The Bridge receives $70K Thornburg Foundation grant to help dual-credit students

In a collaboration between The Bridge of Southern New Mexico (BSNM), Doña Ana Community College and the Las Cruces, Gadsden, and Hatch school districts, a new model for “blended advising” will be developed and piloted between high schools and the community college for dual-credit students, thanks to a $70,000 grant from the Thornburg Foundation (TF).

The 18-month grant will allow the collaboration to “seek to pioneer ‘blended advising’ … to unite high school counselors and college dual-credit advisers as well-informed partners who understand both systems,” BSNM President and CEO Tracey Bryan said in a news release.

BSNM will serve as the convener and facilitator for the grant, Bryan said.

“Equipped with knowledge and relationships, both counselors and advisers will come alongside students in choosing courses that lead to college completion faster and at less expense, while preparing them to start their careers sooner and at higher rates of pay than if they hadn’t secured college credentials/degrees,” Bryan said.

“High school students pursuing dual credit deserve clear guidance that will help them select courses to set them on a path toward college graduation,” said TF Executive Director Allan Oliver.  “We are delighted to partner with BSNM on this innovative model and hope the lessons learned in Doña Ana County will improve high school outcomes across the state.”

TF makes grants to advance reforms in government, water, education and agriculture and to advance communities in New Mexico. It was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Santa Fe.

In a major study in Texas, the lack of blended advising was identified as a weakness in the success of their expansive dual-credit program, the news release said.

“New Mexico, as a state, suffers the same fate presently, which is why the need to develop a model like this is imperative,” Bryan said.

“Propelling the students of Doña Ana County toward high-school graduation and earning college credentials as quickly and cost-effectively as possible is key to the future earning power and economic wellbeing of graduates, their families, and the county at large,” said BSNM Board of Directors Chair Debbi Moore, who is also president and CEO of the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce. “We are fortunate to have strong partnerships between our county’s educational institutions for us to experiment and implement an approach that will benefit other communities in the state.”

Visit www.thebridgeofsnm.org and www.thornburgfoundation.org.