Transformative Colleges Initiative
TCI is an acronym for the transformative colleges initiative.
The Transformative Colleges Initiative (TCI) is an effort to work with our students, partners, and neighborhoods to do college differently. Trinity is pursuing a model that reimagines higher education and are looking to invite other institutions to join us in this journey. We are saying: let’s transform higher education together to be more affordable and accessible to students in the greater Chicago area and beyond. And that work begins here, at Trinity, with every community member.
TCI has three priorities: end reliance on student debt, center student wellbeing, and pursue mutual good with neighbors and partners.
Could colleges do anything differently?
At Trinity we believe that we can. But we can’t do it alone. Working together with our local communities to reimagine college to be more reflective of the generosity, abundance, and connection that sustains the world as God has made it, we can transform higher education to be affordable and accessible to students in the greater Chicago area and beyond.
A shift in the way we look at the world led us, at Trinity Christian College, to try root-causes solutions to student debt by restructuring our institution and facilitating the flourishing and thriving of our students.
how are we doing this work?
Our tuition rate was lowered to provide a clear path with no financial surprises, and our Earn, Network, and Learn program helps students pay for tuition. We also put intentional supports in place that help clear financial barriers and move students toward graduation.
Partnering with local businesses and non-profit organizations to offer paid learning experiences that benefit our students, business partners, and communities.
Implementing a radically shifted class schedule to prioritize students’ overall wellbeing. We are also gathering neighbors to collectively partner for wellbeing and mutual good.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS WORK?
As a Christian institution of higher education, we believe God has created us to exist in community – and not simply within the campus community of Trinity but beyond the campus boundaries into the neighborhoods and communities that surround us. In this hyper-local approach, we recognize that we are interconnected—as our good is wrapped up in the good of our neighbor. The TCI offers a tangible way to show Christ’s love to our students, partners, and neighbors through the structures we create at Trinity and how we care for one another.
To learn more about TCI, contact transform@trnty.edu.