 During his tenure, the college opened the Glover Alston Center (2010); launched initiatives and dedicated funding for innovation in teaching, such as the Cross-Disciplinary Learning and Teaching Initiative; established the college's Global Studies Initiative with a $345,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and expanded academic programs in the life sciences and computer science.The Whitman College Student Engagement Center was also established during Bridges' tenure which, in 2014, offered 120 paid summer internships to Whitman students.In May 2012, Bridges secured a Mellon Grant for $150,000 for "Higher Education and Scholarship in the Humanities" with a focus on "Presidential Leadership."