Brown Mackie College System Of Schools Signs On To Clinton Global Initiative "Commitment To Action" With Smart Horizons Career Online Education And ed2go, Launching New High School Scholarship Program

CINCINNATI, Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brown Mackie College system of schools ("Brown Mackie College") has signed on as a partner in ed2go/Smart Horizon Career Online Education's (SHCOE) Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) "Commitment to Action" to re-engage high school dropouts back into the educational system. The commitment includes an agreement to offer scholarships to 64 young adults to enable them to earn high school diplomas and career certificates from SHCOE.

Brown Mackie College will fund 32 scholarships in high-demand employment areas such as retail and food services. SHCOE and ed2go will match these scholarships with an additional 32, allowing Brown Mackie College to offer a total of 64 scholarships.

Additionally, as a part of this commitment, Brown Mackie College will support Career Online High School students by offering them the opportunity to take their Career Online High School classes in the computer lab of a Brown Mackie College facility.

"Brown Mackie College is committed to ending the skills gap that is currently plaguing America by providing students with education that builds careers and transforms lives," said Guy Bell, president of Brown Mackie College. "A key step in meeting that goal and executing on our mission is to ensure that students obtain a high school diploma. Our system of schools has a history of being a responsible community citizen and we are delighted to be partnering with ed2go and SHCOE to make this happen."

SHCOE, the world's first AdvancED/SACS-accredited online school district, and ed2go, the largest provider of turnkey online training and part of Cengage Learning, partnered in 2012 to launch Career Online High School, which provides affordable, career-based online education for the millions of adults in the United States without high school diplomas. Career Online High School students earn both an accredited high school diploma and skills-based credentialed career certificate designed to support employment outcomes. The school served over 2,500 students in its first year of operation. Career Online High School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvements (SACS CASI) which accredits secondary schools.

In August 2013, SHCOE and ed2go created a CGI "Commitment to Action" to engage corporations that commonly hire employees lacking high school diplomas to commit to providing scholarships for those employees to finish high school. Existing partners include the Taco Bell Corporation and Kinexus, a workforce development organization operating in southwest Michigan.

"The scholarship-matching program is designed to support young adults who are limited in their career options because they lack high school diplomas and further education," said Ron Stefanski, Chief Business Development Officer at ed2go. "We are excited to bring Brown Mackie College into our CGI 'Commitment to Action,' expanding educational and career opportunities to young adults in the communities Brown Mackie College serves."

For more information on Brown Mackie Colleges' career focused education, please visit: http://www.brownmackie.edu/

For more information on Career Online High School, please visit: http://www.careeronlinehs.org/.

For more information or to read the CGI Commitment to Action, please visit: http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/commitments/commitments_search.asp?id=830506.

About Brown Mackie College
The Brown Mackie College system of schools (www.brownmackie.edu) is dedicated to providing educational programs that prepare students for entry-level positions or to enhance their current professions in a competitive, rapidly-changing workplace. Brown Mackie College schools offer bachelor's degree, associate's degree, certificate, and diploma programs in health sciences, business, information technology, legal studies and design technologies. Administrative office: 625 Eden Park Drive, Suite 1100; Cincinnati, OH 45202. OH Registration # 03-09-1685T; # 03-09-1686T; # 03-09-1687T; # 03-09-1688T; # 06-03- 1781T; Since Brown Mackie College is comprised of several institutions, see bmcprograms.info for program duration, tuition, fees, and other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success, and other important info.

About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date, CGI members have made more than 2,500 commitments, which are already improving the lives of more than 430 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $87.9 billion. 

CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world, and, this year, CGI Latin America, which will bring together Latin American leaders to identify, harness, and strengthen ways to improve the livelihoods of people in Latin America and around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative

About Smart Horizons Career Online Education
Smart Horizons Career Online Education, founded in 2009 and located in Pensacola, Florida, is a private, AdvancED/SACS accredited online school district. AdvancED/SACS District accreditation signifies that SHCOE and all of its schools are fully accredited and that SHCOE is recognized across the nation as a quality school system. Smart Horizons Career Online Education offers 18-credit, career-based high school diploma programs that are designed to prepare students for entrance into the workplace. Career certificate offerings include Childcare and Education, Certified Protection Officer, Certified Transportation Services, Homeland Security, Office Management, Professional Skills, and Retail & Customer Service Skills, and Food & Customer Service Skills. For more information, visit our website at www.shcoe.org, call our office at 855-777-4265, or email us at [email protected].

About Cengage Learning and ed2go
Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, software and services company for the academic, professional and library markets worldwide.  ed2go, part of Cengage Learning, is the largest provider of turnkey online training and education solutions serving the adult education, career, and corporate training markets. With over 2,000 colleges, universities, community based organizations and other training providers, ed2go has served more than 2.5 million students. ed2go's ever-growing catalog of Online Courses and Career Training Programs makes it simple for students to enrich their lives or reach professional goals in a supportive and engaging environment. ed2go also can help educational institutions jump-start their online education programs or augment existing distance learning options. For more information visit www.cengage.com or www.ed2go.com.

SOURCE Brown Mackie College