Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education giving $3.5 million to 25 Kentucky-area schools in summer bridge program spending
The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education is giving 29 college programs $200,000 in grant money for bridge programs. The schools competed for the money based on criteria aimed at improving enrollment and graduation rates. Bridge programs help new college students adjust to college life.
For the second consecutive year, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education announced that they will be giving $200,000 grants to 29 programs at 25 Kentucky universities and colleges, for a total of $3.5 million. The grants will be used to help fund summer bridge programs in order to prepare incoming students for the academic and life changes that post secondary education presents.
Talking to the Northern Kentucky Tribune, President of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, Aaron Thompson, said of the importance of bridge programs, “The transition out of high school and the first year of college are critical and sometimes very trying times for students. Students need academic and social-emotional support to stay engaged, have a positive experience, and graduate. These programs provide the resources they need to succeed.”
According to the Institute of Education Sciences, “Summer bridge programs are designed to ease the transition to college and support postsecondary success by providing students with the academic skills and social resources needed to succeed in a college environment. These programs occur in the summer ‘bridge’ period between high school and college. Although the content of summer bridge programs can vary across institutions and by the population served, they typically last 2–4 weeks and involve (a) an in-depth orientation to college life and resources, (b) academic advising, (c) training in skills necessary for college success (e.g., time management and study skills), and/or (d) accelerated academic coursework.”
The funds for the grants come from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, or GEER II, which was implemented following the COVID-19 pandemic as a means for mitigating the impact the pandemic has had on the economy and education. A portion of the funds for GEER II come from the federal CARES Act implemented by former President Donald Trump in March of 2020. Other funds were also provided by the American Rescue Plan Act on behalf of the Kentucky Department of Education, according to a press release from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.
Recipient schools participated in a competition based on criteria to increase retention rates of students between fall and spring semesters, reduce performance gaps in the completion of college classes, increase the overall number of students enrolled in face to face classes, and improved graduation rates.
All the recipients of the grant are listed below.
• Asbury University
• Bellarmine University
• Big Sandy Community and Technical College
• Bluegrass Community and Technical College
• Centre College
• Eastern Kentucky University
• Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
• Hazard Community and Technical College
• Henderson Community College
• Hopkinsville Community College
• Jefferson Community and Technical College
• Kentucky State University
• Kentucky Wesleyan College
• Lindsey Wilson College
• Madisonville Community College
• Morehead State University
• Murray State University
• Owensboro Community and Technical College
• Northern Kentucky University
• Northern Kentucky University Elevating Education
• Spalding University
• Union College
• University of Kentucky
• University of Louisville
• University of Louisville Cancer and Health Disparities
• University of Louisville College of Education and Human Development
• University of Pikeville
• Western Kentucky University
• Western Kentucky Community and Technical College
Campuses must submit final program reports to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education in January 2023.