University of Phoenix partners with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help increase high school graduation rate
by Site Staff
November 19, 2012
UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX
Online educator University of Phoenix has a simple mission: increase access to education to provide a pathway for economic advancement. That path is completely blocked off to the one out of every four high school students who fails to graduate. The statistics are worse for minorities — one-third of African-American and Hispanic students do not complete high school.
To address this problem, the University of Phoenix partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Through the University of Phoenix Foundation, the university donated $2.3 million to BE GREAT: Graduate, a program at clubs throughout the country that targets young people most vulnerable to dropping out of school. In addition to monetary assistance, the University of Phoenix provides volunteers to mentor and educate these at-risk youth.
The university also has offered at least 25 college scholarships annually to Boys & Girls Club members since 2007 and worked with the club on a literacy program in 20 cities. This year, 200 children were selected as part of the BE GREAT: Graduate program for after-school, high-impact mentoring. The university also has awarded 200 college scholarships in the last five years. So far, 30 students have graduated from college.