Bridge Week, a staple of the Indiana University Indianapolis campus that acclimates first-year students to college life before classes begin, now includes additional programming specifically for transfer students.

The inaugural Transfer Bridge program in fall 2024 was led by Janice Bankert-Countryman, assistant program director of the Center for Transfer and Adult Students.

“Before I took a full-time staff position, I was an associate faculty member for many years, and I was at Bridge Week every year. It was one of my favorite things to do,” she said.

“I know the importance of it first-hand from an instructor perspective. When I joined the Center for Transfer and Adult Students, a question for myself was, ‘How do we bring that first-year experience into the realm of transfer students?’”

The opt-in Transfer Bridge program took place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. over three days during the 2024 Bridge Week. Participants learned about financial planning and budgeting, how to make the most of lectures and note taking, and academic success resources. The program also included peer mentoring and activities to get to know campus and people, with a goal of making students feel comfortable and confident coming into a new place.

Ilse Peña-Lopez said Transfer Bridge helped ease her anxiety about making the transition from Ivy Tech to IU Indianapolis.

“It’s definitely worth it,” she said. “It released the stress ahead of the first day of classes. You get to at least be familiar with some leaders and classmates and connect with them. It was more interpersonal than an orientation.”

The Cyber Sandbox section of the Transfer Bridge program will include a visit to the VR Lab in University Library. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana UniversityThe program was such a success that it’s expanding in 2025 from one section to three: one for University College students who are enrolling in health and life sciences programs; one called “Cyber Sandbox” for students of any major who are interested in learning about technology on campus, like the VR Lab, the Media Arts and Science Research Learning Arcade and the Idea Garden; and one that will explore lessons from the book “The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion.”

Thanks to a sponsorship from the bookstore at IU Indianapolis, every student participating in the section where the book will be read will receive a free copy.

Bankert-Countryman is partnering with Jason Peercy, the University Library VR Lab coordinator, to create the Cyber Sandbox section. She is handing the teaching reins over to three instructors: Brett Watson, associate director of the Office of Student Involvement; Emily Hunnicutt, assistant director of the 21st Century Scholars Success program; and Rachel Turner, an associate faculty member in the School of Liberal Arts.

The Center for Transfer and Adult Students collaborates with several offices to make Transfer Bridge possible.

“I couldn’t do this without the support of Andrea Engler, who leads the Department of Student Transitions and Mentor Initiatives, and Heather Bowman, director of First-Year Programs, who I’ve known and worked with for a really long time and couldn’t respect more,” Bankert-Countryman said.

The growing program is one way IU Indianapolis is invested in better serving transfer students. At many institutions, the introduction to college life begins and ends at orientation.

“I’ve been a part of this campus off and on since I was 17 years old,” Bankert-Countryman said. “I did my undergrad here. I did my graduate work here, and I work here as a professional. That’s not by accident. We truly care about our students, and we are innovators. We like to be the ones who are breaking the mold.”

Transfer Bridge was a formative experience for Peña-Lopez.

“Participating in the program really influenced my first year at IU Indianapolis,” she said. “I’m now a member of the OTeam, and I’m also on the advising board for transfer students. It inspired me to be involved.”

Transfer Bridge 2025 will be held Aug. 20 to 22.

Faculty and staff across IU Indianapolis can help support transfer students by collaborating with the Center for Transfer and Adult Students and raising awareness about its services and resources.

Tia Broz is a communications consultant in the Office of the Vice President for Communications and Marketing.