Bridgepoint Education’s Ashford University announced today that it will match all funds that its faculty and employees donate to the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund.

Faculty and employees who are interested in the program can access the Red Cross donation web page at: http://www.sdarc.org/DonateNow/MakeaDonation/tabid/186/Default.aspx/.

Through the Haiti Relief Fund, the American Red Cross provides immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.  In addition to the first aid posts, outreach teams are also aiding the injured in nearby camps. Red Cross responders from six countries are treating injuries and triaging people for surgery at hospitals and medical centers in Port-au-Prince, Carrefour and Jacmel. Planes and trucks carrying Red Cross humanitarian assistance are arriving in the region every day, delivering much needed materials such as medical supplies, tarps, blankets, hygiene items, buckets, shelter supplies and kitchen sets. 

“We have all been deeply saddened by the recent tragedy in Haiti, where a series of earthquakes recently devastated the already-impoverished nation,” said Bridgepoint Education CEO Andrew Clark. “Our executive team felt it was important for us to step up and offer to match the funds our employees were donating through the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund so that, together, we could make a real difference.”

He added that this program reinforced the Ashford University culture of service to those in need.

The matching program will be in effect through January 31, 2010.

About Ashford University

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org).  The University offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs online and at its Clinton, Iowa, campus.  The University is known for its high quality yet highly affordable online and on-campus programs.  For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, director of Public Relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.

About Bridgepoint Education
Bridgepoint Education’s postsecondary education services focus on offering associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in such disciplines as business, education, psychology, social sciences and health sciences.  Bridgepoint Education’s regionally accredited academic institutions – Ashford University and University of the Rockies – deliver their programs online as well as at traditional campuses located in Clinton, Iowa, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.  For more information about Bridgepoint Education, visit www.bridgepointeducation.com or call Shari Rodriguez, director of Public Relations at 858.668.2580.