Promising practices for the expansion and sustainability of summer bridge programs for underrepresented engineering students at the Pennsylvania State University

There are well-documented calls for increasing the numbers of students who graduate with a baccalaureate STEM degree, especially racially underrepresented students. The Center for Engineering Outreach and Inclusion at Penn State is comprised of five units focused on increasing the likelihood of graduating with a baccalaureate degree in Engineering among racially underrepresented students, women, and first-generation college students across all 19 Penn State campuses. This paper highlights one of the units. The Sustainable Bridges from Campus to Campus project is a NSF-sponsored IUSE study focused on retaining racially underrepresented students in Engineering, especially those who start at a regional campus. Penn State is comprised of the flagship University Park campus and 18 regional undergraduate campuses. About 60% of Penn State students opt for the “2+2 plan” by completing the first two years of their education at a regional campus and then transition to the University Park campus for the last two years. One reason to focus on regional campus students is because half of the racially underrepresented students in Engineering begin their Penn State career at a regional campus. This paper focuses on promising practices to expand and sustain summer bridge academic enhancement programs beyond the traditional model of a residential program at a Research I university. This presentation will discuss (a) different models for summer bridge programs, (b) strategies for sustaining summer bridge programs, (c) the Center for Engineering Outreach and Inclusion at Penn State, and (d) lessons learned regarding the implementation of summer bridge programs for STEM students.