New Pay-As-You-Go Options for Reliable Internet and Mobile with All-In Pricing, No Contracts or Credit Checks

PHILADELPHIA – May 9, 2024 – Americans now have new options for low-cost, reliable pay-as-you-go Internet and Mobile service: NOW Internet and NOW Mobile. Both products – backed by the powerful Xfinity network and the most reliable 5G – are available nationwide where Comcast offers service, and consumers can easily sign up, pause or cancel their subscription online, via the Xfinity app, or by visiting an Xfinity Store. With all-in monthly pricing, no contracts, or credit check required, NOW products deliver flexible connectivity to customers when they need it.

“NOW is a simple, reliable, and low-cost way for people to get Internet and Mobile service on their own terms,” said Bill Connors, President of Connectivity and Platforms, Comcast. “Our trials have shown that there is a need for a better prepaid product that provides a more consistent and reliable connection and we’re excited to bring fresh new options to this market.”

Reliable Internet

NOW Internet delivers a more consistent and reliable connection at a better price point than 5G home Internet from the cellular companies. The service is backed by the nation’s largest landline network that delivers better than 99 percent reliability, uses AI to detect and proactively fix disruptions before consumers experience them, and is built with rigorous security and privacy protocols.

Affordable Mobile

With upwards of 90 percent of data traffic from smartphones running over a WiFi connection, not cellular, WiFi is critical to the mobile experience. Unlike existing prepaid providers, NOW Mobile uses WiFi to the customer’s advantage by tapping into more than 23 million hotspots across the country, a groundbreaking new feature in the prepaid market that was built around low prices and limited capabilities for years. NOW Mobile is bringing a great experience along with some of the best prices in prepaid for Xfinity Internet and NOW Internet customers.

Incredible Flexibility

NOW offers incredible flexibility by giving customers the ability to subscribe or pause their Internet, mobile, and TV service online or through the Xfinity app. Customers can also buy NOW products in any Xfinity store across the country. NOW Internet and NOW Mobile join NOW TV and NOW WiFi Pass in a portfolio of connectivity and entertainment products.

The NOW Portfolio

• NOW Internet – Choose between 100 Mbps for $30 a month, or 200 Mbps for $45 a month. Unlimited data and an Xfinity gateway included.
• NOW Mobile – Bundle your NOW Mobile service with either Xfinity or NOW internet and you will be adding one of the most affordable unlimited plans on the market. As low as $55 a month for bundled NOW Internet and Mobile, and $25 a month for each additional Mobile line.
• NOW TV – $20 streaming offering that includes 40+ live channels, more than two dozen integrated FAST channels, and Peacock Premium. Easily accessible via the Xfinity Stream app.
• NOW WiFi Pass – Unlimited access to 23+ million fast and reliable Xfinity WiFi hotspots for less than a dollar a day at $20 for 30 days. No cancelation fees, no equipment, and unlimited data.

A New Option for Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Customers

As the government begins to wind down the Affordable Connectivity Program, with May expected to be the final month with a partial credit of $14, millions of people will be searching for another option for cost-effective connectivity. NOW Internet and Mobile will provide customers with reliable connectivity regardless of whether or not they are enrolled in ACP – supplementing Comcast’s longstanding low-income broadband adoption options Internet Essentials and Internet Essentials Plus, and Xfinity’s current suite of offerings.

More information about NOW Internet and NOW Mobile is available here.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company. From the connectivity and platforms we provide, to the content and experiences we create, our businesses reach hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide. We deliver world-class broadband, wireless, and video through Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky; produce, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through brands including NBC, Telemundo, Universal, Peacock, and Sky; and bring incredible theme parks and attractions to life through Universal Destinations & Experiences. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

Media Contact

Camillia Travia
camillia_travia@comcast.com

Indianapolis, May 1, 2024 – Guidenar is excited to announce its AI-designed career assessment tool, specifically designed for high school and college students. This new tool aims to bridge the gap between academic interests and real-world career paths by analyzing individual interests, personality traits, values, and academic passions. This launch comes in response to a concerning trend identified in a 2022 national survey by YouScience, which found that 75% of high school graduates feel unprepared to make informed college or career decisions.

