The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education recognized the university for its summer bridge program’s success. It also provided the university with a grant to expand and improve the program.
Bellarmine University has received a grant from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education along with recognition for its Bridge to BU summer bridge program via the Kentucky Student Success Award in Transformational Leadership. The $56,300 grant that has been awarded will expand the summer bridge program for the upcoming summer, allowing the university to offer the programming to high school seniors looking toward a career in healthcare.
According to an article on Bellarmine University’s website, Aaron Thompson, the president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, said of the six colleges, including Bellarmine University, that received Kentucky Student Success Award in Transformational Leadership, “I am so proud of these schools and individuals who exemplify what it means to be student-centered. Kentucky’s recent gains in enrollment, retention and degree attainment are a testament to the work campuses are doing on the ground to support students and their unique needs, whether they be academic, financial or emotional.”
The Bridge to BU program was first established in 2023 and is a free program that gives students who have been conditionally admitted to Bellarmine University the opportunity to earn full admission by completing three courses over the five week duration. The new expansion of the Bridge to BU program is specifically tailored to healthcare students and is offered in partnership with Norton Healthcare.
The healthcare-centered version of the Bridge to BU program is called the Healthcare Career Summer Bridge Program and will include one week of orientation and four weeks of participation in credit-earning courses, social activities, and career activities. Up to 20 students will be admitted into this free program for the summer, and in the fall, they will become dual-enrolled at their high school and at Bellarmine University as a Norton Healthcare Scholar. Norton Healthcare Scholars have the opportunity to receive money toward tuition in exchange for working at a Norton Healthcare facility after their college graduation.
Dr. Jon Blandford, assistant provost for the university, said, “In addition to giving students an academic leg up, these summer programs create a connection to our community and to each other. We know that increases their chances of succeeding in the fall and beyond and helps them develop ‘soft skills’ such as interpersonal communication and collaboration that employers including Norton [Healthcare] tell us they especially value in Bellarmine graduates.”
He went on to say, “We are very proud of the positive impact Bridge to BU has had by enabling students to make a successful transition from high school to college-level work and expectations. Students from Bridge to BU contribute a lot to our community in and out of the classroom, and Bellarmine is a better university with them here. This coming summer, we’re looking forward to building a new bridge specifically for nursing students, a program that will strengthen our partnership with Norton Healthcare and help meet a critical workforce need in our city and commonwealth.”
For more information about Bellarmine University, visit the school’s website.