In the meantime, the program continues to attract attention around the country.
“I think it’s a very interesting idea about how to partner an HBCU and an R1 (Research 1 university),” says Dr. Marcel Agueros, an assistant professor of astronomy at Columbia and former associate director of a 2-year-old, non-degree-granting Bridge program there.
“I think it is a terrific program. I think that it does a few things that are very important. It’s very proactive in seeking out students who may not have been traditionally successful. A lot of the work is in identifying good matches for the program. It takes the attitude that the major thing you can do is really mentor these students, that mentoring is in fact productive work, that, if you bring in hungry students who maybe are not as qualified as they should be, you can turn them into productive scientists. That sounds like a simple thing, but there is a lot of skepticism among people. Many believe science is innate; either you have it or you don’t.”
Burger has a different take on why the collaboration is effective and why it could have served as a showcase for the Obama administration’s proposal.
“You know why it’s good?” he asks. “We’re not thinking of the benefits to institutions. We’re thinking of the beneficiaries — all the minority students.”