Recognizing the dynamic nature of today’s job market, Guidenar’s fast and user-friendly career test provides students with a deeper understanding of themselves, guiding them towards fulfilling career paths that genuinely align with their personal and professional aspirations.

“I had a few ideas, but I didn’t know how to narrow them down or figure out which path was right for me. The Guidenar career assessment was a game-changer. It helped provide direction and narrow my options down” shared Israel, a student who has already benefited from this resource.

Lolita Chandler, CEO of Guidenar, adds, “I find it incredibly rewarding to guide and empower new and upcoming talent as they begin planning their career journey. With tools like our career test, we provide students with relevant resources to identify potential ideal career matches.”

Students and educators interested in accessing Guidenar’s career test can visit careertest.guidenar.com.

For more detailed information about Guidenar and its initiatives in education and career development, please visit guidenar.com.

About Guidenar:

Guidenar is an Indianapolis-based technology startup specializing in a multifaceted approach to career readiness and personal development. Guidenar’s vision is to empower everyone to discover their ideal career path, enabling them to make informed and confident career decisions.

Media Contact:

Lolita Chandler
collegeandjobs@guidenar.com

PALO ALTO, Calif., April 30, — MathGPT^™, the first “AI Native LMS add-on” integrated with popular LMS systems, spanning both instructor and student facing Generative AI tools, will be offered in an Essentials Version – free of charge to all state and community colleges in the US.

MathGPT is the first agent based, accuracy-driven Gen AI teacher assistant and tutor for any Math classroom

“Too many schools can’t afford AI,” said Peter Relan, Chairman of, and investor in GotIt! Education. “With MathGPT now free, schools can try AI-based tutors — but without a hit on already tight budgets.  Our free MathGPT Essentials program also enables schools to switch from poorly functioning AI tutors that are actually slowing adoption of AI technology in education.”

MathGPT Essentials includes: 1. Course Management – the ability to create customized courses by uploading a set of educational content which will automatically get incorporated; 2. Assignment/Grading Management – automatic creation and grading of assignments; and 3. Grounded AI Tutor – an accurate, personalized, infinitely patient, AI tutor with student input evaluation/correction for each step.

Key Math subjects supported are Algebra, College Algebra, Precalculus, Calculus and Statistics. While MathGPT leverages OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo language model, several technological innovations were delivered to deliver high accuracy at such a low cost that Math tutoring will become free for every college student. Learn more at www.mathgpt.ai/any-content

Pilots in dozens of classrooms in the US show instructors in all key Math subjects use reliably accurate and guardrailed AI platform seamlessly, with high student engagement.

During the 2024 winter term, 30 college classrooms across the US, and even a few high school classrooms, adopted MathGPT – and in the time period before spring break, students had already completed over 10,000 AI tutoring sessions totaling over 150,000 minutes of AI driven tutoring help. In all these sessions, MathGPT did not provide students with an answer directly, it did step by step tutoring including asking for and evaluating student attempts at each step accurately, with no mistakes, and did not go off topic in the chatbot conversations.

“We started offering MathGPT Essentials, using proprietary techniques for assuring accuracy, to classrooms using free OpenStax Math textbooks in order to lower the total cost of a high quality college Math education. Now, due to our recent technological breakthroughs, we can offer MathGPT Essentials to all college level Math classrooms, not just those using OpenStax textbooks, with high accuracy achieved through dynamic guardrailing and grounding on any Math course content uploaded into MathGPT. This was always the promise of AI, but our live pilots have clearly shown us that our focus on accuracy and guardrailing has created the required level of trust with instructors and students. This has resulted in high engagement, but MathGPT pulls it off at such a low cost structure that we decided to offer the Essentials version for free,” added Relan.

