Bridging Tribal Colleges to Montana State University

描述（由申请人提供）：这个持续的项目将维持和加强蒙大拿州立大学博兹曼分校与蒙大拿州四所部落学院之间的合作关系：小比格霍恩学院、佩克堡社区学院、石童学院和首席钝刀学院。这一伙伴关系的目标是在这些两年制部落学院和密歇根州立大学之间建立一种无缝的教育体验，从而增加未被充分代表的美洲土著部落大学生成功转入密歇根州立大学并在生物医学和其他健康相关科学领域进行学术研究的人数。“连接部落学院与密歇根州立大学”（BRIDGES）将重点实现以下目标：(1)每年在部落学院，BRIDGES将赞助8次由密歇根州立大学的教师和其他生物医学和行为科学方面的研究研讨会；(2)每年在密歇根州立大学举办为期三天的春季研讨会，向20名部落大学生介绍密歇根州立大学；(3)每年夏季将为11名学生提供为期8周的MSU生物医学和相关实验室的有意义的实践研究经验；(4)为暑期学员提供数学课程，提高他们的学术竞争力和自信心；(5)将为部落学院教师提供专业发展的机会，包括支持他们参加生物医学和相关专业会议、研究用品以及与密歇根州立大学教师合作研究的机会；(6)将在学生从一个校区过渡到另一个校区后提供校内支持，继续激励和指导这些学生完成学士学位。这些具体的项目旨在为从两年制部落学院转到四年制密歇根州立大学的学生创造多种机会，增强他们的学术技能和信心。通过在春季学期和夏季研究体验期间在密歇根州立大学校园接待部落大学生，以及密歇根州立大学教职员工和其他人员对学生校园和社区的互访，该项目将为学生在整个本科学习期间创造一种无缝的地方感和归属感。自2001年BRIDGES成立以来，有64%（44名学生中的28名）的暑期研究学生已经从部落学院升入了学士学位课程。BRIDGES计划将75%的暑期学员提升至四年制学校，并使70%的密歇根州立大学转校生获得学士学位。这一学生培训项目将增加人数不足的美洲土著学生成功地从两年制部落学院转到蒙大拿州立大学攻读生物医学和其他健康相关科学的学术课程的人数。它将加强密歇根州立大学健康相关研究项目与蒙大拿保留地部落学院之间的合作，这些部落学院在癌症、心脏病、中风和糖尿病的发病率等方面存在显著的健康差异。该计划的结果是，更多的美洲印第安人将接受培训，在生物医学相关领域工作，以消除其人民之间的健康差距。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This continuing project will maintain and enhance the partnership between Montana State University- Bozeman and four tribal colleges in Montana: Little Big Horn College, Fort Peck Community College, Stone Child College and Chief Dull Knife College. The goal of this partnership is to build a seamless educational experience between these two-year tribal colleges and the MSU thereby increasing the number of underrepresented Native American tribal college students successfully transferring to MSU and pursuing academic studies in the biomedical and other health-related sciences. "Bridging Tribal Colleges to MSU" (BRIDGES) will focus on achieving the following aims: (1) Annually at the tribal colleges, BRIDGES will sponsor 8 research seminars by MSU faculty and others in biomedical and behavioral sciences; (2) will annually host a three-day spring workshop at MSU to introduce 20 tribal college students to MSU; (3) will provide 11 students with meaningful, hands-on research experiences in biomedical and related laboratories at MSU during an 8-week program each summer; (4) will provide summer participants with math coursework to improve their academic competitiveness and confidence; (5) will provide tribal college faculty with opportunities for professional development, including support for travel to biomedical and related professional conferences, research supplies, and opportunities for collaborative research with MSU faculty; (6) will 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. These specific project aims are designed to create multiple opportunities for strengthening academic skills and improving confidence when transferring from two-year, tribal colleges to four-year MSU. By hosting tribal college students on the MSU campus during spring semester, the summer research experience, and by reciprocal visits by MSU faculty and others to the students' campuses and communities, the program will create a seamless sense of place and belonging to carry students throughout their undergraduate studies. Since BRIDGES' inception in 2001, 64% (28 out of 44) of its summer research students have progressed from their tribal colleges to B.S. degree programs. BRIDGES proposes to advance 75% of its summer participants to 4-year schools and to graduate 70% of the MSU transfer students with baccalaureate degrees. This student training project will increase the number of underrepresented Native American students successfully transferring and pursuing academic studies in the biomedical and other health-related sciences from two-year tribal colleges to Montana State University. It will strengthen the collaborations between MSU's health-related research programs and tribal colleges on Montana reservations where significant health disparities exist in areas such as the incidence of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. As a result of the program, more American Indians will be trained to work in biomedically related fields to eliminate the health disparities among their peoples.