North County San Diego Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program - PROJECT SUMMARY The North County San Diego Bridges to the Baccalaureate (NCSD B2B) program supports the NIH/NIGMS goal of increasing the diversity of the biomedical workforce by increasing the successful transfer rates of underrepresented (UR) groups from community colleges to 4-year institutions. The NCSD B2B program continues a 20-year successful B2B consortium of the partner institutions of California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), Palomar College and MiraCosta College. This new B2B Program will focus on the academic development and seamless transfer of Palomar and MiraCosta UR community college students to CSUSM or other 4-year institutions. The NCSD B2B Program targets UR students early in their community college attendance to enroll them in an up to two-year structured academic, research, and career awareness and development program. By targeting UR students early in their schooling, a known high dropout period, the program helps prepare them academically, creates individual development plans for successful transferring, helps foster their science identities through peer-mentoring and training in rigorous and reproducible research practices. The specific aims of the NCSD B2B Program are to: 1) Attract a Large Pool of Promising Underrepresented Science Majors for the Bridges Program through broad and proactive diversity recruitment activities; 2) Empower Bridges Scholars to Accumulate Academic Credentials and Professional Skills Necessary to Pursue Bachelor’s Degrees and Careers in the Biomedical Sciences through newly designed curriculum, Supplemental Instruction, academic support and skill workshops; 3) Engage Bridges Scholars in Meaningful Biomedical Research and Career Experiences including exposure to the diversity of biomedical fields, placement in faculty research labs (often with UR peers or Bridges alumni), attendance of research seminars, and conferences; 4) Expose Students to a Culturally Validated Pedagogy to Increase Belonging and Persistence through seminars, workshops and social activities; 5) Participate in Summer Training Program to Enhance Research and Quantitative Skills during a summer research experience and workshops; and 6) Ensure Efficient transfer of Bridges Scholars to 4-year institutions and ultimately completion of a bachelor’s degree through frequent and long-term mentoring, and curricular activities. Over the last 15 years, of the 226 students who completed the CSUSM Bridges program, 211 have transferred to 4-year institutions (93%), and 204 (90%) have or are on track to obtain their bachelor’s degree (145 completed, 59 in progress). In addition, 49 (22%) are in progress or have completed a Ph.D., M.D. or D.O. program (16 complete, 33 in progress). The NCSD B2B Program will continue this successful history of preparing historically underrepresented persons with the necessary education, experience, and mindset to pursue biomedical higher degree programs and research careers.
