Nov 30, 2011 at 03:19 PM
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USOC Lands Official Education Provider

The United States Olympic Committee announced today that DeVry Inc., a global provider of educational services, has been named an official education provider of Team USA. As part of the agreement, DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Management will provide higher education opportunities at undergraduate and graduate levels, including scholarships and a dedicated DeVry staff, for U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes and training hopefuls through 2016. In subsequent years, DeVry will have the opportunity to offer the athletes scholarship opportunities to attend its other institutions.


"Through this partnership with DeVry, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team members who give so much time and effort to the pursuit of their sporting goals will have access to quality education," said Scott Blackmun, chief executive officer of the USOC. "The career-oriented, flexible course scheduling and commitment to students that DeVry and its family of education providers have demonstrated align well with the USOC's goal of providing the resources to help Team USA athletes achieve success on and off the field of play."

DeVry University has more than 95 locations nationwide and an extensive online program. The combination of onsite and online delivery methods will offer Team USA athletes flexible access to career-oriented associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs while training for the Games.

"We take great pride in this opportunity to serve Team USA scholar athletes," said Daniel Hamburger, president and CEO of DeVry Inc. "Many of these athletes want to pursue their athletic and career dreams at the same time - DeVry's educational institutions can make that happen. We are committed to providing the highest level of quality academic instruction with the flexible scheduling necessary so athletes can balance training and studying in pursuit of their goals."

The first class of Team USA athletes has already been accepted and will start classes through DeVry University this month. The participating athletes include undergraduate students Samantha Achterberg (modern pentathlon), Wilfred "BJ" Blanchard (shooting), Will Brady (modern pentathlon), Donovan Ford (weightlifting) and Aaron Trent (Paralympic cycling). Moza Fay (wrestling) has enrolled as a graduate student seeking an MBA in marketing.

"This opportunity with DeVry has allowed me to get back into school and working toward my master's degree," said Fay, Team USA wrestling athlete and London 2012 Olympic hopeful. "I am currently training full-time toward the goal of competing in London so the thing that really helps me is the convenience of the program, which gives me great flexibility and the ability to continue my education on my schedule."

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