National University System and Junior Achievement USA Create Nationwide Partnership to Benefit a Quarter Million Junior Achievement Supporters
The partnership between Junior Achievement USA and the National University System also highlights the commitment of both organizations to develop the next generation of leaders.
In celebration of Junior Achievement USA’s (JA) 100-year anniversary of
teaching youth career readiness and life skills, National
University System (NUS), a network of accredited, nonprofit
universities serving over 45,000 working adults nationwide, is offering
exclusive tuition rates and scholarship opportunities to JA associates
and qualified JA volunteers and educators. The partnership
reflects the shared commitment of both organizations to provide relevant
education and career development programs that prepare current and
future professionals with competencies and skills to succeed in an
ever-changing economy.
The collaboration with JA is part of a wider NUS initiative to create
affordable options for college degrees nationwide, and aligns with both
organizations’ emphasis on workforce preparedness. Through the
partnership, NUS Workforce
Education Solutions is piloting a program specifically for JA
associates, volunteers and educators that aims to accelerate degree
completion for programs such as an MBA to as little as one year,
depending on prior education, and decrease the cost to as low as $5,000.
The partnership between Junior
Achievement USA and the National University System also highlights
the commitment of both organizations to develop the next generation of
leaders. NUS’ Sanford Harmony initiative is a PreK-6th grade
social emotional learning (SEL) program that prepares youth with skills
relevant to future workforce needs. Inspired by renowned philanthropist
and JA Lifetime Laureate T. Denny Sanford, Sanford Harmony curriculum
emphasizes problem-solving; communication; empathy and critical
thinking; diversity and inclusion; and improving peer and gender
relationships – which are reported by the World Economic Forum as among
the most increasingly valuable skills needed for success in the 21st
century.
“The National University System congratulates Junior Achievement on
their 100 year anniversary and shares their dedication to prepare
workforce-ready students and inspire lifelong learners to achieve
academic and career goals by providing accessible world-class education
programs,” said Dr. Michael R. Cunningham, Chancellor of the National
University System and Lifetime Laureate of Junior Achievement-San Diego
Business Hall of Fame. “This unique collaboration reflects the mission
of the National University System to cultivate industry partnerships
that focus on upskilling and workforce alignments to help meet the
growing demand for a highly-skilled workforce.”
Jack E. Kosakowski, Junior Achievement USA President and CEO, said the
opportunity presents a unique opportunity to support the lifelong
learning goals of their associates, volunteers and educators: “Junior
Achievement wouldn’t be able to impact more than 4.8 million students a
year without the support of our volunteers, educators and associates.
This partnership with NUS provides us with a way of saying ‘Thank You’
to our key stakeholders while in the process helping them achieve their
professional goals.”
The JA partnership adds to the growing list of workforce partnerships
the System has already established under the direction of Chris Graham,
President of Workforce Education Solutions, with industry groups and
public agencies representing healthcare, banking, public safety, K-12
and community college education.
This new program, which more specifically aligns with NUS banking and
K-12 focus, enables JA’s 1,600 associates and nearly 250,000 volunteers,
including business professionals, parents and retirees, to pursue an
associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree from an NUS affiliate,
including National University, City University of Seattle and JFKu
Online. This exclusive offer for JA supporters reaffirms National
University System’s founding mission of meeting the education needs of
adult workers by offering flexible, on-demand, market-relevant programs
with personalized student support services. JA supporters across the
U.S. can choose from over 100 of the System’s degree programs, which
includes education degrees from National
University’s Sanford College of Education – one of the Top Ten
largest schools of education in the country and named for Denny Sanford,
who participated in Junior Achievement as a child.
JA programs, which are taught by volunteers and coordinated through more
than 100 Area Offices in all 50 states, reach more than 4.8 million
students per year in over 200,000 classrooms. NUS shares JA’s dedication
to educating youth through its global expansion of three Sanford
Programs, inspired by Mr. Sanford. Sanford Harmony and Sanford
Inspire support engaging and enthusiastic PreK-12 learning environments
to positively impact children’s success in school, career and life. The
Sanford Institute of Philanthropy provides education to nonprofit
professionals to foster donor relationships and increase charitable
giving within the communities they serve. To date, the Sanford Programs
are reaching more than 8 million PreK-12 students, educators and
fundraisers.
The partnership, designed to provide opportunities for working adults to
meet education and career goals, also offers one full-tuition,
employee-only scholarship per year to study any program at a National
University System affiliate. The scholarship recipient will be named at
the National Leadership Conference in Colorado July 16-18.
For more information visit: nusystem.org/partnership/ja.
About Junior Achievement USA® (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to
giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their
economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and
economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community
volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give
students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in
financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA
reaches more than 4.8 million students per year in 107 markets across
the United States, with an additional 5.2 million students served by
operations in 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a
member of JA Worldwide. Visit ja.org
for more information.
About the National University System
National University System was established to meet the emerging
challenges and demands of education in the 21st century. The System is
uniquely aligned to connect a diverse population of students to a
network of innovative educational programs that are relevant to their
lives, careers, and the marketplace and are delivered in a format that
respects competing life priorities. The affiliates of the System include
National University; John F. Kennedy University; City University of
Seattle; Northcentral University; and the Division of Pre-College
Programs. The System also includes the national Sanford
Programs: Sanford Harmony and Sanford Inspire, which provides
educators with comprehensive lesson plans and activities to support
PreK-12 student development and success; and the Sanford Institute of
Philanthropy, which offers educational and training programs for
frontline nonprofit fundraisers. For more information, visit nusystem.org.
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