31 enrolled and four graduates in Wisconsin
MILWAUKEE – Aug. 3, 2016 – Just one year since announcing a debt-free college degree benefit, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin already has 31 employees enrolled and four graduates of the program.
Operated in conjunction with College for America at Southern New Hampshire University, the benefit is available to any Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield full-time or part-time employee who works 20 or more hours per week and has been employed at least six months. Full-time employees who participate in the College for America program can earn an associate or bachelor’s degree at no cost as a result of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s tuition reimbursement benefit.
“By offering a free degree program through our partnership with College for America, we are reinforcing our commitment to supporting our associates in their career development and helping them achieve their professional goals. For many, their goal is to earn their college degree,” said Paul Nobile, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin. “I am proud to say that four members of our Wisconsin team have achieved their goal of earning their degree, and they did it at their own accelerated pace, using on-the-job skills and knowledge through our robust benefits package that offers free tuition to those working full-time.”
College for America has also expanded its degree offerings to include a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management in three concentrations – Insurance Services, Logistics and Operations, and Public Administration. College for America partners with employers to offer a competency-based, online curriculum that is engineered to help associates fit a fully-accredited college degree in the busy lives of working adults.
“Thanks to the response from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield associates, College for America is evolving its curriculum and expanding its educational offerings to meet the needs of the company’s workforce – helping its associates earn an accredited degree that will help them get ahead in their life and career without taking on debt,” said Paul LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University. “SNHU’s partnership with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield continues to be a model for aligning employer demand with the kind of competency-based, workforce-applicable higher education we have pioneered at College for America.”
To date, nearly 1,600 employees of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s parent company are enrolled in the program nationwide and 92 degrees awarded.
