With a presence on Elm Street in Manchester and across the Northeast, MEMIC is a small business with an expansive reach. The workers’ compensation insurer has 350 employees, but it doesn’t let its modest buying power limit the ways in which it cares for its workforce. “At MEMIC, we focus a great deal on the development of our employees to enhance the positive relationship that they have with our customers as well as their colleagues,” explained Catherine F. Lamson, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of MEMIC.
MEMIC is one of our partners at College for America (CfA) at Southern New Hampshire University, an accredited, nonprofit university that aims provide affordable, workplace-applicable higher education for working adults. “We have come to rely on our educational partners to provide assistance and an experience to those employees who wish to move forward with their carriers through education,” Lamson shared with us. “College for America has been a catalyst in helping us to move working adults through the formal college education process and into a position that readies them for advancement.”
Normally, these kinds of corporate-education partnerships between businesses and universities are reserved for large companies that can provide many students. However, College for America launched a co-op that allows small businesses with 1,000 employees or fewer to join a partnership in conjunction with other small organizations.
Lamson is excited by the opportunity: “The feedback received from those who have completed the program is nothing less than outstanding. Many who began in the associate’s program have now continued on to the bachelor’s program.”
There is no fee to join the co-op. After signing up online, co-op partners can download free materials to inform their employees about the college opportunity. Small business owners, HR personnel, or administrators can find more details and sign up online.
“We have seen how valuable business-education partnerships have been for employers and students alike—they have proven to increase employee retention, employee satisfaction and has also resulted in promotions all while building valuable workforce skills,” said Kris Clerkin, executive director of CfA. “Why not give small businesses, often the backbones of our communities, the same opportunities to build a stronger, loyal and more talented workforce?”
CfA was the nation’s first competency-based, fully accredited higher education provider to be approved for federal financial aid. Tuition at CfA is only $2,500 per year, which is often covered by employer’s tuition assistance programs. 70% of CfA students are earning their degree without any debt, and 21% with less than $5,000 in debt.
Since its launch in 2013, CfA has enrolled more than 3,000 students and partnered with more than 70 employers nationwide. We offer accredited associate’s and bachelor’s degrees that our students earn online by mastering competencies through real-world projects. Lamson is happy with the results she’s seeing: “We couldn’t be more pleased with our corporate partnership with your organization and with the positive results we see from our employees.”
CfA degree programs are directly applicable in the workplace, and designed to accommodate the busy lives of working adults. CfA graduates earn an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, at their own pace, from Southern New Hampshire University—a fully accredited, nonprofit university
Are you or someone you may know interested in joining the College for America Co-op? You can sign up for free.
Logan Ouellette is the Marketing Coordinator for College for America, a division of Southern New Hampshire University. Logan grew up in Manchester, NH and earned his B.A. in Graphic Design from SNHU in 2014. He is currently pursuing his M.A. in Communications at SNHU. Logan spends his free time listening to records, writing, and doing freelance graphic design for small businesses in New Hampshire.
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