Bridges

About

The BRIDGES grant program is a $2.2 million federally funded grant program through the U.S. Department of Education’s Title III Strengthening Institutions Program. The highly competitive grant program is helping Florida State College at Jacksonville expand its capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional management and fiscal stability.

Research released by MDC Network in 2016 found that Jacksonville has one of the south’s lowest rates of economic mobility, making the BRIDGES Title III project a much-needed initiative to transform our students’ economic and social circumstances by improving the quality of and access to higher education.

Grant Activities

The 5-year grant program includes the following goals:

• Increase the effectiveness of the student advising experience by implementing a comprehensive model integrating academics, wrap-around support services, orientation and supportive technologies
• Improve student retention and completion rates through the implementation of targeted support programs, faculty training, academic courses, guided curricular pathways and instructional models using high impact equity practices that help close the achievement gap
• Intensify institutional data tracking and strategic enrollment management efforts, which support equity, retention and completion outcomes of low-income and historically underrepresented students