Purchase College Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program

Project Summary Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY) is partnering with seven SUNY community Colleges (Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Nassau, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester) to enhance the diversity of the biomedical/behavioral research workforce by providing successful strategies to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups (primarily underrepresented minorities) who successfully transfer and complete baccalaureate degrees and enter the workforce or go on to post- baccalaureate work. The new Bridges Program builds upon the success of the current program, established in 2000, that has achieved a 77% transfer rate and a 61% bachelor degree completion rate in biomedical and behavioral sciences. In addition, 28% of these students have gone on to post- baccalaureate work. The new Bridges Program has significant changes that will provide an expanded summer research experience along with a two week-long series of courses for skills development designed to increase student engagement and student capacity for learning. The new program also provides opportunities for Purchase and community college faculty to develop courses that are inclusive of all students. In addition, students returning to their two-year institutions for their second- year will have the opportunity serve as tutors and mentors for other underrepresented students. Bridges students will also be encouraged to participate in a second intensive summer research experience at already designated sites including other SUNY campuses and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (see Letters of Support). In order to ensure leadership support for these new initiatives, the Bridges Program will continue the meetings of Presidents and Chief Academic Officers of all partner institutions to enhance the infrastructure of communication between academic leadership and faculty around issues of student outcomes and program challenges. This will ensure support for the program and sustainability beyond the grant period. The external evaluator will conduct both formative and summative evaluation activities that are designed to inform programmatic decisions about “what’s working” and provide evidence about the impact of program initiatives on participants’ skills and abilities. The Bridges Program will improve upon the transfer rate, increase the current bachelor’s degree completion rate, and increase the percentage of students who go on to post-baccalaureate work.