Ashworth College News & Events

Paramount Resident Receives a Full-Tuition Online Degree Scholarship from Ashworth College

NORCROSS, Georgia – December 4, 2009 – Ashworth College today announced that Frederick Harden, a resident of Paramount, CA, is the recipient of a full-tuition scholarship, to pursue his education online. Harden's essay, where he shared his personal story and aspiration to attain a higher education to improve his life, was selected from the close to 300,000 applicants applying for an eLearners.com Career Stimulus Package Scholarship.

Family is the most important thing in this Paramount resident and United States Marine Corps veteran's life. As a father of three and a two time grandfather, he is determined to take advantage of this scholarship and work towards a career in computer technology. He plans to pursue a Professional Web Site Design Program at Ashworth College (http://www.ashworthcollege.edu) to have more success in the job market.

After receiving an honorable discharge in 1993, he began working in custodial services until a lower back injury forced him to seek less physical career opportunities. "Most of the jobs today require computer knowledge," said Harden. "I'm looking forward to breaking into the technology field and going on to earn a college degree. This scholarship will help me get started."

"I'm determined to do whatever I need to do to support my family," he said. "Since I can no longer do the type of physical work that I'm accustomed to, I'm looking forward to this second chance at a new career."

The Career Stimulus Package $4 million scholarship campaign was designed to highlight the need for financial aid and promote awareness and interest in online higher education. It also helped give people the confidence they need to pursue a degree and the career they want, even in this tough economy. The Career Stimulus Package campaign received about 100,000 applications a month from adults who expressed interest in returning to school. To apply for a scholarship, applicants had to explain why they want to go back to school, what they hope to accomplish, how online education would help them accomplish those goals, and their personal stories of triumph over adversity.

"Participating in the Career Stimulus Package Scholarship Campaign has been a positive experience for Ashworth College," said F. Milton Miller, Ed.D. and Ashworth Vice President, Education. "It's a great opportunity, through education, to help deserving, hard-working adults make a positive impact in their lives."

"With the current economic climate, it is essential to have the greatest competitive advantage possible," Miller added. "Having a college degree or advanced training can set an employee or job seeker apart -- demonstrating business knowledge to peers, potential customers and current or future employers."

In addition to the scholarship for Harden, Ashworth College granted an additional 29 scholarships. In total, the Career Stimulus Package campaign awarded more than 100 full-tuition scholarships to deserving adults, with the help of eight accredited online schools.

"Thanks to the incredible generosity of our partner schools, adults are able to go back to school without having to worry about how they are going to fund their education," said Terrence Thomas, Executive Vice President of Marketing for eLearners.com. "Adults are often a forgotten population when it comes to financial aid. We hear from people over and over that they want to go back to school, but can't afford it. This campaign helped eliminate one huge roadblock for these individuals."

The Career Stimulus Package campaign also included a nationwide RV tour which traveled across the country from June to September 2009, offering free career coaching.. Nearly 1,000 people took part in the career coaching, which led to the creation of a free book of wisdom based on the most common questions asked from the road. That book can be found at http://www.careerstimulus.com.

About EducationDynamics

EducationDynamics, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is higher education's leading marketing services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com, and its more than 50 special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition. Through its Market Research and Advisory Services division, the company brings a decade of proprietary research, unparalleled market and student intelligence, and best practice insights to its clients. For more information, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com.

About Ashworth College

Headquartered in Norcross, GA, Ashworth College, a leading online school, has built a tradition of excellence spanning 25 years, offering students worldwide more than 115 online college degrees, online certificate programs and online high school diploma options that are affordable and fit the busy schedules of working adults. Ashworth is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The Accrediting Commission of the DETC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency. For more information, visit http://www.ashworthcollege.edu.

Ashworth is a Sterling Partners portfolio company. Sterling, a private equity firm with a 25-year history of generating superior returns invests in industries with positive, long-term trends and provides ongoing support with a diverse and balanced team of industry veterans, operators, investors, strategy experts, and human capital professionals.

Press Contact:
Richard Orr
Ashworth College
publicity@ashworthcollege.edu
(770) 729-8400