University chosen for its quality education and scholarship opportunities for employees of the nation’s 8th largest city
San Diego, Calif. – Nov. 21, 2014 – National University, the 2nd largest private, nonprofit university in California, has been named the City of San Diego’s Preferred Employee Education Program Partner and is providing scholarship opportunities to the city’s 10,000 employees. The collaboration reflects National University’s commitment to developing educational partnerships with the communities it serves, including the public sector and other entities that serve the public good. In turn, it provides City of San Diego employees access to a quality education that ensures San Diego’s continued development as a place of opportunity and innovation.
In the case of the City of San Diego partnership, National University has been named the only Preferred Employee Education Program Partner. City of San Diego employees are being offered a scholarship that is the equivalent of a 15 percent tuition reduction, as well as a waiver of the application fee toward earning an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree or certification. By ensuring employees have access to continued professional and academic development from a trusted partner, the greater community benefits from an enhancement and advancement of services provided by the City of San Diego – the 8th largest city in the nation.
“As mayor, I’m committed to providing innovative education opportunities for all San Diegans, which includes our City’s hardworking employees,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “National University is a long-standing and loyal institution to the City of San Diego and has already helped many employees and elected officials advance their careers. It is only fitting as we grow this partnership to create more opportunities for more San Diego residents.”
National University has been an educational leader throughout California, with many notable alumni serving the public sector. Among them include Former San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders; Myrtle Cole, San Diego City Council District 4; Marti Emerald, San Diego City Council District 9. Other San Diego leaders include John Bolduc, Acting CEO of the Port of San Diego, and Michael J. Aguilar, formerly Federal Security Director with San Diego International Airport. About 25 percent of San Diego Unified School District principals have been identified as National University alumni, and 3 of the 5 recently-named San Diego County Teachers of the Year are alumni, a number that adds up to 22 achieving the distinction since 1994.
In addition to six campuses located in San Diego County, National University offers a state-of-the-art online learning management system that creates a seamless educational experience between the traditional and online classroom. Through a one-course-per-month format, the University offers more than 75 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The majority of programs are available online, allowing students to pursue their studies through a combination of onsite and online options.
“Being recognized as an educational partner by the City of San Diego is an honor and validation of the quality education we offer all our students and a reflection of our unwavering commitment to the communities we serve,” said National University President Michael R. Cunningham. “As a nonprofit university dedicated to serving the public good, we believe in the power of education in professional development. Providing San Diego employees with affordable access to a quality education through National University benefits not only individuals, but the community at large.”
National University’s partnership with the City of San Diego expands on its current educational agreements. An educational agreement to provide scholarship opportunities was announced earlier this month between National University and the County of San Diego and its 16,000 employees.
National University recommends more candidates for teaching credentials that any other university in California and confers more master’s degrees in education than any other nonprofit university in the nation. Among other notable achievements, the University houses the only San Diego-based Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance for its Master in Cyber Security and Information Assurance program, and provides comprehensive services for its current or former military population through the highly-successful Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success.
San Diego City employees can learn more about the benefits of the Preferred Employee Education Program Partner at: www.nu.edu/citysd
About National University
Founded in 1971, National University is the second-largest private, nonprofit institution of higher education in California. With 30,000 students and more than 240,000 alumni, National University is the flagship institution of the National University System. National University is dedicated to making lifelong learning opportunities accessible, challenging, and relevant to a diverse population of students. Five schools and one college – the College of Letters and Sciences; the School of Business and Management; the School of Education; the School of Engineering and Computing; the School of Health and Human Services; and the School of Professional Studies – offer more than 75 graduate and undergraduate degrees and 23 teacher credentials. Programs are offered at locations throughout California and across the nation, and are also available online. National University is headquartered in La Jolla, California.
Media contact:
Anna Cearley
Director of Public Relations
858-642-8163
acearley@nu.edu