Students Join Growing Nationwide Competition to Address America's Fiscal and Economic Future

Third Annual Up to Us Campus Competition Doubles in Size

44 Student Teams from Across the Country Compete to Increase Awareness and Engagement on Fiscal Issues Among U.S. Millennials

Contact: Christina Saull, (202) 518-6480 Christina.Saull@widmeyer.com

WASHINGTON, DC — For the third successive year, student teams have joined Up to Us, a unique nationwide campus competition that gives young leaders a voice on fiscal issues. Up to Us has doubled in size this year to 44 participating teams, demonstrating millennials’ increasing desire to take a more active role in determining the economic opportunities available to their generation.

The competition, sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) and Net Impact, will bring together students from colleges and universities across the country to increase awareness and engagement among their peers on an issue critical to their future: the nation’s long-term fiscal health and economic strength.

"We are excited to welcome a record number of students to the Up to Us competition this year,” said President Clinton. “This unique program helps students educate and motivate their peers on important fiscal issues. I look forward to meeting many of these talented students, America’s next leaders, at CGI U 2015."

After a nationwide application process, student teams from across the country were selected to participate in the competition. Each team of up to five members will develop a campaign to educate and engage their campus community on America’s growing long-term fiscal challenges and how they impact their future opportunities. Campus campaigns will run from Jan. 26-Feb. 20, 2015.

In addition, on Feb. 12, the teams will participate in a nationwide mobilization, in which they will join with students on additional campuses to send a message to policymakers about the importance of building a strong fiscal and economic future for the country.

At the end of the four-week campaign, each team will be assessed by a panel of distinguished judges on their effectiveness in raising awareness and inspiring action on campus and beyond. The winning team will be awarded a $10,000 cash prize, in addition to being recognized by President Clinton at the upcoming CGI U 2015 meeting at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, which will take place from March 6-8.

"No one has more at stake in America’s fiscal and economic future than the next generation," said Peter G. Peterson, Peterson Foundation Chairman. "We need the voice of America’s millennial leaders as we work together to build a strong future economy with greater opportunity, mobility and prosperity."

In the first three years of the Up to Us competition, the size of the field has doubled each year, from 10 colleges competing in 2013, to 22 colleges in 2014, to this year’s 44 colleges, reflecting the growing breadth and diversity of the participants. Previous winners were teams from the University of Virginia (2013) and the University of Texas-Pan American (2014). In the 2014 competition, the teams collectively engaged approximately 19,000 of their peers and partnered with nearly 250 on-campus groups to bring the conversation on fiscal and economic issues to their college communities.

"I’m excited to see how these students can build on the previous year’s creative campaigns," said Liz Maw, Chief Executive Officer of Net Impact, a leading global nonprofit that empowers a new generation to work for a sustainable future. "Instead of standing on the sidelines, students are stepping up to engage their generation in this critical issue that affects their futures."

The following schools are competing in the 2015 Up to Us competition:

• Arizona State University
• Babson College
• Bellarmine University
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Clark University
• California State University, Fullerton
• California State University, Long Beach
• Dartmouth College
• De Anza College
• Duquesne University
• Emory University
• Farmingdale State College
• Georgetown University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Loyola University New Orleans
• McLennan Community College
• Morehouse College
• Northeastern University
• Northwestern University
• Ohio Northern University
• Pace University
• Pennsylvania State University
• Regent University
• Richard Stockton College
• San Francisco State University
• Simmons College
• Spelman College
• Texas State University
• Tufts University
• University of Arkansas-Fort Smith
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of Central Florida
• University of Louisville
• University of Maryland
• University of Massachusetts-Boston
• University of Miami
• University of New Hampshire
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Texas-Pan American
• Wartburg College
• West Virginia Wesleyan College
• Wichita State University
• Yale University

About Up to Us
Up to Us, a nationwide campus competition sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) and Net Impact, provides an opportunity for students to build a movement to raise awareness and engagement on America’s long-term fiscal and economic challenges. Forty-four student teams selected from across the country compete to design and run thought-provoking, fun and impactful campaigns on the effects of rising debt on economic opportunity and America’s future.

About CGI U
The Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), a program of the Clinton Global Initiative, brings together college students to address global challenges with practical, innovative solutions. CGI U participants do more than simply discuss problems – they take concrete steps to solve them by creating action plans, building relationships, participating in hands-on workshops, and following up with CGI U as they complete their projects. Since 2008, students have made more than 4,800 Commitments to Action. Previous CGI U meetings have taken place at Tulane University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Miami, the University of California at San Diego, the George Washington University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Arizona State University, and have convened more than 6,500 students from over 875 schools, 145 countries, and all 50 states. To learn more, visit cgiu.org.