Telluride Association

The Telluride Association creates free educational programs that challenge young people to build community, learn together, and make democratic decisions in order to think critically about the world and begin to create a more just society.

Founded in 1911 by Lucien L. Nunn, Telluride Association is a nonprofit organization that creates and fosters unique educational opportunities. The mission of Telluride Association is to prepare and inspire promising students to lead and serve through free, transformative educational experiences rooted in critical thinking and democratic community.

Distinguished alumni include Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg, 10th President of the World Bank Paul Wolfowitz, Eve Sedgwick, Francis Fukuyama, Jan Svejnar, Dominick LaCapra, William vanden Heuvel and Gayatri Spivak. Faculty guests also live at the houses for limited terms. Distinguished faculty guests have included Michel Foucault, Richard Feynman, Frances Perkins, Linus Pauling, and Allan Bloom.

Telluride Association sponsors a variety of opportunities for people in all phases of their education, with programs for high school sophomores and juniors, university students, and graduate students. TA also offers opportunities for university faculty.

Telluride Association Summer Seminars (TASS) are designed to bring together young people from around the world who share a passion for learning. Telluride students attend a seminar led by college and university faculty members and participate in many other educational and social activities outside the classroom.

TA also funds houses, or “branches” at the University of Michigan and Cornell University, where room and board scholarships are provided for undergraduate and graduate students.