MSUM receives nearly $7M grant from U.S. Department of Education

By Anne Sara Bien-Aime

March 16, 2023 at 10:44 PM

MOORHEAD — Minnesota State University Moorhead has been awarded a five-year grant worth $6,778,039 by the U.S. Department of Education.

The grant will support the Infuse Mental Health Project, training graduate students in school counseling and psychology to fill the needs of elementary and high school students in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Studies show that some long-term mental and emotional health issues are caused by having little to no counselors or psychologists in the schools.

Minnesota has the third worst school counselor-to-student ratio in the country, and some rural schools in both states haven't had a counselor for years.

"People need support to pay for graduate school, but they also need support for the schools to be able to hire enough people," said Dr. Lisa Habedank-Stewart, a professor of psychology at MSUM.

The grant began on Jan. 1, 2023, but the first full group of students supported will start in the summer.

By Anne Sara Bien-Aime

My name is Anne Sara, better known as Sara.
I was born an only child in Port-au-prince, Haiti and moved to the U.S at the age of 2.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is where I was raised.
After graduating with my bachelor degree at Albright College, I moved to Florida to continue my studies.
WDAY is the reason why I moved to North Dakota.

MSUM receives nearly $7M grant from U.S. Department of Education

Graduate programs in psychology and counseling at MSUM may play a key role in the mental health crisis in North Dakota and Minnesota