PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh has joined the American Talent Initiative, an alliance of 120 four-year institutions united in a goal of enrolling, supporting and graduating 50,000 additional talented, lower-income students by 2025.
“The question of whether or not the University of Pittsburgh should join the American Talent Initiative ended in an automatic yes,” said Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. “It shares our commitment to graduating — and not just enrolling — exceptional students. And it aligns seamlessly with our ever-evolving suite of access and affordability efforts, which aim to connect more deserving students and families with a world-class Pitt education.”
Since 2014, the university has doubled its annual investment in students with financial need and added eight initiatives focused on enhancing access to Pitt. Earlier this year, the university launched initiative No. 7 — Pitt Success — which matches federal Pell Grant support dollar-for-dollar and is the only program of its kind in the nation.
Initiative No. 8 — ATI — will see the university regularly convening with other participating institutions to share best practices and data. Members of the initiative will also contribute to research that aims to enhance support for students from lower-income backgrounds.
“Chancellor Gallagher has shown tremendous leadership in his university’s efforts to increase enrollment and support of lower- and middle-income students on campus,” said Michael Drake, president of The Ohio State University and member of the ATI Steering Committee. “I’m thrilled to welcome the University of Pittsburgh to the American Talent Initiative and look forward to learning and coming together to share best practices in order to advance the collective mission.”
Pitt is one of only 320 institutions in the United States to meet ATI’s eligibility criteria, which requires institutions to graduate at least 70% of their students in six years. This constitutes less than eight percent of the approximately 4,200 higher education institutions in the country.
