# BRIDGE TO THE BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM AT NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY 2018-2023

> **NIH NIH R25** · NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY LAS CRUCES · 2020 · $200,614

## Abstract

This proposal is a competing continuation application for an existing Bridges to the Baccalaureate Degree
(BS) Program (Opportunity number PAR-17-210) at the New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces.
The program proposes to serve American Indian (AI) students at three community colleges. These
institutions enroll 4,161 AI students (data from year 2016) from the Diné (Navajo) Nation, the Jicarilla Apache
Nation, and eight Pueblos in New Mexico. The community colleges include one true tribal community
college, Diné College at Shiprock, NM, and two state-supported community colleges: the University of New
Mexico Gallup Branch at Gallup, and San Juan College in Farmington, NM. Funding for 5 years is requested
for programmatic activities that attract, enrich, enhance preparedness, and advance AI students into
baccalaureate degree programs aligned with the biomedical sciences. The annual goals of this application
are: (i) A series of recruitment/informational workshops will be organized and conducted at the community
colleges by the resident community college partner PIs. This will introduce >120 AI science majors to
research career opportunities in biomedicine and biomedical-related research at NMSU. (ii) From the student
pool in goal (i), approximately 12-15 pre-admitted AI students will visit the NMSU campus each spring for a
one-two day orientation program to prepare for forthcoming summer research experiences. (iii) From the
student pool of goal (ii), 12 AI students will conduct fulltime research with a faculty mentor and participate in
many structured enrichment workshops during nine summer weeks at the campus of NMSU. Workshops will
include: enhancement of computer skills for conducting research and preparing a scientific poster;
discussions of ethical conduct of research; comprehensive laboratory safety training; development of
scientific writing and presentation skills; academic transfer advisement; and, financial planning for completion
of the B.S. degree; (iv) NMSU research-intensive faculty will serve as summer research mentors and as
academic advisors after students transfer to a BS program at NMSU. (v) This application proposes to
transfer 75% of its summer research participants to BS institutions and to graduate 70% of the transferees
with a BS degree. (vi) An enhanced transfer support structure will be provided to Bridges program participant
transfers through mandatory enrollment in a one-credit weekly meeting/seminar course for monitoring
academic progress, and through an assertively administered peer-counseling program. This Bridge Program
has advanced 67% (230 out of 344 total participants from 1992 to 2017) of its summer research participants
into baccalaureate degree programs. Of these transferred AI students 97 have completed baccalaureate
degrees.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9968296
- **Project number:** 5R25GM048998-21
- **Recipient organization:** NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY LAS CRUCES
- **Principal Investigator:** CLARISSA BOWMAN
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $200,614
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1992-09-30 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9968296

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9968296, BRIDGE TO THE BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM AT NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY 2018-2023 (5R25GM048998-21). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9968296. Licensed CC0.

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