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Expanding Access and Opportunity in Higher Ed

Colleges working collaboratively to expand access and opportunity for highly talented lower-income students

Join ATI

Joining the American Talent Initiative

The American Talent Initiative brings together a diverse set of public and private colleges and universities committed to:

  • Enhancing institutional efforts to reach out to and enroll low- and moderate-income students.
  • Learning from each other about how best to support low- and moderate-income students and ensure their success.
  • Sharing what they learn to expand higher education access across the nation’s top-performing colleges and universities.

ATI members are working towards one shared, ambitious goal: by the year 2025, attract, enroll, and graduate 50,000 additional high-achieving, low- and moderate-income students at the nation’s 334 colleges and universities with the highest graduation rates by 2025.

Which colleges and universities are eligible to become ATI members?

A four-year college or university is eligible for ATI membership if it is Title IV eligible, its undergraduate enrollment exceeds 500 students, and its six-year graduation rate consistently meets or exceeds 70 percent.

For more specific details about our eligibility requirements or to submit an inquiry about your institution’s eligibility, complete our contact form here.

My college or university is eligible. How do we become a member?

Several steps are involved in becoming an ATI member, reflected in the table below, and officially begins when the president submits a signed Invitation to Participate (see Step 3).  In 2019-2020, there will be two windows within which prospective members can join ATI (see schedule below).

Process for Joining ATI

  • Step 1: A senior staff member from the prospective member institution attends an “ATI Senior Leader Informational Webinar,” which provides an overview of ATI goals, activities, and expectations for membership (see schedule below).
    • Senior staff members are typically senior leaders from offices of the President/Chancellor, enrollment management, diversity and inclusion, or student success.
  • Step 2: The president/chancellor from a prospective member institution joins a call with an ATI steering committee member to discuss ATI participation.
  • Step 3: Prospective presidents/chancellors who intend to join ATI sign the ATI Invitation to Participate, which formalizes their institution’s membership in ATI.
  • Step 4: The president/chancellor appoints a senior staff member to serve as the ATI “main point of contact (MPOC).” The MPOC convenes campus stakeholders, champions ATI on campus, and works closely with ATI staff.
  • Step 5: In the first months of ATI membership, the MPOC completes several core activities that outline their campus commitments to increasing access and opportunity. Through webinars and ad-hoc 1:1 support, ATI staff provide on-boarding support as new members complete these activities.
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We are in the process of onboarding institutions that have expressed interest in joining our Round 9 cohort of members. Contact a member of the ATI team here for more information.