Bridge to the Baccalaureate: Tampa Bay Bridge to the Baccalaureate Alliance

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The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program assists universities and colleges in diversifying the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce through their efforts at significantly increasing the numbers of students from historically underrepresented minority populations (African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders) to successfully complete high quality degree programs in STEM. The Tampa Bay Bridge to the Baccalaureate Alliance (TB-B2B) focuses on activities that provides effective educational tools and resources to prepare underrepresented minority (URM) community college students for successful transfer to and completion of STEM baccalaureate degrees. TB-B2B will use a holistic system to recruit and strengthen students' preparation for STEM baccalaureate programs by focusing on: 1) awareness and outreach to encourage enrollment into the STEM pipeline through informal learning events, digital marketing and social networking; 2) intrusive guidance, deep engagement activities and experiential learning opportunities to retain students using STEM Learning Communities, including dedicated advising, peer and faculty mentoring, undergraduate research, internships and job shadowing; 3) academic supports to fortify math foundations, inclusive of math-based adaptive learning tools and summer bridge programming; and 4) transfer guidance to encourage matriculation to STEM baccalaureate programs. Faculty learning communities and professional development workshops complete the framework, ensuring an institutional shift in URM student outreach, preparation, retention and transfer. A comprehensive evaluation allows for greater evidence demonstrating the efficacy of these interventions.TB-B2B is led by St. Petersburg College in partnership with State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and Hillsborough Community College, a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and the University of South Florida System as an informal partner and point of transfer. TB-B2B builds on existing articulations between these institutions to bolster a region-wide effort in STEM degree attainment and career achievement.