Contact: Bob Ratliff
For 20 recent high school graduates, the transition to life at Mississippi State is being made a little easier by the Summer Bridge Program.
The high-school-to-university activities in which they are participating is organized by the Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education program. Designed to help selected incoming minority freshmen adjust to campus life, IMAGE is offered at all eight of the state's public institutions of higher learning.
"At Mississippi State, the IMAGE Summer Bridge is supported jointly by the National Science Foundation and the university's College of Engineering," said Tommy Stevenson, the college's diversity coordinator. "Its goal is to help science, mathematics, engineering, and technology majors make a smooth transition to university life.
"Participants are selected on the basis of high school activities, grades, American College Test scores, and a written application," Stevenson said. "The encouragement and support they receive will help ensure their continued success during the college years."
Stevenson said MSU's 2002 Summer Bridge participants began their month-long activities July 2. Pre-calculus and public speaking courses are among the academic courses they are taking.
Upon arrival on campus, each is assigned a junior- or senior-class mentor to provide academic and personal support during both the summer period and the entire freshman year. Each also is paired with a faculty or staff member who will give additional support.
While the students are learning the ropes on campus, some of their moms and dads also may face adjustments to the demand of having a child in college, Stevenson said. To address these home situations, the IMAGE program also offers a parents' seminar during freshman orientation and again when the students move on campus, he explained.
Members of the 2002 MSU/IMAGE Bridge Program include (by hometown):
CAMDEN--Lester L. Woods, a computer engineering major and the son of Evelyn Mixon. (Vent Mixon, also of Camden, is his guardian.)
CLEVELAND--Deshudra S. Thomas, a computer science major and the daughter of Delphia Thomas, and Elyse C. Thomas, a biological engineering major and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Thomas.
COLUMBIA--Brian R. Porter, an industrial engineering major and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Billy Porter.
GAUTIER--Shawn L. Britt, a computer science major and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Shawn Britt.
GREENWOOD--Jessica M. Ross, an electrical engineering major and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Ross.
HATTIESBURG--Megan N. Watson, a computer engineering major and the daughter of Dianne Watson.
JACKSON--Candace A. Allgood, a computer engineering major and the daughter of Linda Buford, and Ashanti K. Murrain, a civil engineering major and the son of Ethel Murrain of Jackson and William Murrain of Stone Mountain, Ga.
LAUREL--Stanley M. Jones, a mechanical engineering major and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Alridge.
MARKS--Danielle R. Scott, a geosciences major and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Harris.
MOUND BAYOU--Tiffany N. White, a biological engineering major and the daughter of Luther White of Mound Bayou and Renita Ducre of Ft. Lee, Va.
NATCHEZ--Larry T. Thomas, an electrical engineering major and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Thomas.
OKOLONA--Nicholas L. Head, a computer engineering major and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Sammie Head.
PASCAGOULA--Jared P. Fisher, a civil engineering major and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Fisher.
RIDGELAND--Julius R. Love, a computer science major and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gertie Wade.
TERRY--Jeffery L. Hart, a computer science major and the son of Laura Hart of Terry and Jeff Joiner of Jackson.
VICKSBURG--Janee M. Selma, a chemical engineering major and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Selma.
WEST POINT--Ashley N. Johnson and Sonya Outlaw, both biological engineering majors. Johnson is the daughter of Ashley Johnson, while Outlaw is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Willie Outlaw.