(photo illustration, bob Moore, SLFP.com)
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Ad Council and U.S. Army to Launch National High School Dropout Prevention Campaign
ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire), September 6, 2009 - In time for the first day of school for many children across the U.S., President Obama is joining the Ad Council and the U.S. Army to launch a new series of television and radio public service advertisements (PSAs) designed to encourage Americans to take responsibility and support high school students on their path to graduation.
The new ads, which feature the President, are a part of the Ad Council and the U.S. Army's High School Dropout Prevention "Boost" campaign. They are being distributed to media outlets nationwide to coincide with a special address President Obama will deliver directly to students in grades K-12 on Tuesday, September 8th on the importance of taking responsibility for their education. The speech will be broadcast live at 12:00 pm EDT on www.whitehouse.gov/live and C-SPAN.
Nearly 30 percent of high school students in the U.S. drop out, according to a report released by the America's Promise Alliance (Cities in Crisis: A Special Analytic Report on High School Graduation). In the new TV and radio PSAs, President Obama communicates that he couldn't have achieved his success without first graduating from high school. The President points to his high school graduation photo and describes how it paved the way for his inauguration photo. President Obama then urges all parents, friends, educators and neighbors to do whatever it takes to help support and encourage high school students in their education.
"We need all students to develop their talents, skills and intellect so they can help solve our most difficult problems," said President Obama. "If students don't do that - if they quit on school - they're not just quitting on themselves, they're quitting on their country."
During the speech, the President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. In advance of the address, the Department of Education is providing teachers with resources to help engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education.
"We are delighted to have President Obama join our Boost campaign designed to encourage students to stay in school and graduate. Research shows that the decision to drop out doesn't happen overnight and it isn't due to lack of motivation for many students. Through the President's words, these wonderful PSAs highlight the importance of motivating and challenging students and they help continue our campaign's goal to develop a community of support for students who need it," said Peggy Conlon, President and CEO of the Ad Council.
Since its launch in November 2000, the Ad Council and the U.S. Army's High School Dropout initiative has received over $400 million in donated time and space from the media and is frequently ranked among the top ten supported Ad Council campaigns.
Education is a top-priority public service issue for the U.S. Army. In 2000, they partnered with the Ad Council to start "Operation Graduation." This was a national campaign to motivate and encourage students to graduate high school. In 2006, the Ad Council and the US Army launched Boost, a new approach to this dropout prevention campaign. Boost encourages teens to talk to their friends about staying in school, while providing their parents with tools and advice. All in an effort to give our teens the community of support they need to tackle one of the most important obstacles of their lives: graduation. To find out more about the US Army go to www.goarmy.com.
New Frank Lanza Memorial Scholarship to Benefit Health Care Students
ST. LOUIS (PRNewswire-USNewswire), September 6, 2009 - At a time when most health care professions are experiencing significant worker shortages and need is growing, community colleges and businesses are teaming up to support future graduates in key health care professions.
This month, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, with the generous support of METI and L-3 Communications, Inc., will launch the Frank Lanza Memorial Scholarship Program. This timely initiative is designed to recognize the academic and leadership accomplishments of students enrolled in registered nursing, respiratory care or emergency medical service programs offered by regionally accredited community colleges. Up to twenty-five scholarships of $1,000 each will be awarded for the 2010 academic year.
The scholarships will target part-time, full-time and international students who have completed 50 percent of their course work leading toward achieving an associate degree and who have a demonstrable financial need (certificate students are not eligible to apply). Candidates do not have to be members of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society to apply.
The scholarship is named in honor of Frank Lanza, a founder of L-3 Communications -- a global aerospace and defense company -- that produces $15 billion in annual revenues and employs over 66,000 people worldwide. The scholarship endowment is funded equally by L-3 Communications and Medical Education Technologies, Inc. (METI), the world's leading producer of medical simulation products and educational software for health care education. In creating the endowment, Lou Oberndorf, METI Chairman and CEO and a long-time friend of Lanza, cited Lanza's visionary leadership and commitment to charitable causes as inspiration for the program.
Lanza served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Korean War. He was a member of the board of directors for the Coast Guard Foundation and received the 2003 Distinguished Corporate Leadership award from the Soldiers', Sailors', Marines' and Airmen's Club. Lanza was also a member of the board of governors for the Aerospace Industries Association and the American-Italian Cancer Foundation. A philanthropist, Lanza and his wife supported a variety of charities through a family foundation.
For more information about the Frank Lanza Memorial Scholarship Program, call 601/984.3539. Visit the web sites for Phi Theta Kappa www.ptk.org and AACC www.aacc.nche.edu for complete requirements and downloadable applications.
Completed applications must be mailed in one packet and be received (not postmarked) on or before Oct. 15, 2009 at Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters, Attn: Frank Lanza Memorial Scholarship, 1625 Eastover Drive, Jackson, MS 39211.
Based in Washington, D.C., AACC is the primary advocacy organization for community colleges at the national level and works closely with directors of state offices to inform and to affect state policy. AACC represents almost 1,200 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and more than 11 million students. Community colleges are the largest and fastest-growing sector of U.S. higher education, enrolling close to half (44 percent) of all U.S. undergraduates.
Headquartered in Jackson, Miss., Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in higher education, with 1,250 chapters on college campuses in the 50 U.S. states, Canada, Germany, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions. More than two million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 100,000 students inducted annually.
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