FAU Partners with JM Family to Offer Associates Full Tuition for Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees

MEDIA CONTACT: Jim Hellegaard
561-319-2233, jhellegaard@fau.edu

Enrollment for Eligible Employees to Begin in the Fall

BOCA RATON, Fla. (March 8, 2019) – Through Florida Atlantic University’s new Edu-Vantage Partner Program, JM Family Enterprises will offer its associates full tuition for both undergraduate and graduate degrees and certifications. With this new benefit, the automotive company’s 4,300 full-time associates are eligible to enroll in FAU’s online and on-campus courses starting in the fall semester.

“At JM Family, we believe it’s important to foster an environment of continuous learning so our associates are constantly building capacity, remaining agile and well-positioned for changes in the marketplace,” said Brent Burns, president and CEO of JM Family, who is also a member of FAU’s Board of Trustees and an alumnus of the university. “Associates are our most important asset and our biggest competitive advantage. We want to provide them with the tools they need to excel. Their success is our success.”

JM Family is the first organization to join FAU’s Edu-Vantage Partner Program. The partner program works with employers and corporate community partners to provide employees the opportunity to achieve their educational and professional goals while maintaining full-time careers, family responsibilities and numerous other life commitments.

“We are truly excited to launch the FAU Edu-Vantage Partner Program with JM Family Enterprises as our first partner,” said Daniel Gropper, Ph.D., dean of FAU’s College of Business. “JM Family is recognized as one of the best workplaces in the nation, and we are pleased that FAU can provide educational programs for their associates.”

Although JM Family has offered college tuition reimbursement to its associates for several decades, students paid upfront and were limited to reimbursement of $5,000 per year for undergraduate courses and $7,000 for graduate degrees.

Under this new partnership with FAU, there is:

●     No limit to the number of classes an associate can take

●     No upfront payment

●     Full tuition, books and fees are all covered directly by JM Family; no out-of-pocket expenses for associates

●     No location constraints since classes can be taken online for associates at all locations: Mobile, Alabama; Commerce and Alpharetta, Georgia; St. Louis, Missouri; Jacksonville; field associates across North America, as well JM Family’s South Florida associates

●     Dedicated support for JM Family students through FAU’s Executive Education department

JM Family has internally branded the program as nextGRAD, emphasizing the ongoing journey associates can take to continuously learn and improve. Eligible coursework was chosen to align with the business needs of JM Family, and some of the available courses include:

●     Undergraduate:

○     Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting

○     Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing

○     Bachelor of Business Administration in Management

○     Bachelor of Business Administration in Management with a concentration in Leadership and Applied Managerial Skills

○     Computer Science (B.S.)

●     Graduate Online Offerings:

○     Online MBA - General

○     Online MBA - Finance, Management Information Systems, Operations Management, International Business

○     Master of Accounting or Tax

●     Certifications:

○     Big Data Analytics

The FAU Edu-Vantage Partner Program will be managed by the College of Business Executive Education Department, which provides concierge service and dedicated support for working professionals.

“JM Family has been a great partner of Executive Education for over a decade, and we are looking forward to continue to assist their associates,” said Vegar Wiik, executive director of executive education in FAU’s College of Business.

- FAU -

About Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

About JM Family Enterprises
JM Family Enterprises, Inc., founded by Jim Moran in 1968, is a $16.3 billion diversified automotive company ranked No. 21 on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies. It is also ranked No. 17 by FORTUNE® as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For®, its 21st consecutive year on the list. JM Family has more than 4,300 associates and its primary subsidiaries include: Southeast Toyota Distributors, the world’s largest independent distributor of Toyota vehicles; JM&A Group, one of the leading independent providers of finance and insurance (F&I) products in the automotive industry; Southeast Toyota Finance and DataScan, both part of World Omni Financial Corp., a diversified financial services company; and JM Lexus. Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Fla., JM Family has major U.S. operations in Jacksonville and Margate, Fla.; Commerce and Alpharetta, Ga.; Mobile, Ala.; and St. Louis, Mo. Interact with JM Family on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.