FYI From: Sherrie Tucker <tucker76@purdue.edu> Date: Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 7:50 AM To: Brian S King <king360@purdue.edu>, Joseph Wallace <jwalla78@purdue.edu>, Wassgren, Carl R <wassgren@purdue.edu>, Alan S Jones <jone1405@purdue.edu> Cc: Nikhilesh Chawla <nikc@purdue.edu> Subject: FW: Summer Graduate Bridge program - Please share with faculty/incoming graduate students Sent on behalf of Jaqueline McDermott…. Please share with your faculty. Thanks! Dear Graduate Chairs, Administrators and Contacts- Please share information for Summer Graduate Bridge Program below with your faculty members who have recently admitted Fall 2025 Graduate Students, especially domestic graduate students who will bring different perspectives, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences and who will benefit from an early start to their research. Incoming graduate students are also encouraged to ask their advisor for nomination to Bridge. Summer Graduate Bridge | Program Dates: July 13 to August 15, 2025 https://www.purdue.edu/academics/ogsps/ogrs/programs/bridge/ The Bridge program is coordinated by the Office of Graduate Recruitment and Success in OGSPS/Graduate Office. Benefit: Graduate Bridge Students receive a summer stipend, early start to their research experience, professional development workshops, a housing allowance, travel support, and opportunities to build their network. Bridge Student Eligibility: * U.S. Citizens, Lawful permanent residents, Refugees, or Asylees * Accepted into a Purdue graduate program for Fall 2025 * Encourage nominations of first-generation college students, veterans, former Pell Grant recipients, TRIO program participants (McNair or LSAMP), or graduates of minority-serving institutions. Application deadline: May 1, 2025 Faculty/Schools should nominate students for the Graduate bridge program. * The application process should be initiated by the research mentor. We would appreciate your help in encouraging faculty to nominate their incoming graduate students. Faculty advisors must send a letter of recommendation to ogrs@purdue.edu<mailto:ogrs@purdue.edu> using the application information shared in the email below (or on the Bridge website). * Students are encouraged to contact their research advisor to start the process. The Cost Share per student is as follows ($8,000): $4000 Graduate Office/OGSPS $3000 School and/or Faculty Mentor $1000 College of Engineering Any logistics questions about the Graduate Bridge Program can be addressed to Dr. Odalys Luquis in OGRS office of OGSPS (otorresl@purdue.edu<mailto:otorresl@purdue.edu>). The College of Engineering will fund up to 10 Engineering Graduate Bridge Students. Best, Jackie Jacqueline E. McDermott, Ph.D. Associate Director of Graduate Student Partnerships and Access Purdue University College of Engineering - Graduate Education From: Odalys Torres Luquis <otorresl@purdue.edu<mailto:otorresl@purdue.edu>> To: Office of Graduate Recruitment and Success <ogrs@purdue.edu<mailto:ogrs@purdue.edu>> Subject: Nominations Open: Graduate Bridge Early-Start Program for Fall 2025 Incoming Students Dear Faculty and Staff, I am writing to invite you to nominate your incoming Fall 2025 graduate students for the Graduate Bridge program, a five-week summer research immersion experience designed to help new graduate students transition successfully to Purdue University. Please feel free to share and help us promote it! About Graduate Bridge Graduate Bridge is for domestic graduate students who will bring different perspectives, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences to Purdue University and who are likely to particularly benefit from an early start to their research and from belonging to a supportive community of scholars. The program runs from July 13 to August 15, 2025. It provides participants with an early start to their research experience, professional development workshops, a housing allowance, travel support, and opportunities to build their network before the academic year begins. Who Can Be Nominated Eligible nominees must be: * U.S. Citizens, Lawful permanent residents, Refugees, or Asylees * Accepted into a Purdue graduate program for Fall 2025 We particularly encourage nominations of first-generation college students, veterans, former Pell Grant recipients, TRIO program participants (McNair or LSAMP), or graduates of minority-serving institutions. Nomination and Application Process The process occurs in two steps: 1. Faculty Nomination (First Step): Faculty advisors must send a letter of recommendation to ogrs@purdue.edu<mailto:ogrs@purdue.edu> using the subject line "2025Bridge_LetterofRec_NomineeFirstName_NomineeLastName". The letter should include: * Clear research goals and metrics for the student's five-week program * Description of mentoring/supervision arrangements (including in-person or virtual) * Confirmation of cost-sharing commitment ($4,000 of the $8,000 total program cost) 1. Student Application: Once nominated, we will invite students to apply. Program Benefits * Stipend plus housing and travel assistance * Five weeks of guided research experience * Professional development workshops * Social activities and networking opportunities with peers Cost Sharing The total program cost is $8,000 per student. Academic units must contribute $4,000, which can be shared among the research advisor, Department/School, and College (See College of Engineering cost-share model in Dr. Jackie McDermott’s email). Mentorship Expectations We recommend weekly meetings between scholars and their faculty mentors or designees. Your nomination should outline how the student will be mentored, including any additional personnel involved in supervision. For the nomination link or additional information, please contact me at otorresl@purdue.edu<mailto:otorresl@purdue.edu>. You can also visit the Bridge website<https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/diversity/programs/bridge/> to learn more about the program. Thank you for your support in helping our incoming graduate students get a strong start at Purdue through this valuable program. Best, Odalys Torres-Luquis, PhD Senior Program Manager Office of Graduate Recruitment and Success (OGRS) OGSPS | Purdue University Young Hall, Room 181