Rasmussen College Announces its Public Benefit Corporation Platform

MINNEAPOLIS, July 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Rasmussen College, a regionally accredited private college and Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), announced today it will focus its corporate social responsibility efforts under the platform "Building Community through Education". The goal is to use career-focused education to enhance workforce readiness, match employers with skilled employees and drive economic growth and community prosperity. This platform will be adopted across all 24 Rasmussen College campuses and three central offices, with a focus on programs and initiatives that connect and impact students and alumni, community members, local businesses and employers and Rasmussen College employees.

"The platform builds on our 110+ year history of harnessing the power of education to make a positive impact on society," said Kristi Waite, Rasmussen College president. "When we became a PBC in January 2014, we knew we wanted to implement programs and initiatives that would impact public good. This platform focuses and narrows our efforts for the greatest impact by using our thought leadership and educational expertise to address a significant workforce skills gap and community pain point. Rather than a new effort, this is a natural evolution for Rasmussen College, expanding access to our workforce education and career services beyond our colleges to make economic improvements for our citizens and communities."

Under the PBC platform, Rasmussen College will commit to both new and ongoing initiatives that use career-focused education to empower local communities. Activities include:

• Hosting national and local summits to advance career readiness competency.
• Offering free meeting space to community organizations for education/training.
• Partnering with businesses to identify challenges, needs and skills gaps in the workforce, and releasing findings through white papers and presentations.
• Hosting free bi-annual career fairs for community members, students and alumni.
• Providing workforce preparedness training and opening Rasmussen College's Virtual Career Center to local organizations and businesses.
• Adopting a National Community Service Student Organization and opening participation to Rasmussen College students.
• Enhancing employee benefits by adding up to eight additional hours of paid time during the workday to volunteer at a nonprofit of their choice.
• Expanding the Rasmussen College Community Service Day in all communities where the College has campuses.

"Adopting this PBC platform not only benefits the communities in which we serve but it's also good for our students and staff," said Tamryn Hennessy, Rasmussen College vice president career services and public benefit initiatives. "Recent studies show corporate social responsibility is the third most important driver in employee satisfaction. We are formalizing our commitment to service as we establish programs and initiatives specifically allowing students and staff to realize not only the benefits of earning a higher education degree and paycheck but also of connecting with our communities and giving back."

More than 1,200 Rasmussen College employees and students from its 24 campuses and three central offices will give back during the College's sixth annual Community Service Day on Friday, July 18, 2014. Community Service Day is one of the College's core PBC initiatives and the first effort to launch under the new platform. Employees and students will volunteer their time at nearly three dozen organizations across six states.

For additional information about Rasmussen College, please visit www.Rasmussen.edu.

ABOUT RASMUSSEN COLLEGE:
Rasmussen College is a regionally accredited private college and Public Benefit Corporation that is dedicated to changing lives through high-demand educational programs and public service. Rasmussen College offers Certificate and Diploma programs through Associate's and Bachelor's degrees online and across its 24 Midwest and Florida campuses in a supportive, student-centered and career-focused environment. Since 1900, Rasmussen College has been dedicated to being a primary contributor to the growth and development of the communities it serves. As a Public Benefit Corporation, Rasmussen College is committed to helping change lives through education and making a positive impact on society through public service and a variety of community-based initiatives. For more information about Rasmussen College, please visit www.Rasmussen.edu.

ABOUT PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATIONS:
Public Benefit Corporations are a new class of corporation that 1) creates a material positive impact on society and the environment; 2) expands fiduciary duty to require consideration of non-financial interests when making decisions; and 3) reports on its overall social and environmental performance using recognized third party standards. For more information on Public Benefit Corporations, visit www.benefitcorp.net.  

Contact: Erin Werthman
Phone: (952) 844-5603
Mobile: (413) 636-6758
Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Rasmussen College