President Dunn statement on SDSU being awarded the 2019 Bush Prize for Community Innovation

Story written by: Matthew Schmidt

The following statement from South Dakota State University President Barry Dunn is in recognition of SDSU receiving a Bush Prize for Community Innovation from the Bush Foundation. The university was awarded $500,000 for the Wokini Initiative.

According to the Bush Foundation, the Bush Prize for Community Innovation celebrates organizations with a track record of successful community problem-solving. Bush Prize winners are extraordinary not only in what they do, but also in how they do it. They work inclusively, in partnership with others, to make the region better for everyone.

The Wokini Initiative is SDSU’s collaborative and holistic framework to support American Indian student success and Indigenous Nation-building. The Bush Prize supports and recognizes the importance of family and culture, innovation and creative activity within the Wokini Initiative.

“We are extremely excited and honored to receive the Bush Prize for Community Innovation,” Dunn said. “The Bush Foundation’s investment in the Wokini Initiative will provide significant opportunities to our students, faculty and staff. Being recognized by a prominent organization like the Bush Foundation indicates the progress we are making with the Wokini Initiative. Many individuals at SDSU, throughout the state of South Dakota and now the nation are committed to providing the benefits of higher education to our Native students and impacting positive change to communities throughout the region and the United States needing it the most.”

About the Bush Foundation
The Bush Foundation invests in great ideas and the people who power them in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography. Established in 1953 by 3M executive Archibald Bush and his wife Edyth, the Foundation supports organizations and people to think bigger and think differently about what is possible in their communities. The Foundation works to inspire and support creative problem-solving—within and across sectors—to make the region better for everyone.