GRIT Program Recognized with Equity Award

At its June board meeting, MSU Moorhead's GRIT Program received the inaugural Devinder Malhotra Equity Award from the Board of Trustees of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. The award honors the service of Chancellor Emeritus Malhotra, who served from 2017 to 2023.

Under Malhotra's leadership, Minnesota State launched Equity 2030, a strategic initiative to eliminate educational equity gaps, including by race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and first-generation status at every Minnesota State college and university by the year 2030.

The award honors the achievements of collaborative partnerships that promote student success and engagement and close achievement gaps.

“I’m proud to honor this program because the MSUM team has done outstanding work implementing a variety of supports that will help underserved students succeed and progress toward their educational goals,” said Minnesota State Chancellor Scott Olson.

Piloting Growth, Resilience, Initiative, and Transformation

The GRIT Program launched in Fall 2019 to enhance access and student success, particularly for students of color, Pell-eligible, and first-generation students who don't meet automatic admission criteria but are conditionally admitted based on their strengths.

The premise is to provide individualized support to students to ensure a solid start to their college careers. Through intentional mentoring and coaching, students develop Growth, Resilience, Initiative, and Transformation (GRIT) and experience a successful transition into college.

The Academic Success Center (ASC) leads the collaboration, which includes the following departments:

• The Admissions Office communicates admission decisions to students and invites them to participate in the program.
• The Office of Diversity & Inclusion and First Year Programs contribute staff to serve as Success Coaches.
• The Career Development Center provides career coaching.
• First Year Programs provides staffing to teach UNIV 121.

"The collaborative effort behind the GRIT Program, involving multiple support departments and stakeholders, exemplifies the power of collective action in advancing equity and student success," said President Tim Downs.

Making an Impact

Collin Bueltel ('22, university studies) is a past GRIT participant who, now as MSUM's lead admissions representative, loves sharing his positive experience with prospective students. He says his GRIT coaches cared about his success during his first year and beyond, helping him set academic and personal goals and celebrating with him when he accomplished them.

"It was during the program that I knew I had more personalized support to be successful and another resource to reach out to during my first year of college," he says.

A successful first year set the foundation for future student leadership roles, which impacted his academic success, including being a Dragon Mentor, Dragon Ambassador and First-Year Mentor for various programs.

"They all helped me develop my passion for working in higher education and connecting with more faculty and staff on campus," Bueltel says.

The GRIT Program's holistic approach to student support ensures that all students can thrive. "To see that reflected in positive retention rates affirms the value of individualized support," said Scott Westby, Academic Advisor and GRIT Program Coordinator.

The GRIT Program consistently achieves higher fall-to-spring retention rates for students of color and first-generation students compared to campus-wide averages. Notably, every year since Fall 2020, the fall-to-spring retention rates for GRIT students of color have exceeded the overall freshman fall-to-spring retention rates.

"We attribute the GRIT Program's success to the hard work and determination of students and their academic coaches. Students show their motivation and resilience by taking what their academic coach says to heart," Westby says. "Coaches show their passion for students by providing thoughtful guidance to students' concerns. This combination makes for a powerful force," Westby said.

"I remember wanting to represent MSUM as a Dragon Ambassador," Bueltel says. "I got help from the Career Development Center, and with MSUM being a school focused on experiential learning, I got experience in the classroom doing practicums and developing professional skills."

The GRIT Program's transformative impact on Bueltel's life and scores of other students is a testament to the dedication and commitment of MSUM's community to fostering a supportive and vibrant learning environment.

Learn more about the GRIT Program.