Since Richard Harris first conceived of the idea in 2002 the Summer Bridge Scholars Program has grown from a group of 11 incoming College of Engineering first years to a multi-day University-wide event for over 250 students that requires 50 Northeastern staff and faculty to orchestrate. The program provides an opportunity for engagement and pre-enrollment support to first-year students living in the United States from historically underrepresented populations at the university.
As an incoming D'Amore-McKim student, Jonathan Bush chose Northeastern for the co-op program. He also noted Northeastern's social media presence as a deciding factor. “I spoke to multiple students that I'd found online, and they truly do love it here” he says.
Martin Dias, a Supply Chain & Information Management Associate Teaching Professor, sits on the leadership team for the program. “Summer Bridge Scholars Program is one of those milestone life events that I believe will put students on a different life trajectory, that it is a kind of inflection point for them,” Dias says. “For some, it's just sort of a slight acceleration and for others, it is completely transformative.”