Many postsecondary institutions have implemented summer bridge programs as a way to assist underprepared students in achieving academic success during the summer prior to their freshman year. The research on these programs is limited and even more limited on programs in the community college ranks. This study examined participants in a summer bridge program from 2015-2018 and compared them to nonparticipants with similar ACT subscores in math and English. This quantitative study answered six research questions about the institution’s summer bridge program. Results showed there was no significant difference between participants and nonparticipants in grade point average (GPA), grades in English Composition I and College Algebra, retention, credit hours earned, and graduation rates. However, the results showed that participants in the program were involved in more discipline issues when compared to nonparticipants. These findings are consistent with some of the literature presented and not consistent with others.

Over the past few decades, there has been a push to retain and increase URM student participation in STEM fields. To address this need, there are STEM Summer Bridge programs that specifically target underrepresented minority (URM) students to assist with the transition from high school to college. Summer bridge programs were established as a response to the effort to help with the transition from high school to college for first-time students. There are a number of these programs that specifically target URM students with the goal of increasing the diversity within professions that are related to the STEM areas of study. One of the challenges of establishing these programs involves identifying factors such as academic goals, psychological goals, and departmental goals that help first-time URM students succeed in STEM undergraduate programs. This research includes three studies that analyzes the impact of summer bridge programs on first-time students The first study analyzes program goals of summer bridge programs in the southeastern region of the United States, where there is a need for more published reports. The second study analyzes an engineering-focused summer bridge program’s impact on first year success. The results indicated that participation in the program had a significant association with Calculus I success and first semester GPA. The third study analyzes engineering degree and grad/professional school attainment for engineering students. It was found that participation has a significant association with engineering degree attainment. Overall, this study gives researchers a foundation for how engineering-focused summer bridge programs can affect academic success for first-time students. This type of intervention gives students the foundation needed to successfully transition from high school to college. This research shows that the impact produced by summer bridge programs have long term implications that include diversifying the engineering workforce.

“College Readiness” has been a phrase discussed across higher education and the workforce in most recent years. However, the perception of College Readiness has been debated throughout history as there is not a universal agreement on the philosophy of what it means to be College Ready. In Mississippi, the state has not even defined this phrase so there is not a way to measure the success of College Readiness. Because of this lack of universal philosophy, the purpose of this study is to understand the philosophy of college readiness programs in the state of Mississippi. The research question guiding this study will include: How do different stakeholders assigned to align college readiness programs between P-12 and postsecondary systems understand the philosophy of college readiness? Moreover, what influences the beliefs that shape philosophies about college readiness held by these stakeholders? Leaning on research from Thelin (2004), Conley (2007), and the Ecological Model of College Readiness as designed by Arnold et al. (2012), the literature review synthesizes research on the history of college readiness in American Higher Education, the definitions of College Readiness, and the most widely accepted conceptual framework to explain the factors that influence College Readiness among students. The design of this study included a qualitative comparative analysis and used focus groups to collect data from the perspectives of 16 directors or coordinators who are responsible for organizing or implementing college readiness programs across the state of Mississippi. As a result, the theme from the participant responses supported the consensus that college readiness is a complex and undefined phrase. However, each participant agreed that to be college ready, students need to have more than academic readiness. Instead, students must also have individual characteristics that yearn for a plan after high school. Another conclusion made was that college readiness is influenced by the students’ surroundings including people and politics. While the most current conceptual framework helps identify factors that influence college readiness, it does not precisely identify the relationships among the different layers or help explain when a student becomes college ready. Therefore, additional research should be conducted to determine the stages by which students pass through to become college ready.

Summer bridge programs (SBPs) have been used as a means of increasing students' college readiness and academic skills. University Southeast implemented a SBP in 2013 for students placing into developmental courses on the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA). However, researchers have found mixed results when evaluating the effectiveness of SBPs, and at University Southeast, it has not been investigated. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the difference in TSIA score gains between first-time-in-college students with developmental-level test scores who attended a three-week SBP and those who did not. Tinto's longitudinal model of student departure guided the study examining how university-provided support may increase a student's skills and abilities before the start of college. The research questions focused on the gain scores on TSIA math, reading, and writing pre- and posttests for first-time-in-college students completing the SBP and a control group not participating in the SBP and taking the TSIA a second time. A total of 769 archived test scores from 2014 and 2015 were analyzed using an independent-samples t test. Data analysis found significant gains only in the area of TSIA math, which suggests that college administrators reevaluate the use of SBPs. This study contributes to positive social change because it provides research-based data to administrators of the local SBP and demonstrates the need to explore options that will increase college readiness while ensuring that institutional funds are being used effectively.