RICHARDSON, Texas (May 12, 2004) – The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) will offer a variation of its highly acclaimed Academic Bridge Program this summer that is targeted exclusively at aspiring engineering and computer science students.

The special program will involve three days of engineering and computer science workshops, pre-college seminars and residential living on the UTD campus Aug. 1-3. It is being sponsored by UTD’s Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science in conjunction with the Academic Bridge Program, which is administered by the university’s School of General Studies.

The Academic Bridge Program, which was established at UTD in 2000 with the aid of State Rep. Helen Giddings, D-DeSoto, seeks to attract to the university – and then support and retain — students who graduate from Dallas-area urban high schools and have high class rankings but may not have completed the full university-track curriculum and may have SAT scores below UTD’s 1225 average for entering freshmen. The program has been so successful that student retention exceeds 80 percent and the Bridge students on average perform virtually the same academically as UTD’s overall student population.

“I’ve been an educator for more than 30 years, and this is the best program of its kind I’ve ever seen,” said Dr. Bob Helms, dean of the Jonsson School. “I thought this would be a perfect addition to our engineering and computer science school as we work toward achieving our ‘Top 50 In 5’ goal — becoming one of the top 50 engineering schools in the country within five years. Having access to this new pool of talent can only help us.”

Dr. George Fair, dean of the School of General Studies, said the purpose of the three-day session in August would be “to provide students with an academically challenging and socially exciting environment that will give them insight into attending UTD.” He explained that acceptance into the Engineering and Computer Science Bridge Program would require “that a student show evidence of intellectual curiosity, plan to major in engineering and/or computer science and demonstrate a genuine desire to attend The University of Texas at Dallas in Fall 2005.”

Fair and Helms said students from 10 area high schools — Adamson, Bryan Adams, Carter, Hillcrest, Lincoln, Madison, Skyline, Samuel, Townview and W. T. White – were being targeted for the program. They urged counselors at those schools to have students recommended for the program to submit completed applications by May 21. For additional information on the summer session or other aspects of UTD’s Academic Bridge Program, please contact Cornelia McCowan at 972-883-6369 or mccowan@utdallas.edu.

Although the Jonsson School is only 18 years old, UTD awards more electrical engineering and computer science degrees at the bachelor’s and master’s levels combined than any other university in the United States.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,700 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.