New UCLA Extension program uses star power to grab adult students
July 24, 2012
A new campaign for Empowered UCLA Extension, a 12-month certificate program integrated with career coaching, is using celebrities to encourage adults to go back to school and pursue their career dreams.
The program will offer $2 million in scholarships, applied to tuition and fees, in the names of famous actors such as Pierce Brosnan, Sally Field, James Franco and Cuba Gooding, Jr.
"Empowered UCLA Extension represents what we can accomplish when powerful industries come together to create a movement around an issue that affects us all," said Steve Poizner, co-founder and CEO of Empowered.
Through the program, Poizner hopes to find multiple solutions to the skills gap, job crisis and lack of financial aid for adults and single parents. The program reserves 20 percent of its enrollment to students on full or partial scholarship.
The star-studded video advertisement for the classes, called "Work for Your Dream," is currently accessible online and will eventually hit television screens. The program will begin offering online classes in September, when students will begin to interact via iPads.
