United Technologies Corporation Receives 2012 NAICU Award for Advocacy of Independent Higher Education

February 03, 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 31, 2012 - United Technologies Corporation (UTC) received the 2012 Award for Advocacy of Independent Higher Education today from the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). The award was presented by NAICU President David L. Warren and Fairfield University President Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx during a luncheon at the NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting. The meeting is being held in Washington, D.C., at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.

UTC Chairman & CEO Louis Chênevert accepted the award on behalf of the corporation.

The NAICU Advocacy Award was established in 1993 to recognize individuals outside of academe who have championed the cause of independent nonprofit higher education. No single contribution makes one eligible to receive the award. Instead, it recognizes an extended record of service, initiative, and determination.

The presentation of the 2012 NAICU Advocacy Award to United Technologies marks the first time a corporate entity, rather than an individual, has received the award. This special recognition is a reflection of the extraordinary commitment the corporation as a whole has demonstrated through its Employee Scholar Program to the transformative power of higher education.

This year, the 16th anniversary of the program, UTC's Employee Scholar Program will exceed a landmark investment of $1 billion in employer-provided educational assistance since its inception. Over those years, UTC employees in more than 50 countries have earned more than 32,000 associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees through this program.

"For its vision and its commitment to the education of its employees as exemplified by its Employee Scholar Program, and for its enlightened view of the power of higher education to transform people and the nation, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is pleased to present United Technologies Corporation with the NAICU Award for Advocacy of Independent Higher Education," said NAICU President David L. Warren.

"The UTC Employee Scholar Program stands as a model, worthy of emulation across corporate America, of investment in education for the betterment of individuals and society," Warren said.

The Employee Scholar Program strives to remove barriers for employees dedicated to learning. United Technologies pays for tuition, books and fees for recipients, upfront and directly to the educational institution. These employee-students also receive up to three hours a week of paid release time for study. The program is open to all employees - domestic and international, professional, and hourly - and, for a defined period of time, to employees who lose their jobs due to work-related circumstances. There is no obligation on the part of degree recipients to stay with the corporation. Employees are free to pursue any field of study that interests them. Currently there are more than 11,000 UTC employees enrolled in college programs.

NAICU serves as the unified national voice of independent higher education. With more than 1,000 member institutions and associations nationwide, NAICU reflects the diversity of private, nonprofit higher education in the United States. NAICU members enroll 90 percent of all students attending private institutions. They include traditional liberal arts colleges, major research universities, church- and faith-related institutions, historically black colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, single-sex colleges, art institutions, two-year colleges, and schools of law, medicine, engineering, business, and other professions.

 

Media Contact:

Tony Pals
tony@naicu.edu
direct office: (202) 739-0474
cell: (202) 288-9333

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