Portland Bridges to Baccalaureate: An interinstitutional partnership to facilitate and support transfer to four year degrees among students from underrepresented communities

The Portland Bridges to Baccalaureate (PBTB) program is a federally-funded five-year project designed to increase the number of underrepresented students transferring from community college to university, to pursue academic and scientific careers in the biomedical and behavioral sciences -- including public health. The program is a unique partnership between three Portland Community College (PCC) campuses and Portland State University (PSU). PBTB builds upon a relatively new inter-institutional collaboration that allows for dual enrollment between the community college and university, as well as upon established student opportunity programs across all four campuses. Because PSU's School of Community Health — the PBTB administrative home – is also a partner in a statewide collaborative MPH degree, students in the program will have access to biomedical and behavioral science expertise extending beyond these four campuses.

Through the PBTB program, students gain access to comprehensive support services including specialized advisors, peer and expert mentors, precepted summer work placements, and topical seminars. Students will also network with professionals directly involved in public health, biomedical, and behavioral sciences. With formative research training, students will complete their baccalaureate degrees with a solid foundation for post-graduate work or continued graduate training. The PBTB program aims to increase by 50% the overall institutional transfer rate among underrepresented students, from PCC to biomedical/behavioral science baccalaureate degree programs at PSU. In addition, at least 75% of transferring PBTB students will successfully complete their bachelor degrees in biomedical/behavioral sciences. Experiences from the planning year and recruitment of the first cohort will be presented.