Empire to Provide Free College Degree Opportunity to Employees

Empire BlueCross BlueShield Announces a New National Partnership to Provide a Free College Degree for Any Eligible Employee through College for America at SNHU

Empire BlueCross BlueShield today announced a new partnership to make an associate’s or bachelor’s degree available at no cost for any of its eligible full-time and part-time associates in New York through College for America at Southern New Hampshire University. 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.

This new benefit is available to any Empire full-time or part-time employee who works 20 or more hours per week and has been employed at least six months. Empire associates who participate in the College for America program can earn their degree at no cost as a result of the company’s tuition reimbursement benefit.

“Empire is committed to offering its associates a robust benefits package that goes beyond salary and health benefits,” said Brian Griffin, President and CEO, Empire BlueCross BlueShield. “Our partnership with College for America has proven successful for our parent company associates who participated in the pilot program in New Hampshire and we want to build on that success by providing opportunities for education, development and career advancement to all our associates.”

“This is a tremendous win-win for Empire and its associates. As an employer, Empire is building talent and the skills needed for promotion in its workforce while 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 Emipre will educate thousands of associates and is a model for aligning employer demand with the kind of competency-based, workforce-applicable higher education we have pioneered at College for America.”

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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, 82 year-old fully accredited University based in Manchester, NH. College for America partners with more than 65 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 $2,500/year, often covered in full or part by employers. For more, visit www.collegeforamerica.org

About Empire BlueCross BlueShield

Serving New Yorkers for 80 years, Empire BlueCross BlueShield is the largest health insurer in New York supporting more than four million members and more than 38,000 business, union and small employers in New York. Empire BlueCross BlueShield (Empire) is the trade name of Empire HealthChoice Assurance, Inc., and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO is the trade name of Empire HealthChoice HMO, Inc., independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, serving residents and businesses in the 28 eastern and southeastern counties of New York State. Additional information about Empire is available at www.empireblue.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/healthjoinin or @empirebcbs, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HealthJoinIn, or visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/healthjoinin