Some summer bridge programs to be evaluated

UNC-system administrators are trying to decide whether to keep funding a program that helps students who just missed acceptance standards to earn admission.

The program, offered at three schools under the umbrella of the system’s Summer Bridge Program, aims to improve student performance in certain areas so that students qualify for admission by the end of the summer.

It is intended for students who applied to participating schools but had SAT scores or a high school GPA  that were too low for the student to be accepted.

The program started at Fayetteville State University in 2002 and began receiving money from the UNC system two summers ago. It expanded to Elizabeth City State University and N.C. Agricultural & Technical State University last year.

Participating students take classes, participate in related activities and live on campus for five or six weeks, all expenses paid. Those who receive a C average or higher in the program’s core math and English courses are eligible for fall admission to that school.

Dr. Karrie Dixon, assistant vice president for academic and student affairs at UNC-system General Administration, said the program specifically targets first-generation college students and those who need more academic preparation.

“The overall program concept is bridging these students into their freshman year,” Dixon said.

She said that while many schools have Summer Bridge programs, including UNC-Chapel Hill, the programs at FSU, ECSU, and N.C. A&T are unique because they prepare students who aren’t accepted to college. Other Summer Bridge programs work with students who have been accepted to the school.

The program doesn’t have a set number of students per campus each year; 60 to 100 students at each school are funded by the General Administration, she said.

Administrators are now collecting data to evaluate the program’s impact on retention rates and student academic performance. An external team will review the data and draft a report by the end of March, Dixon said.

Jon Young, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at FSU, said even though students who participate have lower high school GPAs and SAT scores than their peers, they perform on par after completing the program.

“Their hours earned and retention rates are as good as other students, if not better,” Young said.

Young said that 205 students participated in the program at Fayetteville State in 2008. In 2009, 157 participated.

The UNC system paid for 100 of the participants in 2008 and 135 in 2009, he said. The rest were paid for with grants and other sources.

Monette Williams, program coordinator for the MODEL Scholars Summer Bridge program at ECSU said it is unlikely that the program could continue without funding from the UNC system.

Young said that while the FSU program would continue without UNC-system funding, it would be scaled back.


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