Facilitating Seamless Transition from Community College to Towson University

描述（由申请人提供）： 这个项目的长期目标是建立一个正式的计划之间的陶森大学（TU）和巴尔的摩城市社区学院（BCCC）和社区学院的巴尔的摩县（CCBC），这将提高转移和保留少数民族学生完成他们的学士学位。在一个领域的学位，这将使他们能够追求在生物医学科学的职业生涯。BCCC是一个开放式的，为期两年的，国家赞助的机构，大部分学生是巴尔的摩市居民（80%），非洲裔美国人（81%）和女性（73%）。CCBC也是一个开放访问，为期两年，国家赞助的机构，并从性别角度（CCBC 42%男性），代表性不足的学生角度（CCBC包括非洲裔美国人和西班牙裔学生- 40%），并从地理角度（包括巴尔的摩县）提供额外的多样性。TU是一所四年制综合性国立大学。目前在TU的学生人数包括14，495名本科生和3516名研究生。TU承认每年大约1500名转学生。毕业率（六年）为60%，高于全国平均水平51.9%（教育统计中心）。恩有13.4%的少数民族人口，但正在努力增加这一数字的倡议，以增加在恩，这是使命声明的一部分，为大学的多样性。生物科学系已经在改善其多样性，少数民族人口占21%。该计划的具体目标是：（i）继续在BCCC和CCBC招聘工作，以提高计划的认识，并增加社区学院合作机构的合格学生的人数;（ii）继续提高TU的计划意识，为桥梁学生创造一个支持性的制度环境;（iii）为学生提供积极和支持性的学术课程（包括辅导，同伴指导，暑期研究经验，教师为每个学生提供咨询团队，以及由项目评估员对项目进行年度评估）;和，（iv）为学生提供在TU和研究生教育和职业成功所需的技能和能力。每一批学生都将得到认真的学术建议，以便他们通过完成许多化学，数学和生物学核心课程以及正式衔接协议中规定的大部分通识教育要求，以真正的初级身份进入TU。自上一次竞争性续约以来，我们的转学率为63%，高于我们50%的目标，也远高于桥梁项目23%的平均水平（Mervis，2006）。我们的桥梁计划的更新将使我们能够继续成功转移BCCC和CCBC学生到四年制院校，并为我们提供了一个机会，以增加我们的数据库，以便能够传播我们所学到的定量数据支持。 增加代表性不足的少数民族的人数，他们成功地从社区学院转到四年制大学，获得学士学位。在生物医学科学领域，增加了那些可能继续获得博士学位的学生的数量。从事生物医学研究这一点至关重要，因为代表性不足的少数群体的数量继续增加，需要让所有有能力和合格的个人参与对其社区健康差异敏感的生物医学研究，这将对社会大有裨益。该计划已成功地将63%的计划参与者转移到四年制机构，并且在过去的授予期内，已有两人毕业并获得学士学位。化学和学士学位分子生物学、生物化学和生物信息学。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of this project is to establish a formal program between Towson University (TU) and the Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) and the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) that will enhance transfer and retention of minority students to the completion of their B.S. degree in an area that will allow them to pursue careers in the biomedical sciences. BCCC is an open access, two- year, state-sponsored institution with a majority of students who are Baltimore City residents (80%), African-American (81%), and female (73%). CCBC is also an open access, two-year, state-sponsored institution and provides additional diversity in the program from a gender perspective (CCBC 42% male), an underrepresented student perspective (CCBC includes both African American and Hispanic students- 40%), and from a geographic perspective (to include Baltimore County). TU is a four-year comprehensive state-sponsored university. Currently at TU the student population is comprised of 14,495 undergraduates and 3516 graduate students. TU admits approximately 1500 transfer students a year. The graduation rate (in six years) is 60%, which is above the national average of 51.9% (Center for Educational Statistics). TU has a minority population of 13.4%, but is trying to increase that number with initiatives to increase diversity at TU, which is part of the mission statement for the university. The Department of Biological Sciences is already improving its diversity with a minority population of 21%. The specific aims of this program are to: (i) continue recruitment efforts at BCCC and CCBC to increase program awareness and increase the pool of qualified students at community college partner institutions; (ii) continue to increase program awareness at TU to create a supportive institutional climate for Bridges students; (iii) provide an active and supportive academic program for students (including tutoring, peer mentoring, summer research experiences, faculty advising teams for each student, and annual evaluations of the program by a program evaluator); and, (iv) provide students with the skills and capacity required to succeed at TU and post-graduate education and careers. Each cohort of students will be carefully advised academically so that they enter TU with true junior status by completing many of the Chemistry, Mathematic and Biology core courses, as well as, most of the General Education requirements as prescribed in formal articulation agreements. Since the past competitive renewal we have had a transfer rate of 63%, which was above our target of 50% and well above the average of 23% for Bridges Programs (Mervis, 2006). The renewal of our Bridges program will allow us to continue the successful transfer of BCCC and CCBC students to four-year institutions and provide us with an opportunity to increase our database to be able to disseminate what we have learned supported by quantitative data. Increasing the number of underrepresented minorities who successfully transfer from a community college to a four-year institution to receive a B.S. in an area of biomedical science increases the numbers of those students that might go on to receive a Ph.D. and pursue a career in biomedical research. This is of critical importance as the number of underrepresented minorities continues to grow, the need to have all capable and eligible individuals participating biomedical research that are sensitive to health disparities in their communities will be of great benefit to society. This program has successfully transferred 63% of program participants to a four-year institution and in the past granting period two have already graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.S. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Bioinformatics.