College Graduation Rates for Minority Students in a Selective Technical University: Will Participation in a Summer Bridge Program Contribute to Success?

• Published in: Educational evaluation and policy analysis Vol. 32; no. 1; pp. 70 - 83
• Main Authors: Murphy, Terrence E., Gaughan, Monica, Hume, Robert, Moore, S. Gordon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States SAGE Publications 01.03.2010; American Educational Research Association
• Subjects: Academic achievement; College Students; Colleges; Colleges & universities; Demography; Disproportionate Representation; Engineering Education; Georgia; Graduation Rate; Graduations; Graduations & commencements; High school students; High schools; Minority group students; Minority Groups; Minority students; School Holding Power; Student Participation; Summer Programs; Transitional Programs; Universities; Vocational education; Georgia
• ISSN: 0162-3737; 1935-1062
• DOI: 10.3102/0162373709360064

There are many approaches to solving the problem of underrepresentation of some racial and ethnic groups and women in scientific and technical disciplines. Here, the authors evaluate the association of a summer bridge program with the graduation rate of underrepresented minority (URM) students at a selective technical university. They demonstrate that this 5-week program prior to the fall of the 1st year contains elements reported as vital for successful student retention. Using multivariable survival analysis, they show that for URM students entering as fall-semester freshmen, relative to their nonparticipating peers, participation in this accelerated summer bridge program is associated with higher likelihood of graduation. The longitudinal panel data include more than 2,200 URM students.