On Tuesday, Lowe’s executives presented a $2.5 million check to Queens University as an investment in the Charlotte Talent Initiative, or CTI, an immersive cohort program designed to accelerate the economic trajectories of students who have historically been excluded and overlooked. The purpose of the program is to create opportunities for high school students in low-income areas to become a part of and contribute to the needs of partner organizations, like Lowe’s.
North Carolina Central University, a historically Black college in Durham, also announced a $1.5 million investment in its School of Business. The funds will be used to develop a new academic program, recruit faculty and for student scholarships.
Sherri Chisolm is the executive director for Leading on Opportunity, a council created to oversee the implementation of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force Report recommendations. She said collaborative college and readiness efforts like CTI are putting students from low-income neighborhoods on a path toward achieving economic mobility.
Students in the Lowe’s cohort will receive full-tuition scholarships for four years. They will take management, business and leadership classes designed and developed by Queens and Lowe’s while pursuing a major of their choice. Lowe’s is the first local organization to participate in CTI. The first cohort will begin this fall.