‘Bridge camp’ prepares next engineering leaders

A chance to move in early, meet faculty, explore Brookings and develop leadership skills. The benefits of the South Dakota State University Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering Leadership Summer Bridge program spans beyond academics. 

Growing from eight students at the inaugural camp to 53 participants this August, the Summer Bridge program serves as a metaphorical bridge from high school to college. The programming aims to develop community among the students and set them up as future leaders, both in the College of Engineering and in their careers. 

“They build community so that they know somebody else,” Suzette Burckhard, assistant dean in the college, said of the main motivations of the camp.

The student participants have a one-week head start from other first-year students in terms of getting to know the campus and meeting their classmates. This allows them to be leaders from the beginning of the semester as their classmates begin their journey. 

The participants also heard from current students in the college, student support staff and others on the “tips and tricks” of being successful at SDSU. 

“It sets college up better for those students in STEM,” Burckhard said. “They get a better sense of what it is they're going to need to do in order to be a better engineering student.” 

Students participated in building competitions designed to teach them about the engineering field and further their problem-solving and team-building skills. 

Much of the programming was designed with input from current students. Burckhard said the current students have a good grasp on what incoming students need to know to be successful. 

Off campus, students participated in a tour of Daktronics and a scavenger hunt around the Brookings community. They also had the opportunity to attend Downtown at Sundown, a weekly concert in downtown Brookings held throughout August. 

Students going into almost every program in the college participated in the camp. Burkhard attributes the growth in the program to promotions at New Student Orientation and word of mouth between incoming students. 

The last part of the camp was helping with Meet State, the move-in event for SDSU. Participants helped their fellow first-year students get settled into residence halls and showed them around campus.