Ashford University, a subsidiary of Bridgepoint Education, LLC, has entered a partnership with eLearners.com to provide working mothers with the opportunity to receive a full-ride scholarship to one of five online universities or colleges through an advocacy campaign titled “Project Working Mom: Putting Education to Work.”
Earlier this year, the first round of “Project Working Mom” was an overwhelming success, attracting an average 500 scholarship applications per day upon its January launch. By April, the project had received more than 50,000 online education scholarship applicants and in May, just in time for Mother’s Day, “Project Working Mom” gave away its first $2 Million in full-ride scholarships.
Now, eLearners.com, a web resource of EducationDynamics, is doing it again – acting as a catalyst for communities to come together to help establish much-needed resources for single working mothers, a population of women where eight out of ten lack the education they need to move forward in their careers.
“eLearners.com has found three barriers associated with mothers returning to school – time, money and confidence,” said Ashford University’s president, Dr. Jane McAuliffe. “Our mission at Ashford University is to provide accessible, affordable, innovative, high quality learning opportunities to individuals exactly like these moms. That’s why we stepped in to help.”
"When we launched ‘Project Working Mom,’ we had no idea that the need and aspiration of working moms to advance their education was so enormous," said Terrence Thomas, EducationDynamics’ EVP of marketing operations. "The sheer volume of the applicants and the heart wrenching essays demonstrated a national imperative to support working moms to better their lives and the lives of their families."
"Project Working Mom: Putting Education to Work" is designed to help fix a growing crisis in America – the cycle of under-employment – by introducing online education into the lives of working moms. According to U.S. Census data, single moms represent more than ten million people in the United States and only 16 percent have a college degree. As a result, only 22 percent of single working mothers earn more than $30,000 per year. Those who are not able to advance their education because of life circumstances are forever caught in a cycle of under-employment. And, like eLearners.com and EducationDynamics, Ashford University is taking notice.
“The high interest in this campaign illustrates the importance of education to working moms across America,” said McAuliffe. “That’s something, as a university, we just couldn’t ignore.”
The same could be said for eLearners.com. The success of the first “Project Working Mom” project prompted the organization to partner with five additional schools, including Ashford University, to offer another $2 million in scholarships to working mothers – all in time for the back-to-school season. Along with American Sentinel University, Capella University, Everest University and Penn Foster College, Ashford University has agreed to help working moms overcome many of the obstacles standing in the way of their educational dreams by providing these scholarships.
The full-ride college scholarships are for online programs from the associate to Ph.D. level. To apply for the scholarships, working mothers submit a short application and an essay with their life, education and/or career goals, explaining how an online education will allow them to achieve those goals.
As part of the campaign, eLearners.com has also launched a comprehensive website, www.projectworkingmom.com, to help women enhance their careers by going back to school. The interactive website not only has a direct link to the scholarship application, but it also features online education resources, profiles of working moms going to school online, and a community of women sharing their experiences.
The deadline to apply for a “Project Working Mom 2” scholarship is August 31. The recipients will be announced in September.
About Bridgepoint Education
Based in San Diego, Bridgepoint Education was founded on the principle that anyone who is academically prepared deserves access to higher education without sacrificing quality, transferability of credits, accessibility, academic standards, or credentials. As an independent, private higher education company, Bridgepoint is committed to serving the millions of adults seeking an affordable alternative to high priced higher education. Bridgepoint Education subsidiaries provide both traditional and online education offerings, in addition to recruiting and admissions services. Our comprehensive education services have helped thousands of students improve their lives and careers through higher education. Bridgepoint Education was named by Inc. magazine as the fastest growing private education company in the United States. For more information, please visit us at www.bridgepointeducation.com or contact: Shari Rodriguez, Director of Public Relations, at 800.798.0584, extension 2513.
About Ashford University
Founded in 1918, Ashford University is a coeducational institution regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, with programs in education, business, accounting, criminal and social justice, computer animation and graphic design, and other areas. The University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as a range of student activities and athletics, at its Clinton campus. Online degree programs are available in education, organizational management, business administration, and psychology. The University is known for its high quality yet highly affordable on-campus and online programs, with tuition fees among the lowest in the U.S. compared to other private institutions. Its tagline is: “Higher Education Made Affordable”. For more information on Ashford University, please visit www.ashford.edu.
About eLearners.com(R)
The eLearners.com website is one of several high visibility, high-quality prospecting tools offered by EducationDynamics, LLC. Since 1999, eLearners.com has been successfully connecting learners to online education, including online degree and certificate programs, specialized career training, and a variety of online courses. For prospective students, eLearners(R) provides a powerful search engine for users to find thousands of online program offerings, as well as educational evaluation tools and financial aid resources. For colleges and universities, the eLearners.com website offers a low-cost, performance-based method to provide national exposure and increase enrollments in their programs. To learn more about eLearners.com, visit www.elearners.com.
About EducationDynamics
EducationDynamics, LLC, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is a leading interactive marketing and information services company focused on helping higher education institutions find, enroll and retain students. Home to some of the most visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, and StudyAbroad.com, EducationDynamics is one of the leading providers of qualified leads for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of web-delivered products and services to manage a school's relationship with students across their entire life cycle from inquiry through enrollment to retention. For additional information on EducationDynamics, visit www.educationdynamics.com.