CLINTON, Iowa, Nov. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Ashford University has awarded 10 full-ride online college scholarships to working mothers across the nation through a partnership with eLearners.com and its Project Working Mom advocacy campaign.

"Project Working Mom: Putting Education to Work" was developed by eLearners.com, a web resource of EducationDynamics, to act as a catalyst for communities to come together to help establish much-needed educational resources for working mothers. Eight out of ten women lack the education they need to move forward in their careers, according to eLearners.com.

"In today's economy it is more important than ever to have a college degree to stay competitive, but unfortunately not everyone can afford to go back to school," said Terrence Thomas, EVP Marketing Operations at EducationDynamics. "That's why we Created Project Working Mom. What is great about this campaign is not only will close to one hundred women be attending college on a full-ride scholarship, but literally thousands of women have been motivated to get their degrees online and have enrolled in college because of this program."

More than 70,000 women applied for a Project Working Mom 2 scholarship, choosing one of five online universities and colleges as their school of choice. Of those 70,000 applications, nearly 25,000 were sent to Ashford University.

Ashford University faculty members spent many hours reviewing applications, resulting in 10 deserving women receiving the call that would forever change their lives.

Among the scholarship recipients was Linda Guido, a 43-year-old mother of two from New Jersey.

"It all seems like a wonderful dream, but I am ready to go!" said Guido. "As I sit here today, I am preparing to start my first class at Ashford University tomorrow - the first day of my new life. A dream long held and quietly kept alive in my heart is finally coming true."

In addition to Guido, Ashford University provided nine other deserving working mothers with a full-ride "Project Working Mom 2" online college scholarship. The scholarship recipients include Guido, as well as 52-year-old Jinny Alexander, also from New Jersey; 29-year-old Katie Crocker from New York; 49-year-old Audrena Dias from Missouri; 53-year-old Margaret Rancourt from Minnesota; 43-year-old Angela Reed of Michigan; 33-year-old Sanna Schweitzer from Hawaii; 54-year-old Nellie Scurti from California; 42-year-old Lisa Welch from Kansas, and 27-year-old Angela Yu from Pennsylvania.

The application process began in late June following an already successful Project Working Mom first round earlier in the year. That $2 million scholarship program attracted more than 50,000 applicants and awards were made around Mother's Day. The additional $2 million in full-ride online college scholarships was made possible for this fall's back-to-school season.

"When we launched 'Project Working Mom,' we had no idea that the need and aspiration of working moms to advance their education was so enormous," said Thomas. "The sheer volume of the applicants and the heart wrenching essays demonstrated a national imperative to support working moms to better their lives and the lives of their families."

"The high interest in this campaign illustrates the importance of education to working mothers across America," said Dr. Jane McAuliffe, President of Ashford University. "That's something we just couldn't ignore."

The full-ride college scholarships are for online degree programs from the associate to Ph.D. level. To apply for the scholarships, working moms submitted a short application and an essay with their life, education, and career goals, explaining how an online education would allow them to achieve those goals.

As part of the campaign, eLearners.com also launched a comprehensive website, http://www.projectworkingmom.com/, to help women enhance their careers by going back to school. The interactive website features online education resources, profiles of working moms going to school online, and a community of women sharing their experiences.

"As a working mom myself, I couldn't be more proud of having an impact on the lives of these women in such a positive way," said McAuliffe. "What gives me the most satisfaction is knowing that each of these recipients has a child who will watch his or her mother earn a college education.

"We are impacting our future generation as well by having these women serve as role models for their children," she said.

About Ashford University

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is a coeducational institution regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, with programs in education, business, accounting, criminal and social justice, computer animation and graphic design, and other areas. The University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as a range of student activities and athletics, at its Clinton campus. Online degree programs are available in education, organizational management, business administration, and psychology. The University is known for its high quality yet highly affordable on-campus and online programs, with tuition fees among the lowest in the U.S. compared to other private institutions. Its tagline is: "Higher Education Made Affordable"™. For more information, please visit http://www.ashford.edu/ or call Shari Rodriguez, Director of Public Relations, at 858/513-9240 x2513.

About eLearners.com®

The eLearners.com website is one of several high visibility, high-quality prospecting tools offered by EducationDynamics, LLC. Since 1999, eLearners.com has been successfully connecting learners to online education, including online degree and certificate programs, specialized career training, and a variety of online courses. For prospective students, eLearners® provides a powerful search engine for users to find thousands of online program offerings, as well as educational evaluation tools and financial aid resources. For colleges and universities, the eLearners.com website offers a low-cost, performance-based method to provide national exposure and increase enrollments in their programs. To learn more about eLearners.com, visit http://www.elearners.com/.

About EducationDynamics

EducationDynamics, LLC, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is a leading interactive marketing and information services company focused on helping higher education institutions find, enroll and retain students. Home to some of the most visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, and StudyAbroad.com, EducationDynamics is one of the leading providers of qualified leads for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of web-delivered products and services to manage a school's relationship with students across their entire life cycle from inquiry through enrollment to retention. For additional information on EducationDynamics, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com/.

  Contact: Shari Rodriguez, Director of Public Relations
  858.513.9240 x2513 - shari.rodriguez@bridgepointeducation.com
  or

  Ana Tackett, Mullen Public Relations
  602.222.4343 - atackett@mullenpr.com

SOURCE: Ashford University

CONTACT: Shari Rodriguez, Director of Public Relations, +1-858-513-9240,
ext. 2513, shari.rodriguez@bridgepointeducation.com; or Ana Tackett of Mullen
Public Relations, +1-602-222-4343, atackett@mullenpr.com, both for Ashford
University

Web Site: http://www.ashford.edu/
http://www.elearners.com/
http://www.projectworkingmom.com/