The Talented 10%: Recruiting the Top 10 Percent of High School Graduates

September 4, 2015 - The University of Memphis is pleased to announce the launch of a new recruitment program called the Talented 10%. As the only institution in the Tennessee Board of Regents system classified by the prestigious Carnegie Foundation as a Research University with High Activity (RU/HA) and the university with the largest Honors Program in the state, the UofM plans to cast a wider net across the country to attract the top 10 percent of every graduating high school class to contribute to the generation of new scholarship and innovative ideas.

This recruitment initiative will intensify the UofM's focus on academic excellence, enhance its national and regional diversity, increase access, and extend its efforts to target students whose multiple intelligences and talents are exhibited in a variety of ways.

A primary goal of the state of Tennessee and at the University of Memphis is to increase degree completion rates. National data continue to show that high academic performance during the high school years is one of the best predictors of timely graduation. Jon Erickson, former president of the ACT, stated in an interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education last week that the ACT score is one quality measure. "I still see the high school record and transcript as being definitive. That's long-term behavior, which is typically your best predictor of success in college."

How do we create a more knowledgeable and informed citizenry to become leaders of the future? "There can be but one answer: The best and most capable of our youth must be schooled in the colleges and universities of the land" (W.E.B. Du Bois, 1903). The University of Memphis aims to become the destination institution for the top 10 percent of high school seniors across the country.

For more information on the Talented 10% admission program, visit www.memphis.edu/talented10.

Contact: Gabrielle Maxey
901.678.2843
gmaxey@memphis.edu