Abstract
Summer Bridge Programs are increasingly becoming a popular strategy for Colleges and Universities to retain more historically underrepresented minority students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Retaining students in STEM disciplines is a necessary first step in order to accomplish the ultimate goal of diversifying the STEM workforce to create innovative solutions for today’s complex problems. In this paper, the authors describe an exploratory and descriptive study of the promising Georgia State University Perimeter College (GSU-PC) Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Transfer Bridge Program. Most summer bridge programs are designed to facilitate seamless entry into college for incoming first year students, but the GSU-PC LSAMP Transfer Bridge program is designed to support the successful transition of underrepresented STEM students transferring from a 2-year to 4-year institution. Early results indicate that the Transfer Bridge participants were significantly more likely to enroll in a 4-year STEM program, receive a STEM bachelor’s degree, enroll in a post-baccalaureate STEM program, and receive a STEM post-baccalaureate degree than a comparison group of non-Transfer Bridge students at Georgia State University Perimeter College.
Highlights
The growing challenge for the United States to lead in science and technology innovation is a driving force for increasing Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines (NRC, 2007; NRC, 2011)
The GSU-PC Transfer Bridge Program aims to increase the number of Peach State LSAMP scholars who transfer to 4-year Peach State Alliance Colleges and Universities and to increase the likelihood that they persist and graduate with a baccalaureate degree in a STEM discipline
We conducted a preliminary exploratory and descriptive study to examine the relationship between participation in the Transfer Bridge Program and higher rates of 1) Enrollment in 4-year institutions, 2) Pursuit of STEM degrees at 4-year institutions, 3) Attainment of Undergraduate Degrees and Undergraduate Degrees in STEM Disciplines, and 4) Enrollment in Graduate Degree Programs and STEM-related graduate degree programs
Summary
The growing challenge for the United States to lead in science and technology innovation is a driving force for increasing Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines (NRC, 2007; NRC, 2011). 2-year institutions and community colleges have a long history of playing a significant role in broadening participation for populations historically underrepresented in the STEM workforce including African Americans/Black, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. There are a number of publications highlighting the accessibility, affordability, and flexibility of 2-year institutions for underrepresented groups, firstgeneration, low-income, and non-traditional students to enter STEM disciplines and majors (Cohen, Brawer, and Kisker, 2014). There are a number of publications emphasizing the critical role of GSU-PC LSAMP Transfer Bridge Program community colleges and 2-year institutions in strengthening and expanding the STEM pipeline because of their diverse student populations (NRC, 2012)
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