Unlike other generative AI tools that rely on AI language models and their APIs to perform mathematical reasoning, input evaluation and calculations – sometimes incorrectly, MathGPT’s AI tutor, MG (pronounced “EmGee”), takes a fundamentally different approach and utilizes grounding techniques, data annotation techniques, knowledge graph blending with LLMs, and Agentic AI to deliver human level accuracy in Math education & tutoring workflows. Learn more at www.mathgpt.ai/any-content

“I’ve been at GotIt! since I finished my PhD in Machine Learning, and we’ve been collecting AI training data for several years by enabling millions of short, conversational micro-tutoring chat sessions between underprivileged STEM students and tutors. Finally with Gen AI we are able to turn all this data into MathGPT,” said Hung Tran, Founder of GotIt!. “Khan is great for achievers in K-12, and they use their own Khan Academy content, but MathGPT is for strugglers, and for the actual content being used by instructors in their classrooms in higher education, and for those who care about total accuracy. This is a very important difference, and I really hope we all succeed in improving Math education from K-College, using our respective strengths.”

FREE: MathGPT Essentials (Available Fall 2024)

• Course creation with uploaded PDFs of textbook content* and/or lecture notes.
• Assignment management with creation/grading of assignments unique to each student, plus instructor facing analytics.
• Personalized AI Tutoring on all course content including reading material, example problems.

$25/Student/Course: MathGPT Advanced  (Fall 2024)
Includes MathGPT Essentials Plus

• Personalized AI Tutoring for all assignment problems, without ever providing answers. Step by step student input evaluation, not just step by step explanations.
• Built in Remedial Algebra course content and tutoring for strugglers.

Learn more at www.mathgpt.ai/any-content

“Our mission is to enable colleges to attract more students, with courses marked as ‘MathGPT powered’, bringing colleges more students, and giving instructors more help with an AI TA for each course and students more chance of success in their careers.  Math is a fundamental gateway subject for pre-med, nursing, actuarial sciences, business, psychology, sociology and other majors, not just engineering”, said Matt Gabler, GM of MathGPT.ai.

Colleges and classrooms for Fall 2024 will be onboarded first-come-first served to verify content compatibility with MathGPT. Interested instructors, college administrators, department heads can contact GotIt! at www.mathgpt.ai/any-content and submit their course type, content source/textbook number of classrooms, and number of students for MathGPT Essentials or Advanced versions.

*GotIt! Education is not the provider of content for MathGPT.ai. Course content, including textbooks, should only be offered through MathGPT by the teaching institution based on their agreements with content publishers/owners, and/or with their ability to use AI for transformational teaching purposes.

Press Contact:
Peter Brooks
415-425-4225
Brooks@youwebinc.com

DURHAM, NC, April 10, 2024 — Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), a premier research and workforce development consortium, is announcing the start of solicitation season with $13.8 million in funding opportunities. Calls for research will begin in early April and will run through June. Research programs releasing solicitations include Nanomanufacturing Materials and Processes (Apr 10); Packaging + Center for Heterogenous Integration Research in Packaging (Apr 10); Hardware Security (May 7); Computer-Aided Design and Test (May 7); and Environment, Safety, and Health (May 7). Details and submission information will be available at https://src.secure-platform.com/a/page/GetFunded beginning April 10, 2024.

Research ideas selected for 3-year projects should align with the Microelectronics and Advanced Packaging Technologies (MAPT) Roadmap. Building upon the 2030 Decadal Plan for Semiconductors, the MAPT Roadmap serves as a guiding light for initiatives such as the National Semiconductor Technology Center, the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program, and SMART USA Institute, the industry-led CHIPS Manufacturing USA Institute bid. Both the Decadal Plan and the MAPT Roadmap are the results of collaboration between hundreds of industry and academic experts. By aligning our research call to the MAPT Roadmap, we ensure that selected research proposals address topics of utmost importance to the semiconductor industry.

