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The NSF STEP grant program was initiated by the US Congress with the goal of implementing best practices that would lead to an increase in the number of students obtaining STEM degrees at institutions with baccalaureate degree programs. Our university's Colleges of Science and Engineering were fortunate to receive a STEP grant in 2009 to improve freshmen retention and graduation rates by working on notoriously high-loss courses in chemistry and mathematics and facilitating undergraduate research opportunities in science and engineering. This paper describes the path taken in the implementation of these plans, and a major shift when institutional priorities necessitated a change in focus. After developing a demonstrably successful program in the first few years of the grant, focus in the later years was strictly on initiatives which would be sustainable in our institution. We highlight three initiatives which grew out of the STEP grant efforts and are now institutionalized and thriving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]