BURLINGTON, Vt. - April 27, 2016 - Champlain College today celebrated the one-year anniversary of the truED® agreement with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The agreement provides Federal employees, spouses, and eligible adult dependents access to affordable online education in mission-critical and highly competitive fields. Leaders across government recognized this milestone during “Federal Workforce 2020: Turning Today’s Experience into Tomorrow’s Talent” by joining in support of the alliance, and shared plans to increase participation and enhance talent development efforts within the Federal workforce.

“Our agreements with higher education organizations like Champlain College help to strengthen the Federal workforce and build on our ability to be a model employer,” said Beth Cobert, Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). “Partnerships like this also help to close skills-gaps in areas such as cybersecurity, human resources, leadership, and more. Through this partnership we hope to inspire agency leaders and Federal employees to explore opportunities for professional growth and to enhance employee effectiveness within their agencies.” 

At today’s event, leaders from the Federal government and Champlain College shared significant updates on the truED alliance as well as their vision for the future of the government workforce. Acting Director Cobert outlined OPM’s strategy for making the Federal government an exemplary employer for the 21^st century and new ways to leverage higher education partnerships within the Federal government. Senator Patrick Leahy highlighted the importance of higher education in securing the nation’s future and how learning leaders can develop a pipeline of highly qualified talent from within their agency.

Since launching truED with the Federal government in April 2015, Champlain College has worked closely with OPM and other Federal agencies to adapt and expand its online academic portfolio in order to ensure its relevance and efficacy benefitting the Federal workforce. During the past year, a new Master of Science in Information Security Operations was launched, and the online Master of Business Administration was reconceived to allow for specializations in areas like leadership, accounting, and supply chain management. Event participants also learned of future significant changes to truED, including additional graduate-level offerings and enhanced alignment with agencies’ tuition reimbursement policies and veterans’ benefits. 

“The truED alliance demonstrates Champlain College’s commitment to support the U.S. Federal government in workforce development and we’re only on the cusp of realizing its full potential,” said Donald J. Laackman, President of Champlain College. “For the last 138 years, Champlain College has prepared traditional undergraduates and adult students to enter the workforce and enhance their skills. We are excited for Champlain to play a significant role in the continuing education of today’s Federal workforce and the cultivation of the next generation of public service men and women. We are thrilled at the continued momentum of the truED alliance and look forward to growing the relationship.”

To date, nearly 1,800 students have taken part in the truED Federal alliance and have taken nearly 3,500 courses. Among the most popular programs are the B.S. in Business Management, MBA, the M.S. in Executive Leadership, and the B.S. in Cybersecurity. For more information about truED, how Federal agencies can benefit or how Federal employees and their eligible family members can apply for admission, please visit http://www.champlain.edu/trued.

About Champlain College

Founded in 1878, Champlain College is a small, not-for-profit, private college in Burlington, Vermont, with additional campuses in Montreal, Quebec and Dublin, Ireland. Champlain offers a traditional undergraduate experience from its beautiful campus overlooking Lake Champlain and more than 60 online undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certificates. Champlain's distinctive career-driven approach to higher education embodies the notion that true learning occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge. Champlain College is included in the Princeton Review's The Best 380 Colleges: 2016 Edition. Champlain College is featured in the "Fiske Guide to Colleges" for 2016 as one of the "best and most interesting schools" in the United States, Canada and Great Britain. Champlain was named the #1 “Most Innovative School” in the North by the U.S. News and World Report’s 2016 “America’s Best Colleges” and #14 in the overall list of “Best Regional Colleges in the North.” For more information, visit www.champlain.edu.

About truED®

truED is a bold reimagining of workforce development that creates opportunities for adults to further their education in Champlain College's award-winning online academic programs, and brings easy-to-deploy talent management solutions to employers. Through strategic alliances with leading organizations in government and industry, Champlain College Online delivers an affordable, accessible and immediately applicable higher education to help employees gain the skills and knowledge needed to enhance their careers and achieve their organization's business objectives. Champlain's undergraduate and graduate certificate and degree programs not only provide field-specific knowledge, but also the critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills essential for the modern workforce. For more information about truED, visit http://www.champlain.edu/trued.

Media Contact:

Lauren Horn

Sage Communications (For Champlain College Online)

Lhorn@aboutsage.com

703-207-0941

OPM Media Contact:

OPM Office of Communications

media@opm.gov

202-606-2402