Feb. 6—ROCHESTER — The University of Minnesota Rochester has received a $200,000 gift from the Strada Education Foundation for the Chancellor’s Fund for Innovation to support the national College-in-3 Exchange.

The Exchange is a national effort which encourages universities to reimagine the traditional four-year bachelor’s curriculum.

“The University of Minnesota is thrilled by Strada’s generous commitment to new designs that aspire to help more students succeed in college while also lowering their costs,” said UMR Chancellor Lori Carrell.

“Thanks to Strada, we can look forward to gathering representatives from a growing number of pilot campuses across the country in April,” Carrell added.

The gift will support UMR’s continued co-facilitation of the national College-in-3 Exchange, with a project manager, website, a second convening of campus pilots in Boston this spring, and ongoing coaching for campus pilots as they design and seek external permission.

The initiative is in its second phase and is preparing not only for several programs to launch but for a third phase of outcomes’ assessments. UMR’s prototype,

NXT GEN MED, launched in fall 2022

and will begin evaluation after the first cohort graduates in December 2024.

UMR professor and program director Andew Petzold will be among the pilot representatives traveling to Boston for the second convening.

The College-in-3 Exchange has received significant national attention, including recent coverage by Forbes.