: The Graduate School of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), along with two historically black universities, North Carolina A&T State University (NC A&T SU) and North Carolina Central University (NCCU), are submitting an application to renew our Bridges to the Future Program for another three-year period. As sister institutions in the North Carolina State system, these three institutions have a long track record of working together. The Partnership of Under-Represented Scientists United for Education (PURSUE) Program represents our joint commitment to increase the production of minority scholars in the biomedical sciences. The main focus of our Bridges Program is to facilitate the transition of underrepresented minority students from masters degree granting institutions to doctoral degree granting institutions. Most of the core ideas that are presented in this proposal were implemented and evaluated in our current Bridge Program and therefore build on its success. All of the objectives of the initial program are on course with the majority of the students either still progressing toward a masters degree or already transferred to a Ph.D. program in the biomedical sciences. The renewal of our Bridge program is built on the following successful strategies: 1) Students are drawn from a large pool of underrepresented students, 2) The program is designed in response to continuous feedback from the enrolled students, 3) All students are assigned multiple mentors and advisors from the participating institutions, 4) Skill building workshops are provided as needed by individual students, 5) A full time coordinator mediates student concerns, assists with recruitment, organizes seminars and disseminates information, 6) Our program is evaluated on a continual basis. We propose to continue this successful program by requesting an increased level of support for six masters degree students over the next three-year period. The Graduate School and individual doctoral granting departments at UNC-Chapel Hill will provide matching funds to promote the success of the program.
