Stem Bridge is a grant funded intensive five-week residential academic enrichment and leadership program. STEM Bridge provides the catalyst to jump start the academic journey of participants by earning 4 units in a chemistry lecture and lab course as well as learning how to use state-of-the-art instrumentation. Furthermore, students are exposed to modern research methodology and receive an introduction to student life at Vanguard University. The goal of the program is to bridge the transition from high school to college while preparing students for the academic rigor of a liberal arts education. Incoming fall freshmen majoring in a STEM discipline who have been accepted to Vanguard and have made their deposit are eligible. Priority will be given to individuals who are Cal Grant and/or Pell Grant eligible. Consequently, STEM Bridge is making a significant impact on the success of Vanguard's students of color and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

At the Tutorial Center, students are viewed as one-of-a-kind learners with unique learning styles and individual needs. Center operation embraces the positive aspects of tutorial assistance, they are encouraged to use services to foster success in a class from the onset. Tutorial services are provided by students who have shown exemplary ability to facilitate learning from their peers. Two hours of tutoring per week is provided at no cost to the student.

The Tutorial Center is a part of the Academic Resource Center (ARC) which is located in Smith 114. To learn more, please go to: https://www.vanguard.edu/resources/academic-resource-center

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an academic assistance program that utilizes peer-assisted study sessions. SI sessions are regularly scheduled, informal review sessions in which students compare notes, discuss readings, develop organizational tools and predict test items. During the sessions, students learn how to integrate course content and study skills while working together.

Commuter Life is a comprehensive program supporting students in their overall transition to college by providing social, academic, and spiritual development opportunities. Commuter Life ensures commuter students experience the full college experience by developing co curricular development initiatives to parallel their academic growth.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) is a summer intensive research immersion experience and provides support and assistance to faculty, students and staff who are engaged in research, scholarship and creative activity at Vanguard. Further, participation in SURP with Faculty at an Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI) results in higher self-efficacies and greater student learning outcomes as compared to students who complete this requirement off-campus.

Initiated during Summer 2007 and formally resurrected in 2010 - the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) is essential to the program learning outcomes of many Departments including STEM. SURP not only serves Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry students but also students from Kinesiology, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, History and Liberal Studies.

Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) is the premier cross-cultural assessment of intercultural competence that is used by thousands of individuals and organizations to build intercultural competence to achieve international and domestic diversity and inclusion goals and outcomes. The IDI has been demonstrated, through research, to have high predictive validity to both bottom-line cross-cultural outcomes in organizations and intercultural goal accomplishments in education.

Faculty Fellows are first nominated by the resident faculty. Faculty may self-nominate for this role. Applications and a letter of reference from either the Department Chair or a Director are to be submitted to the Office of the Provost on behalf of the Institute of Faculty Development (IFD) Committee.

The Faculty Fellow will report to the Director for the Institute of Faculty Development (IFD) and directly leads training seminars and facilitates faculty growth in areas of professional development including but not limited to: technological pedagogy, culturally-sensitive pedagogy, active-learning modalities, implementation of technology and tools within the classroom or through online environments, and guidance on enhancement of student engagement. Appointment of the Faculty Fellow may require an ex-officio appointment to either the Faculty Development Committee of the Technology Planning and Advisory Committee (TPAC), as appropriate. It is expected that the Faculty Fellow will coordinate and present 2-3 training seminars during the semester of appointment (training may be a combination of traditional seminars or online presentations available for dissemination). The Faculty Fellow will develop a resource to be incorporated into the IFD Repository of Faculty Resources. Faculty Fellow are encouraged to engage multiple consistencies including but not limited to adjunct faculty and junior resident faculty.

Vanguard is known for equipping students for Christ-centered leadership and service. Approximately 17% of Vanguard students transfer from local SoCAL community colleges. College transitions are difficult to navigate and some of the largest gaps in retention across the country are apparent with this population of college students. Therefore, Vanguard is launching a Transfer Bridge program that will provide an intensive, ten-week residential academic enrichment and leadership program designed to bridge the transition from community college to Vanguard University life. It will prepare transfer students for the academic rigor of a liberal arts education in the STEM and other disciplines and foster intellectual, leadership, and spiritual growth. Starting in 2019, Transfer Bridge will serve as the focal point for the V-STEPs Program (Title V funded activity), and will be jointly led by a bilingual/biliterate Bridge Coordinator and a Transfer Coordinator to improve internal processes for students. Key components of the program will include: 1) a discipline-specific and fully supported Introduction to Vanguard with key faculty contribution to orient the student to Vanguard’s policies, cultures and institutional core curriculum; 2) a concomitant, integrative and highly personable Undergraduate Research Experience during the Transfer Bridge Program; 3) a fully-staffed Student Success and Tutorial Center serving as the hub of the college’s academic support activities that will provide supplemental instruction; 4) centralized advising catered to this specific population that uniquely equips students with networking connections to their respective career paths; and 5) collaborative community and family outreach activities targeted to developing academic preparedness students.

Academic Success Coaches are undergraduate students committed to helping other students articulate, monitor and achieve their academic goals. Coaches are trained to help students manage their workload and extracurricular activities; implement effective study strategies; manage their procrastination and test/academic performance anxiety; identify and interact with appropriate college resources; identify the barriers to students' academic success and assist students in creating realistic and achievable action plans for overcoming those challenges.

Vanguard University has partnered with Orange Coast College (OCC) Math, Science and Community Education divisions to provide the StarKids summer camp program. These camps aim to give middle-school students the opportunity to learn about science within a college environment while encouraging them to pursue these fields in their future education and career endeavors. The camps are free of charge to all students and are facilitated by the OCC Science Faulty. A few demonstrations include: LEGO engineering, strategic chess playing and many other science lessons that allow students to build and create engaging projects teaching them about the world they live in.

For more information regarding the StarKids STEM summer camps, please contact Scott Mitchell at smitchell46@occ.cccd.edu