MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Just one year since announcing a debt-free college degree benefit, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin already has 31 employees enrolled and four graduates of the program.
Operated in conjunction with College for America at Southern New Hampshire University, the benefit is available to any Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield full-time or part-time employee who works 20 or more hours per week and has been employed at least six months. Full-time employees who participate in the College for America program can earn an associate or bachelor’s degree at no cost as a result of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s tuition reimbursement benefit.
“By offering a free degree program through our partnership with College for America, we are reinforcing our commitment to supporting our associates in their career development and helping them achieve their professional goals. For many, their goal is to earn their college degree,” said Paul Nobile, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin. “I am proud to say that four members of our Wisconsin team have achieved their goal of earning their degree, and they did it at their own accelerated pace, using on-the-job skills and knowledge through our robust benefits package that offers free tuition to those working full-time.”
College for America has also expanded its degree offerings to include a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management in three concentrations – Insurance Services, Logistics and Operations, and Public Administration. College for America partners with employers to offer a competency-based, online curriculum that is engineered to help associates fit a fully-accredited college degree in the busy lives of working adults.
“Thanks to the response from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield associates, College for America is evolving its curriculum and expanding its educational offerings to meet the needs of the company’s workforce – helping its associates earn an accredited degree that will help them get ahead in their life and career without taking on debt,” said Paul LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University. “SNHU’s partnership with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield continues to be a model for aligning employer demand with the kind of competency-based, workforce-applicable higher education we have pioneered at College for America.”
To date, nearly 1,600 employees of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s parent company are enrolled in the program nationwide and 92 degrees awarded.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin (BCBSWi), Compcare Health Services Insurance Corporation (Compcare) and Wisconsin Collaborative Insurance Company (WCIC). BCBSWi underwrites or administers PPO and indemnity policies and underwrites the out of network benefits in POS policies offered by Compcare or WCIC; Compcare underwrites or administers HMO or POS policies; WCIC underwrites or administers Well Priority HMO or POS policies. Independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Well Priority is a service mark of Wisconsin Collaborative Insurance Company. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/askanthem and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/askanthem.
About College for America at Southern New Hampshire University
College for America is the workforce development and competency-based education college at Southern New Hampshire University – a nonprofit, fully accredited University based in Manchester, NH. College for America partners with more than 100 employers nationwide to help their associates achieve a college degree through a program built specifically for working adults: competency-based, flexibly-scheduled, workplace-applicable, and just $3,000/year, often covered in full or part by employers. For more, visit www.collegeforamerica.org
