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Juniata College

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Juniata College

(Posted October 9, 2024)

Huntingdon, PA – Juniata College has been awarded a highly competitive American Talent Initiative (ATI) Grant provided in partnership with the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and Ithaka S+R, and funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The $250,000 grant will create the Aspire Juniata program to meet the unique needs of community college transfer students and develop seamless connections between Pennsylvania Highlands Community College (PHCC) and Juniata College.  

The ATI Fund, which will award $5 million in grants across 16 ATI member institutions, was created to support and expand promising practices that help more students from low-income backgrounds earn a four-year degree.  

“We are proud of our longstanding partnership with Penn Highlands Community College and look forward to creating a new pathway for student success,” said James A. Troha, president of Juniata College. “Aspire Juniata will remove barriers by providing students with specialized programming and guided support customized to fit their needs. By ensuring a continued welcoming and nurturing environment—something we do exceedingly well at Juniata College—we will succeed in increasing retention and completion for all students.”  

Aspire Juniata will support students as they bridge institutions and navigate the transfer experience, with the goals of improving retention, increasing career pathways, and amplifying postgraduate success for Pell-eligible and low-income students at PHCC. The Juniata-PHCC collaboration also offers a replicable partnership model for other community colleges.  

“This is a perfect example of how strong educational partnerships can support the needs of the students in our region. Penn Highlands and Juniata College share a passion for making education accessible to our students, and through the ATI Grant we will continue our work to remove barriers, increase access, and develop effective program pathways for community college students,” said Steve Nunez, president of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.  

Over the next two years, the grant will support Juniata College in the implementation of Aspire Juniata. This effort is part of its broader mission to ensure that all students, regardless of their financial background, have the resources and support they need to succeed in higher education.   

To learn more about ATI, visit www.americantalentinitiative.org.    

Juniata College  

Founded in 1876, Juniata is an independent, co-educational college of liberal arts and sciences that draws students from more than 35 U.S. states and dozens of nations in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and South America. Juniata’s exceptional programs in science and education, innovative business and international studies offerings, signature programs in peace studies, museum studies, and integrated media arts, and experience-driven humanities offerings pair with the Juniata College Curriculum’s focus on local and global engagement. Students use the College’s Program of Emphasis (POE) system to work with two faculty advisers to pursue varied interests and talents.  

The American Talent Initiative (ATI) is a Bloomberg Philanthropies-supported collaboration between the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, Ithaka S+R, and more than 135 top colleges and universities nationwide committed to enrolling, supporting, and graduating more talented students from lower-income backgrounds. The American Talent Initiative seeks to substantially expand access and opportunity for talented, low- and moderate-income students at the nation’s colleges and universities with the highest graduation rates. Member institutions are enhancing their own efforts to recruit and support lower-income students, learn from each other, and contribute to research that will help colleges and universities expand opportunities. To learn more about ATI, visit www.americantalentinitiative.org

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.

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