Bellevue University Launches "Make It Happen Now" to Help Achieve America's Goal of Having the World's Highest Percentage of Adults with a College Degree by 2025
Make It Happen Now is a nationwide campaign that will help remove the barriers to a higher education for the 38 million Americans with some college credit who are thinking about going back to school
BELLEVUE, Neb., Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bellevue University today unveiled a nationwide campaign – Make It Happen Now – designed to help achieve America's ambitious national goal of once again having the world's highest percentage of adults with a college degree by 2025. In a single generation, the United States has fallen from first place to 12th in global graduation rates for young adults. Make It Happen Now will accelerate efforts addressing the nation's education deficit and facilitate personal commitments from people across the nation to help achieve the national objective of producing eight (8) million more college graduates over the next decade in order to compete with other countries currently developing a more high-tech, high-skilled workforce.
"According to the current White House Administration, the future of American prosperity relies on a better-educated workforce," said Dr. Mary B. Hawkins, president Bellevue University. "To help our people, and our nation, prosper, we're launching Make it Happen Now, a campaign aimed at removing the barriers to getting a college degree so the country can once again benefit from the world's most educated workforce."
To help achieve the national goal, Make It Happen Now will reach out to the 38 million Americans with some college credit who are thinking about going back to school. It will help them crystallize their personal goals, think through the steps they need to take to achieve their goals, and solidify their commitment to themselves and their future.
Make It Happen Now brings together more than 20 leading experts to provide working adults with simple tools and information that will help answer their pressing questions, along with strategies that will help them Make It Happen Now. This comprehensive campaign incorporates the following five strategies for motivating Americans to get college degrees so we can create a work force that is competitive with that of other nations:
1. MakeItHappenNow.org – To help working adults and business leaders understand the higher education crisis in America and take steps to combat it, Bellevue University has launched a new online destination website – www.makeithappennow.org – to provide helpful tips to motivate and support people who want to advance their education and live better lives, step-by-step strategies for overcoming personal challenges that get in the way of going back to school, and regular news updates.
2. Personal Pledge for Success – By facilitating the process of helping people articulate their personal goals and break them down into actionable, short-term achievements, Make It Happen Now is helping Americans take the first step toward success. Statistics show 95 percent of the people in the world who do not have stated goals fail, while the 5 percent who have stated goals succeed. To activate Americans to get college degrees, Make It Happen Now encourages people to make a personal pledge for success by putting their goal in writing and sharing it with others. To pledge, they simply answer a series of online questions to generate and print a personal letter to share on Facebook; post on their fridge, in their office, or other visible places to serve as a daily reminder to keep working towards their goal.
3. Insights & Impact Research Studies – To identify the heart of the higher education issue in America, Make It Happen Now, in conjunction with Bellevue University, will conduct and release a series of Insights & Impact research studies. Each study will explore the challenges people are facing, while delivering strategies that will help them overcome the obstacles they are facing day-to-day that are preventing them from achieving their life goals. The findings from the first study are also being released today.
4. Expert Strategies for Success – Education and opportunity go hand in hand. With this in mind, Bellevue University has identified the most common obstacles Americans face when it comes to getting a college degree, and we've assembled a Make It Happen Now team of experts to address these challenges. More than 20 leading education thought leaders and experts in jobs, employment, careers, management, leadership, time management, personal finance, stress management, and personal productivity are collaborating to provide Americans with advice and strategies to overcome the barriers to getting a higher education.
5. Collaboration with Community and Business Leaders Across the Nation – During the course of this multi-year campaign, Make It Happen Now and Bellevue University will work with government officials and business leaders across the country to help mobilize people in local communities toward the national goal of degree attainment.
There is a growing consensus that the economic recovery is being hindered by a lack of workers with the advanced skills and knowledge demanded in this economy. "At Bellevue University, we agree that higher education is an economic issue when the unemployment rate for people who've never gone to college is almost double what it is for those who have gone to college," said Dr. Hawkins. "It's an issue when 60 percent of jobs will require workforce training or a higher education by the end of this decade. Our ability to retool and 'up-skill' workers to meet the changing requirements of employment markets is a significant factor in economic growth."
"The economic prosperity of our people and our nation is at stake," said Dr. Hawkins. "This isn't the kind of problem that can be solved overnight. However, a solution is possible if everyone works together."
Bellevue University is a recognized national leader in providing post-secondary education opportunities for working adults. A private, non-profit institution, Bellevue University serves students at learning sites in three states, as well as worldwide through its award-winning online learning platform. Bellevue University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. For more information, visit www.bellevue.edu.
SOURCE Bellevue University
Share this article