Bloomberg Philanthropies Recognizes 28 Colleges and Universities as American Talent Initiative High-Fliers for Transformative Leadership in College Access and Success for Lower-Income Students

May 25, 2023

Education

Bloomberg Philanthropies has recognized 28 colleges and universities across the country as American Talent Initiative (ATI) High-Fliers, a group of high-graduation-rate institutions that are national leaders in college access and success for lower-income students. Institutions received this distinction for demonstrating steady gains in lower-income student enrollment since 2015-16, high Pell share, and innovative recruitment, enrollment, and retention practices.

Over the next year, ATI and Bloomberg Philanthropies will work with High-Fliers to amplify what they have learned to other four-year colleges and universities across the nation. The full list of ATI’s 28 High-Fliers is listed below.

“The economic fallout from the pandemic has made it even more important for schools across the country to adopt innovative new ways to attract and retain students from under-represented backgrounds,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and 108th mayor of New York City. “I applaud ATI’s 28 High-Fliers for leading the way in this work and increasing the diversity of their campuses. We hope their efforts serve as an example for other schools that are committed to creating opportunity for more lower-income students, so we can accelerate national progress on this critical challenge.”

An initiative led by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program and Ithaka S+R, ATI serves as a growing nationwide alliance of high-graduation-rate colleges and universities grounded in the belief that they can collectively expand access for tens of thousands of high-achieving, lower-income students. By doing so, these institutions are increasing socioeconomic diversity within their respective student communities.

List of American Talent Initiative High-Fliers (in alpha order)

Baruch College (New York, NY)
Boston University (Boston, MA)
Centre College (Danville, KY)
Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, CA)
Colby College (Waterville, ME)
George Mason University (Fairfax, VA)
Gettysburg College (Gettysburg, PA)
Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, IL)
Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)
Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA)
Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)
Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)
Rowan University (Glassboro, NJ)
State University of New York at Oneonta (Oneonta, NY)
Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, NJ)
Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, NY)
Towson University (Towson, MD)
University of California, Merced (Merced, CA)
University of California, San Diego (San Diego, CA)
University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
University of Dayton (Dayton, OH)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, IL)
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)
University of Texas-Austin (Austin, TX)
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)
Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA)
Yale University (New Haven, CT)

Founded in 2016, ATI was inspired by decades of work by individual colleges and universities to expand college opportunity as well as research documenting that tens of thousands of high-achieving, lower- and moderate-income students face significant challenges in gaining access at top colleges and universities. To date, ATI’s growing alliance of more than 135 colleges and universities remains dedicated to substantially expanding college opportunity and access. Over 80 ATI members, including the 28 High-Fliers, increased lower-income student enrollment by more than 24,000 since its inception.

For more information on ATI, please visit: americantalentinitiative.org/