At left, UTSA College of Sciences Dean William Scouten, UTSA Associate Vice
President for
Academic Support and Undergraduate Studies Lawrence Williams, St. Philip's
College Vice
President for Academic Affairs Lanier Byrd, St. Philip's College
President Angie S. Runnels
and UTSA President Ricardo Romo attended the press conference announcing the
"Bridges
to Baccalaureate" partnership between the two institutions. At right,
President Romo, St. Philip's
Bridges Grant Faculty Coordinator Mayemba Biduaka, UTSA Bridges Grant Co-Director
Clyde
Phelix and St. Philip's Bridges Grant Co-Director William Davis.
"Bridges" program to help recruit minorities into sciences
(Nov. 30, 2001)--The University of Texas at San Antonio and St. Philip's College will partner in an effort to increase the number of minorities completing bachelor's degrees in the sciences. The $625,000 "Bridges to Baccalaureate" grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced Thursday will fund the initiative of the two institutions of higher learning.
"UTSA is excited about this additional opportunity to partner with local community colleges," said UTSA President Ricardo Romo. "This arrangement with St. Philip's greatly expands access to higher education for San Antonio students."
St. Philip's College President Angie S. Runnels concurred. "There is a real opportunity through this 'Bridges to Baccalaureate Program' to reach a significant population of under-represented minorities of both African American and Hispanic heritage, and that will be our goal," Runnels said.
The grant awarded to UTSA and St. Philip's is designed to recruit and help
minority students make the transition from the community college to the four-year
university in completion of a baccalaureate (or bachelor's) degree. Funded
jointly by the NIH National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities
and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the "Bridges"
grant will promote the inter-institutional partnership as part of an overall
mission to increase the number of under-represented minority groups in the
biomedical sciences.
The grant will focus on increasing by 25 percent the number of minority students
completing an associate's degree in biology and chemistry, and then transferring
to UTSA over the next three years. The initiative will build upon existing
2+2 articulation agreements between St. Philip's and UTSA through the implementation
of a number of learning enrichment opportunities for first and second-year
students such as faculty mentoring, tutoring, enhanced laboratory experiences
and supplemental instruction.
Identified students will be introduced to faculty and peer mentoring early
in the process, and also will be able to compete for jobs in research laboratories
at St. Philip's College, as well as apprenticeship opportunities at UTSA while
they remain enrolled in the program.
The grant was awarded in September, but the program will be fully implemented
in the spring 2002 under the leadership of co-directors William C. Davis
of St. Philip's College and Clyde Phelix of UTSA. The program’s
initial focus will be on the recruitment of non-declared students at St. Philip’s
College to enroll in biology and chemistry associate’s degree programs.
The student demographics and history of achievement in minority student success
of St. Philip's College and UTSA make these partner institutions uniquely
qualified to implement a program such as the "Bridges to Baccalaureate"
program. St. Philip's College is the country's only community college designated
an "Historically Black College" and an "Hispanic Serving Institution,"
while UTSA, also an "Hispanic Serving Institution," has graduated
the highest number of Hispanics with bachelor's of life science degrees in
the nation over the past three years.
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"Bridges to Baccalaureate" program goals:
-- Increase by 25 percent the number of minority students completing an associate's
degree in biology and chemistry and transferring from St. Philip's to UTSA.
-- Ensure the smooth transfer from St. Philip's to UTSA with a guarantee of
junior standing to participating students;
Provide St. Philip’s students with research laboratory experience at
UTSA.
-- Assist St. Philip's in enhancing its research seminar class.
-- Include St. Philip's students in the UTSA Life Sciences Seminar Program
held each week.
-- Provide oversight for continued academic counseling for St. Philip’s
students through the associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs.
-- Provide tutoring and supplemental instruction for St. Philip's students
through both the associate's and bachelor's degree programs.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
Roadrunners
beat Illinois State, new band raises spirit
Blandina
Cardenas to be honored at Dec. 8 scholarship fund-raiser
UTSA
co-sponsors lectures by renowned "poets from the desert"
"Bridges" program to help recruit minorities into sciences
Tri-Campus
Bulletin Board -- a digest of other important news
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© The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2001