American Public University Selected as Premier Higher Education Partner by Association of Minor League Umpires

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va., Aug. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Public University (APU) and the Association of Minor League Umpires (AMLU) recently announced that APU will serve as a premier higher education partner to support the educational and professional development needs of AMLU members. The announcement marks AMLU's renewed investment in member education and development, as well as APU's continued effort to provide access to affordable and relevant academic programs for today's working professionals.

"This agreement offers our members access to a variety of quality online programs and is consistent with our history of providing exceptional benefits to our members," said AMLU President Shaun Francis. "We have long offered scholarship assistance to members through the Union Plus Scholarship program, and this partnership will allow us to expand the program."

"We're pleased to work with AMLU to provide access to affordable and relevant academic programs for their hardworking members," said Jay Richardson, APU manager of strategic partnerships for sports and fitness. "A key factor in meeting their needs was the convenience and flexibility of our programs, which can be taken anywhere with an Internet connection."

APU, part of American Public University System, offers a diverse number of programs, from sports and health sciences to management and liberal arts, among many others*.

"Our members, consisting of professional umpires working major and minor league games across the country and in Canada, spend a significant time away from home during the baseball season," added Francis. "As online learning has grown, we've noticed more of them are taking classes and earning degrees online. Partnering with an academic leader like APU is a win-win."

About Association of Minor League Umpires/OPEIU Guild 322 
AMLU, founded in 1999 and headquartered in New York City, is a national labor union that represents professional baseball umpires working in Minor League and Major League baseball in the United States and Canada. AMLU's mission is to promote the integrity of the hardest working employees of the national pastime; to create a work environment for professional umpires where they can display their strengths and abilities; to uphold the integrity of the game of baseball; to improve wages, benefits and working conditions for those who devote their lives to the game of baseball. AMLU is an affiliated Guild of Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), AFL-CIO. OPEIU represents more than 125,000 employees and independent contractors in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada in banking and credit unions, insurance, shipping, hospitals, medical clinics, utilities, transportation, hotels, administrative offices and more.

About American Public University System
American Public University System, winner of the Sloan Consortium's 2009 Ralph E. Gomory Award for Quality Online Education and consecutive two-time recipient of Sloan's Effective Practices Award (2009 & 2010), offers  87 online degree programs through American Public University and American Military University. APUS's relevant curriculum, affordability and flexibility help nearly 97,000 working adults worldwide pursue degrees in subjects ranging from sports and health sciences to management and liberal arts. For further information* on APU, please visit www.apu.apus.edu.

*For more about APUS programs, including the graduation rates for each program, median debt of students who completed each program, and other important information -- visit www.APUS.edu/disclosure.

SOURCE Office and Professional Employees International Union, AFL-CIO (OPEIU)