FAU Partners with JM Family to Offer Associates Full Tuition
JM Family is the first organization to join FAU’s Edu-Vantage Partner Program, which works with employers and corporate community partners to provide employees the opportunity to achieve their educational and professional goals while maintaining full-time careers, family responsibilities and numerous other life commitments. Brent Burns, president and CEO of JM Family, who is also a member of FAU’s Board of Trustees and an alumnus of the university, is pictured at left with FAU President John Kelly.
Through Florida Atlantic University’s new Edu-Vantage Partner Program, JM Family Enterprises will offer its associates full tuition for both undergraduate and graduate degrees and certifications. With this new benefit, the automotive company’s 4,300 full-time associates are eligible to enroll in FAU’s online and on-campus courses starting in the fall semester.
“At JM Family, we believe it’s important to foster an environment of continuous learning so our associates are constantly building capacity, remaining agile and well-positioned for changes in the marketplace,” said Brent Burns, president and CEO of JM Family, who is also a member of FAU’s Board of Trustees and an alumnus of the university. “Associates are our most important asset and our biggest competitive advantage. We want to provide them with the tools they need to excel. Their success is our success.”
JM Family is the first organization to join FAU’s Edu-Vantage Partner Program. The partner program works with employers and corporate community partners to provide employees the opportunity to achieve their educational and professional goals while maintaining full-time careers, family responsibilities and numerous other life commitments.
“We are truly excited to launch the FAU Edu-Vantage Partner Program with JM Family Enterprises as our first partner,” said Daniel Gropper, Ph.D., dean of FAU’s College of Business. “JM Family is recognized as one of the best workplaces in the nation, and we are pleased that FAU can provide educational programs for their associates.”
Although JM Family has offered college tuition reimbursement to its associates for several decades, students paid upfront and were limited to reimbursement of $5,000 per year for undergraduate courses and $7,000 for graduate degrees.
Under this new partnership with FAU, there is:
● No limit to the number of classes an associate can take
● No upfront payment
● Full tuition, books and fees are all covered directly by JM Family; no out-of-pocket expenses for associates
● No location constraints since classes can be taken online for associates at all locations: Mobile, Alabama; Commerce and Alpharetta, Georgia; St. Louis, Missouri; Jacksonville; field associates across North America, as well JM Family’s South Florida associates
● Dedicated support for JM Family students through FAU’s Executive Education department
JM Family has internally branded the program as nextGRAD, emphasizing the ongoing journey associates can take to continuously learn and improve. Eligible coursework was chosen to align with the business needs of JM Family, and some of the available courses include:
● Undergraduate:
○ Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting
○ Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing
○ Bachelor of Business Administration in Management
○ Bachelor of Business Administration in Management with a concentration in Leadership and Applied Managerial Skills
○ Computer Science (B.S.)
● Graduate Online Offerings:
○ Online MBA - General
○ Online MBA - Finance, Management Information Systems, Operations Management, International Business
○ Master of Accounting or Tax
● Certifications:
○ Big Data Analytics
The FAU Edu-Vantage Partner Program will be managed by the College of Business Executive Education Department, which provides concierge service and dedicated support for working professionals.
“JM Family has been a great partner of Executive Education for over a decade, and we are looking forward to continue to assist their associates,” said Vegar Wiik, executive director of executive education in FAU’s College of Business.
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