Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and the Office of Research on Minority Health (ORMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), have initiated a program to provide support to increase representation of members of under-represented minorities in medical research. This is known as the Bridges to the Future Program. The Bridges to the Future Program was established in 1992 to facilitate specific transitions in the career paths of underrepresented minority scientists. The mission of the Bridges to the Future Program is to make available to the biomedical science research enterprise and to the nation the intellectual talents of an increasing number of underrepresented minority group members. It does so by facilitating the transition of students from associate- to baccalaureate-degree granting institutions and from masters to doctoral degree-granting institutions. The program promotes effective inter-institutional partnerships that lead to improvement in the quality and quantity of underrepresented minority students being trained as the next generation of scientists.

The GVSU-VARI-GRCC-Davenport (GRAPCEP) program is a NIH funded consortium within the Bridges to the Future Program. Our program is one of the Bridge to the Baccalaureate types. Each proposed Bridge program must consist of a partnership between at least two institutions. One must be an institution that offers the associates degree as the only undergraduate degree in the sciences within the participating departments AND has a significant enrollment of underrepresented minorities. Another partner must be a college or university offering the baccalaureate degree in areas relevant to the biomedical sciences. Thus, all applications must involve a partnership of at least two colleges or universities, but may involve a consortium of several institutions and may include several institutions within a single state system.

Applicants must be enrolled at a community college (GRCC) and are mentored through science clubs, summer research internships, and individual instruction. Students are eligible to present their research findings at the NIH Minority Symposium held annually in the fall. The costs of the travel, registration, and lodging are paid for successful applicants. These community college students are helped to graduate to the baccalaureate level. Students in the program are simultaneously dual-enrolled at GVSU.

Useful Links

• GRAPCEP Homepage
• GRAPCEP Contact Information
• NIH Guide: INITIATIVE FOR MINORITY STUDENTS: BRIDGES TO THE BACCALAUREATE
• Grand Valley State University
• Grand Rapids Community College
• Davenport University