Purchase College, State University of New York, in collaboration with Dutchess Community College, Nassau Community College, Orange County Community College, Sullivan County Community College, Westchester. Community College, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and Emisphere Technologies, will implement a continuation of the current successful Bridges to the Baccalaureate Degree Program. This Program serves underrepresented minority students and enables them to attain careers and/or advanced degrees in biomedical research. The broad, long-term objectives of this Bridges Program are: .1) To increase the number of underrepresented minority students in the sciences 2) To provide challenging scientific curriculum, academic and financial support for underrepresented students enabling them to complete a baccalaureate degree program in biology, chemistry, environmental studies, math/computer science, or psychology 3) To provide an integrated summer research program for first and second-year community college students that offers intensive mentoring of students by faculty within a laboratory research environment 4) To assist students who complete their Bachelor's degrees with placement in jobs and/or advanced study in the biomedical research field 5) To increase collaborative arrangements among associate degree, baccalaureate degree granting institutions, and corporate and research institutions 6)To evaluate the effectiveness of the Bridges Program The project will utilize the services of an outside evaluator who will make annual reports to the Project Director. Students will continue to be carefully monitored and tracked throughout their participation in the Program. Date to demonstrate the benefits of this Program on retention, graduation and transfer rates to the next highest degree program will continue to be maintained and disseminated through the websites of the six colleges that are members of the consortium. ? ? ?
