A rendering of the Bridge to Clemson facility that will be built for Highpointe and is the center of the groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 27, 2009.

Tri-County Technical College and Clemson University officials plan to break ground Fridayfor the new Academic Support Center for the Bridge to Clemson program.

The 8,664-square-foot building on Old Cherry Road will house classrooms for tutoring, student meeting rooms and offices for staff members. The first-of-its-kind in South Carolina Bridge to Clemson program is a collaboration between Clemson University and Tri-County Tech that allows students to transition from Tri-County to Clemson, when, as high school graduates, the students narrowly miss admission to Clemson University.

Jenni Evans, director of the program, said Bridge to Clemson has been in existence for three years and will serve roughly 450 students this year, up from 234 students in the first year.

“This is an invitation-only program,” Evans sad. “We feel that it is an important part of our academic program at Tri-County. The 75 percent success rate of students who ‘cross the bridge’ is comparable to other programs of this type nationally.”

Housing for the students will be provided at the Highpointe of Clemson condominiums. The condos have four bedrooms, four baths and more than 1,600 square feet of space per unit. Shuttle bus service to class and gated security are a part of the accommodations.

“The Academic Support Center is being built for the Highpointe Bridge students at no cost to Clemson or Tri-County,” said Tom Winkopp, developer of Highpointe. “All costs associated with the center are absorbed by Highpointe. Students sign a lease and live here while a part of the Bridge program.”

Tri-County Tech and Clemson University feel it is important for freshman students to be housed together so they can be acclimated to the “Clemson experience” and have a “seamless transition to Clemson University their sophomore year,” school officials said.

Cameron Brice, a 2006 graduate of T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, received a letter from Clemson telling him he had just missed admission to Clemson because of limited space and high demand. He was offered admission to Bridge to Clemson instead.

“I was frustrated because I worked hard in high school and was a top student,” Brice said. “I was accepted at Auburn University and at Anderson University, but Clemson was my first choice.”

Brice is happy with his decision to enter the Bridge program, he said.

“I’ve stayed focused on college and have done well,” he said. “I’m glad I was put into Bridge. It helped financially. I saved a lot of money.”

Bridge students have access to student life and campus services at Clemson such as the Fike Recreation Center, the R.M. Cooper Library, Redfern Health Center, student union activities and other student services, said Lisa Garrett, Tri-County public relations associate.

“In order to ‘bridge’ to Clemson a student must earn 30 transfer credits at Tri-County during their two semesters (in the Bridge program) and have a 2.5 grade point average,” Garrett said.

Projections indicate that the Bridge program could one day serve 900 to 1,000 students each year.