Bloomberg Philanthropies Recognizes Baruch College as an American Talent Initiative High-Flier for Transformative Leadership in College Access and Success for Lower-Income Students
Baruch College Named as one of 28 National Leaders in Lower-Income Student Enrollment, Serving as a Model for Colleges and Universities Across the CountryMay 31, 2023
Bloomberg Philanthropies today recognized Baruch College as an American Talent Initiative (ATI) High-Flier, a group of 28 high-graduation-rate institutions that are national leaders in college access and success for lower-income students. Baruch College received the distinction for its 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.
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.
“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.”
Since ATI’s launch in 2016, Baruch College has maintained one of the highest Pell Shares among its 137 peers.
Baruch College’s distinct initiatives include Success Amplified, a multi-pronged model of services that integrates and expands existing programs dedicated to supporting Black and Latinx students’ academic success and career readiness. Additionally, as part of Baruch’s new strategic plan, the College is rethinking and reshaping the first year experience for all new undergraduates through a redesign of the first year seminar for new freshmen; increased student success programming for new transfer students; and expanded leveraging of near peer mentoring for all new students.
“Baruch College is honored to be recognized by American Talent Initiative and Bloomberg Philanthropies for our success in achieving access, excellence and outcomes for our low- and moderate-income students,” said S. David Wu, President of Baruch College. “In providing affordable access to a high-caliber, exceptional education, combined with a relentless focus on professional and career development, Baruch has a life-changing impact on the success of our students, who make transformative impacts on our world. I believe Baruch demonstrated that higher education can be an equalizer and a force-multiplier for positive change that helps all citizens overcome social, economic, and class barriers to success.”
This progress has been particularly evident in the two years since Baruch College reaffirmed its commitment to this work through ATI’s Accelerating Opportunity campaign. Along with their fellow ATI members, they set public, aspirational lower-income student enrollment goals for the first time to help combat the lingering impacts of the pandemic. Two years in, Baruch College has continued to maintain its high Pell share. They also are advancing a shared commitment among all 137 ATI members to close equity-based retention and graduation gaps.
As a result of Baruch College’s leadership in ATI and the Accelerating Opportunity campaign, thousands of additional lower-income students across the United States are accessing and earning bachelor’s degrees. Data shows these students are historically more likely to have higher wages, pursue graduate degrees, become entrepreneurs, and engage in their communities.
“We are proud to be part of this higher education collaboration, formed by ATI and Bloomberg Philanthropies, to create, scale, and sustain an ecosystem that shares an authentic, accountable commitment to equity in student success,” said Mary Gorman, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Strategic Academic Initiatives at Baruch College. “Learning from our peers, elevating best practices, and exchanging innovative ideas tremendously benefits students at Baruch College, and those students in other colleges and universities.”
For more information on ATI and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ other initiatives to expand college access and success, please visit: https://www.bloomberg.org/education/expanding-college-access-and-success/.
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)
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