Montana State University-Bozeman is proposing to continue the """"""""Bridging Tribal Colleges to MSU"""""""" (BRIDGES) program in partnership with three tribal colleges-- Little Big Horn College, Fort Peck Community College, and Fort Belknap College--and to add two more tribal colleges, Chief Dull Knife College and Stone Child College. The program's long-term objective is to build a seamless educational experience between the five reservation-based colleges and the state's land-grant university and, in the process, increase the number of underrepresented Native American students successfully transferring and pursuing academic studies in the biomedical and other health-related sciences from the two-year tribal colleges to MSU. To accomplish this goal, the project will create supportive communities of learners between and among students at all five community-based campuses and the MSU faculty mentors with whom they will be matched. The BRIDGES project will meet the following specific aims: 1) conduct research seminars at the tribal colleges in biomedical and behavioral sciences; 2) host spring workshops and campus visits to introduce tribal college students to the four-year campus; 3) provide funds for a study skills course; 4) provide students with a math class during the summer months to improve their academic competitiveness and confidence; 5) provide students with research experiences in biomedical and related laboratories at MSU; 6) provide tutoring for student participants during their summer experience at MSU; 7) develop mentoring relationships between the student participant and an MSU faculty member in a related discipline; 8) provide tribal college faculty with opportunities for professional development, including support for travel to biomedical and related professional conferences, research supplies, and/or opportunities for collaborative research with MSU faculty; and 9) provide on-campus support after students bridge from one campus to the other, continuing to motivate and guide these students through their completion of a B.S. degree. An outside evaluator will implement a comprehensive program evaluation, which includes both process and outcome evaluative strategies.
