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The State of Michigan Increases Focus on College Access Through Use of ConnectEDU's Innovative Technology

Posted on: Tuesday, 31 March 2009, 08:41 CDT

40% of College Bound Seniors and 14 out of 15 Public Universities Utilize ConnectEDU web solutions to Streamline College and Career Process, Make More Informed Decisions

BOSTON, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- ConnectEDU, Inc., (www.connectedu.net) the Web-based leader in using data to connect students with colleges and employers through the nation's largest college and career planning network, is now providing college access to 40% of the college bound seniors in the state of Michigan and is integrated with 14 of the 15 public universities in Michigan. Reaching these key milestones in March 2009, the network in Michigan expanded to include 245 high schools and 22 colleges/universities partnering with ConnectEDU to further bridge the gap between secondary education and higher education. In the last 60 days, ConnectEDU has welcomed four more public universities onto the Company's award winning technology network -- Connect! -- including Grand Valley State University, Lake Superior State University, Saginaw Valley State University and Western Michigan University.

Reports Kalamazoo Central High School Counselor Joyce Ryskamp, "We finished our first year of college applications working with ConnectEDU, and I must say Connect! was a huge success! Documents were transmitted more quickly and received with more accuracy than in past years. There were far fewer confused parents and students so the peace of mind factor was a big plus." Kalamazoo Central High School is one of the top performing schools in the network joined by high schools in other districts including Midland, Farmington and Detroit.

Currently, 136,442 students and 701 school counselors in Michigan have been provided with Connect!, resulting in collaboration amongst students, parents and counselors around individual students' college and career plans. In addition to individually helping students map their curriculum to careers, families search for best-fitting colleges, and counselors manage and track the application process, Connect! allows for the delivery of official electronic transcripts from the high school to the college with the push of a button at no cost. This added capability is saving high schools tens of thousands of dollars in traditional processing and delivery costs. With the implementation of this technology in all Michigan high schools, the state could trim its budget by over $11 million.

According to Craig Powell, President & CEO of ConnectEDU, "We couldn't be more pleased to witness the widespread adoption of ConnectEDU's solutions in Michigan. With the help of our college partners we are able to bring every Michigan student, regardless of their academic or economic background, the tools, information and resources to more effectively and efficiently plan and make informed decisions regarding their future. During this challenging economic time, we will continue to provide our Michigan partners with the necessary tools to eliminate inefficiencies in the admissions process and ultimately position the state of Michigan to re-invest cost savings back into their students."

For more information on ConnectEDU and the Michigan network, call 888-887-8688 or visit connectedu.net.

About ConnectEDU, Inc.

ConnectEDU is the nation's leading technology firm dedicated to providing students, educators and employers with comprehensive solutions to successfully navigate education and employment transitions. ConnectEDU's mission is to democratize access to higher education and career opportunities for all students by empowering them and their advisors with the information, resources and collective bargaining power required to realize successful life transitions.

SOURCE ConnectEDU, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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