans, awarding meaningful credentials, connecting learning to workforce competencies and preparing for graduate study or employment.

“Northern has always been a student-centered university, and this SIP grant gives us the opportunity to deliberately and thoughtfully build on our strengths,” said Dr. Erin Fouberg, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “This $3 million award will help us create clearer pathways to graduation, expand experiential learning opportunities and ensure students can articulate the skills and experiences they gain through their education. The result will be stronger outcomes for students, employers and communities across South Dakota.”

The project will expand experiential learning across academic programs. Northern plans to implement a campuswide system for documenting student participation, create a student-facing experiential learning transcript and help students articulate the skills they develop through internships, research, service learning, leadership and other hands-on experiences.

Additional components include peer and faculty mentoring, improvements to the first-year experience and customized academic pathway maps. The grant will also provide professional development for faculty and staff in life design, experiential learning, advising and mentoring.

The initiative is designed to help Northern increase enrollment, raise first-to-second-year retention, improve graduation rates and strengthen graduates’ workforce outcomes. Progress will be measured throughout the five-year grant through institutional data, student surveys, participation records and internal and external evaluation.

In addition to Lorenz, Dr. Kristi Brownfield, associate professor of sociology and chair of history and social sciences, and Dr. Kelsie Roberts, assistant professor of sports administration, served as co-principal investigators. Alison Kiesz, director of sponsored programs, was an integral member of the project team, bringing her expertise in sponsored programs to the development of the proposal.