Starbucks at the Memorial Union in Tempe. The Starbucks and ASU online degree partnership starts at the beginning of session B. (Photo by Ryan Liu)The Starbucks College Achievement Plan, an ASU and Starbucks partnership announced in June that allows Starbucks employees to receive discounted online bachelor's degrees from ASU, is now in full swing after the start of Session B.
ASU Online Communications Specialist Carrie Lingenfelter said nearly 1,800 students have been accepted into the program and approximately 1,000 are enrolled in Session B classes.
She also said the program allows ASU to inch closer to the achievement of the New American University model.
“ASU is focused on inclusivity and degree completion, and we are proud that this public-private partnership will allow Starbucks partners to achieve the dream of a college degree and the lifetime of advantages that an ASU education provides,” Lingenfelter said.
Lingenfelter said she is excited for the future of the program and the opportunities presented to the program partners.
Among the equal opportunities for partners is a required orientation course designed to prepare students for online learning, familiarize them with the ASU mission and welcome them to the Sun Devil family.
“Like all of our ASU Online students, the Starbucks partners will be taking classes from the same award-winning faculty as our on-ground students,” she said. “In addition, they will receive enrollment and success coaching to help guide them.”
Starbucks Global Corporate Communications Manager Laurel Harper said the program is important in trying to achieve Starbucks’ goal of helping students everywhere.
“We know our success as a company depends on our partners,” she said. “College education is a priority for Starbucks partners, but for many, the rise in tuition costs has put college out of reach. We hope this investment in their education will open up lifelong opportunities for thousands of eligible full and part-time partners in the U.S.”
Harper said there are no formal plans to expand the partnership in the future.
“We’re looking forward to learning how our partners are benefiting from the program and will look for opportunities to ensure it is helping our partners achieve their college aspirations,” she said.
Program participant Lauren Esveld, who is an organizational leadership major and District Manager at a Starbucks location in Washington, D.C., said the application and program setup were easy.
“It was an easy application process,” she said. “An admissions counselor called me, was very helpful, and walked me through all of the steps.”
She said she had mixed emotions about starting the online degree program because it was a new experience.
Once she learned she could login to the program 48 hours prior to the start of Session B, Esveld said she felt much better because it gave her a chance to play around and get acclimated to the online site.
“I was really excited, but a bit nervous,” Esveld said. “However, my ASU orientation course made me feel more comfortable.”
She said she was pleasantly surprised at the simple setup for her online courses.
“Getting an online degree is not as difficult as it seems because the weekly assignments and progression of the classes is laid out for students,” Esveld said.
Esveld also said she is eager for the opportunity to work with other program partners while learning new skills.
“I’m most excited about being able to use the skills I have already learned while learning new ones,” Esveld said. “I also can’t wait to work together with other students from different states.”
Reach the reporter at Justin.Toscano@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @justintoscano3.
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