Public postsecondary education: Cal-Bridge Program.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California as the 3 public segments of postsecondary education in the state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, and authorizes them to provide instruction to students at community college campuses. This bill would establish the Cal-Bridge Program as an intersegmental partnership program between the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California with a mission of creating a pathway that promotes the advancement of California's diverse undergraduate public postsecondary student population majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to pursue STEM doctors of philosophy (PhDs) and become members of California's professorate or leaders in California's technology industry. The bill would specify the goals of the program, including, among other goals, the goal of preparing students to apply to PhD programs in STEM disciplines, particularly University of California STEM PhD programs. The bill would include 3 Cal-Bridge subprograms to provide resources, research opportunities, and financial support to qualifying public postsecondary undergraduate, PhD, and postdoctoral STEM scholars in their pursuit of becoming members of the California's professorate or leaders in California's technology industry. The bill would authorize funding appropriated for purposes of the program to be used for specified activities. The bill would apply to the University of California only to the extent that the Regents of the University of California by appropriate resolution make it applicable. The program would be implemented only upon an appropriation by the Legislature for its purposes.