Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), in collaboration with Westchester Community College (WCC), Dutchess Community College (DCC), Orange County Community College (OCCC), the American Health Foundation, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Pfizer, Inc.,will implement a Bridges to the Baccalaureate Degree Program for underrepresented minority students enabling them to attain careers or advanced degrees in biomedical research. The broad long-term objectives for this Bridges Program are: 1) To increase the number of underrepresented students in the sciences. 2) To provide academic and financial support for underrepresented students enabling them to complete a baccalaureate degree program in biology, chemistry, environmental science, math/computer science, or psychology. 3) To assist degree recepients with job placement or advanced study in biomedical research. 4) To increase collaborative arrangements among associate and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions and biomedical research institutions and corporations. 5) To evaluate the effectiveness of this Bridges Program. The project will utilize the E-STAR (Electronic Student Tracking and Reporting) program to facilitate its administration and evaluation. Students will be carefully monitored and tracked throughout their participation in the Program and a follow-up survey will be conducted annually as they enter the workforce or advanced study. Data to demonstrate the benefits of this Program on retention, graduation, and transfer rates to the next highest degree program will be maintained and widely disseminated through each consortium institution's website.
