GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL AND UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX EQUIP GOODWILL® EMPLOYEES IN FULFILLING THEIR ASPIRATIONS AS BUSINESS LEADERS

University of Phoenix Awards Goodwill Employees Full-Tuition Scholarships

PHOENIX and ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 15, 2014 — Goodwill Industries International (GII) and University of Phoenix, a subsidiary of Apollo Education Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL), today announced a new scholarship program that has awarded full-tuition scholarships to employees at various GII agencies across the country. These scholarships may be used by recipients effective immediately and will provide them with the opportunity to pursue undergraduate or master’s degrees from University of Phoenix, helping them expand their skill sets and prepare them to move into senior management positions at GII.
GII partnered with University of Phoenix to award employees who have demonstrated academic excellence and the potential of growing into executive positions at  GII’s 165 independent, community-based agencies across the United States and Canada. The employees who were awarded the scholarships include those working in or toward leadership roles at their respective GII headquarters. University of Phoenix will continue to offer these scholarships each year through 2016, for a total of 30 full-tuition scholarships, as part of this new partnership with GII.
“University of Phoenix and Goodwill Industries International are aligned in their goals to train and educate America’s workforce,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of GII. “Through this scholarship opportunity and investment in the Goodwill enterprise’s employees, we will be able to retain our workforce talent and provide development opportunities so that they are able to fulfill their dreams and advance their career potential.”
Scholarship recipients were selected based on criteria that required that they be participants or graduates in one of GII’s many leadership development programs, such as the executive development program and the senior leader program, among others.
“We are proud to join with Goodwill in strengthening its mission and programs, and in providing its current and future leaders access to education opportunities to further their careers,” said Pat Gottfried, vice president of corporate social responsibility for Apollo Education Group, parent company of University of Phoenix. “University of Phoenix shares a common mission with Goodwill of helping individuals realize their career goals through education and training. This partnership is a testament to the dedication of both of our organizations in opening doors for individuals to realize their personal success.”
The list of scholarship recipients includes:
Doug Newsome                  MBA                      Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina, Inc.
Wayne Hatcher                  BS Business          Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley Inc.
Brian Otto                           BS Business          Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont
Michael Frohm                   MBA                      Goodwill of Greater Washington
Michael Pritchard              MBA                      Goodwill Industries of Denver
Christina Morris                 MBA                      Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County
Kirsten O’Donnell               MBA                      Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, Inc.
Jessica Schultz                     MBA                      Goodwill Industries of the Columbia, Inc.
Karen Caines                        MBA                      Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, Inc.
The scholarship announcement is part of a bigger alliance between University of Phoenix and GII to address the nation’s skills gap by providing Goodwill employees with reduced tuition for degree programs as well as certificate programs and professional development courses. In addition, the scholarships make up one of four components of a larger University of Phoenix and GII partnership. Through GII’s corporate university, The Helm, University of Phoenix offers a 10 percent tuition discount for all Goodwill employees, provides three-year funding for a diversity and inclusion initiative and sponsorship of an internship program. Additionally, University of Phoenix will support GII national conferences and events with funding for three years.
For more information about the University of Phoenix scholarship opportunities, visit www.phoenix.edu/scholarships.
About Goodwill Industries International
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with a presence in 14 other countries. Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 3,000 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com^®. Goodwill also builds revenue and creates jobs by contracting with businesses and government agencies to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2013, more than 9.8 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill’s career services. Goodwill channels 83 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services.