Bridge program touted during Tech Report to the People
According to a report card issued by the White House his year, the average national six-year graduation rate for first-time incoming college freshmen is 44 percent. The Bridge of Clemson program, a partnership between Tri-County Technical College and Clemson University, boasts of an 82 percent graduation rate – almost double the national graduation rate. Clemson University President James Clements, in a keynote address at Tri-County’s annual report luncheon, celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Bridge to Clemson program by spotlighting statistics and success stories. He called Bridge to Clemson “a national model of collaboration.” Bridge to Clemson is an invitation-only program that blends the traditional academic experience at Tri-County with the social and cultural experiences of being a Clemson University student. The program, which began in 2006, offers students a university experience and seamless transition to Clemson for their sophomore year. Bridge students must earn 30 transfer credits at Tri-County during their two semesters and transfer to Clemson with a minimum 2.5 GPA. Jeremy Johnson a Clemson junior from Columbia majoring in graphic communications is considered a Bridge success story. He says his year at Tri-County prepared him for being a Clemson student. Johnson is a resident assistant in the Bridge residential community at High Pointe and he mentors new Bridge students. He is a volunteer firefighter with Friendship Fire Department and is a member of a bluegrass gospel band.