Towson University is proud to announce it has been awarded a highly competitive, two-year American Talent Initiative (ATI) grant for $250,000, provided in partnership with the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and Ithaka S+R and funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The ATI Initiative, which awarded $5 million in grants across ATI member institutions, was created to develop and scale innovative projects that increase the number of students from low-income backgrounds who gain access to higher education and earn a four-year degree.

During the grant period, Towson University will launch Tigers Connect, a summer college preparation residency program for Baltimore City high school students in grades 11–12. Programming will include a mathematics bootcamp that enhances foundational skills while developing a positive math identity, study skills workshops and Q&A panels about transitioning from high school to college facilitated by TU undergraduates from Baltimore City. This effort is part of the university’s broader mission to ensure all students, regardless of their financial background, have the resources and support they need to succeed in higher education.

“Income should not prevent students from pursuing higher education, and this new ATI grant supports our efforts in creating a sustainable pathway so all students can prosper at TU,” says Boyd Bradshaw, vice president for enrollment management at TU.

Towson University is honored to be among the 16 recipients selected from a pool of 47 applicants, underscoring TU’s recent recognition by Bloomberg Philanthropies as one of 28 ATI High-Fliers for Transformative Leadership in College Access and Success for Lower-Income Students. The award recognizes the continued demonstration of and commitment to leadership for the public good through fostering an inclusive academic environment where all students can thrive.

For more information about ATI, please visit their website.

For media inquiries, please Jamie Abell.

About Towson University
Towson University is Maryland’s university of opportunities. With more than 150 years of experience pushing possibilities, TU is a nationally recognized leader in inclusive excellence, social mobility, research and discovery. As the largest university in greater Baltimore, TU’s momentum is always accelerating, with more than 20,000 students and 100 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences and applied professional fields. Located amid one of the East Coast’s cultural and economic epicenters, TU is a beacon and powerful catalyst in the Mid-Atlantic, partnering with hundreds of businesses and organizations, impacting communities and fueling change. TU meets the holistic needs of each student to achieve success, a result of a deeply inclusive culture with a focus on equity among all students, faculty and staff.

About the American Talent Initiative
The American Talent Initiative (ATI) is a Bloomberg Philanthropies-supported collaboration between the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, Ithaka S+R, and more than 125 top colleges and universities nationwide committed to enrolling, supporting, and graduating more than 50,000 talented students from lower-income backgrounds by 2025. To realize this milestone, ATI facilitates research, practice-sharing, and communications campaigns around presidential leadership, access and affordability, community college transfer, student veteran engagement, and student success and equity in the academic experience. With this support, members can make measurable progress toward aspirational lower-income student enrollment goals and minimize equity-based graduation gaps by 2025. To learn more about ATI, visit www.americantalentinitiative.org.