Launching and Enhancing Summer Bridge Programs

Summer bridge programs are initiatives aimed at supporting students as they transition into university, helping them build confidence, skills, and a sense of belonging. Many existing programs focus on serving less experienced and/or historically underrepresented students, striving to broaden participation in STEM fields. We aim to bring together colleagues who share a common interest in Computer Science and Engineering Bridge programs. We invite both those interested in starting bridge programs at their institutions and those with knowledge of existing programs, including best practices and lessons learned. We will collaborate to discuss the most effective approaches to these programs and challenges that arise in their implementations, including exclusivity in the selection of admits, target audience, funding limitations, outreach, and more. We aim to have participants leave with resources, including information about other programs, points of contact for networking, and a collaborative document from the discussion, as well as a website for hosting resources of existing programs.