Along with creating critical, industry-relevant technology, these calls will fund degrees for between 50 to 100 student scholars of diverse ethnicity, gender, and geography. The semiconductor industry is facing a severe talent shortfall in coming years. While SRC programs have prepared 20% of all semiconductor Ph.D. in the United States, we are committed to growing our student base by fostering a balanced mix of bachelors, masters, and Ph.D.-level grads while helping students of all backgrounds to feel comfortable and safe pursuing their chosen career. SRC welcomes submissions from US and international colleges and universities that sponsor bachelor’s degrees to postdocs. SRC members include global leaders in the semiconductor industry who are committed to investing in revolutionary research, a more diverse and inclusive community, and a long-term, worldwide outlook for sustainability. Learn more at https://src.secure-platform.com/a/page/GetFunded.

About SRC

Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC.org), a world-renowned, high technology-based consortium, serves as a crossroads of collaboration between technology companies, academia, government agencies, and SRC’s highly regarded engineers and scientists. Through its interdisciplinary research programs, SRC plays an indispensable role in addressing global challenges, using research and development strategies, and advanced tools and technologies. Members of SRC work synergistically together, gain access to research results, fundamental IP, and highly experienced students to compete in the global marketplace and build the workforce of tomorrow.

Media Contact

Jennifer Dickens
jennifer.dickens@src.org

Scholarship program will award $5,000 to twelve students pursuing degrees in Business, Economics and STEM

BOSTON, MA (March 22, 2024) – Charles River Associates (CRA), a leading provider of economic, financial and management consulting services, this week announced the opening of the 2024-25 CRA All-Access Scholarship. CRA will award $5,000 scholarships to twelve students for their junior year in the United States or final year in the United Kingdom.

Part of the company’s All-Access Initiative – which champions the importance of higher education, particularly within traditionally underserved communities – the All-Access Scholarship Program is a talent development pipeline program that seeks to support female students and students from socioeconomically-challenging backgrounds pursuing degrees in Business, Economics, or STEM fields. Originally launched in 2023 for U.S.-based applicants only, the program marks its second year with an expansion to the UK through CRA’s partnership with SEO London.

“This expansion represents a significant step forward in our journey towards fostering inclusion and empowerment,” said Raquel Tamez, CRA’s Chief Inclusion and Engagement Officer. “By investing in the potential of these future leaders, we are not only creating opportunities for individual growth but also driving positive change on a broader scale.”

“To all applicants for this year’s round of scholarships, I encourage you to seize this opportunity and submit your applications. Your determination and drive are the cornerstones of our program’s success, and we look forward to welcoming the next cohort of inspiring scholars,” said Tamez. “Together, let us continue to champion the values of inclusion and empowerment as we work towards a brighter and more inclusive future for all.”

Applicants in the United States must be current, full-time college sophomores attending an accredited college/university and majoring in Business, Economics, or STEM with an overall GPA of 3.5. Ideal candidates will have a record of leadership and community service, exhibit financial need, and demonstrate a commitment to inclusion and empowerment.

The deadline to apply for the 2024-25 CRA All-Access Scholarship is April 22, 2024. For more information and to begin the application process, visit crai.com/cra-all-access-scholarship.

This program is administered by International Scholarship and Tuition Services Inc., an independent company that specializes in managing sponsored educational assistance programs.

About Charles River Associates (CRA)

Charles River Associates® is a leading global consulting firm specializing in economic, financial, and management consulting services. CRA advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings, and guides corporations through critical business strategy and performance-related issues. Since 1965, clients have engaged CRA for its unique combination of functional expertise and industry knowledge, and for its objective solutions to complex problems. Headquartered in Boston, CRA has offices throughout the world. Detailed information about Charles River Associates, a registered trade name of CRA International, Inc., is available at www.crai.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.

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Media Contact

Carissa (Miller) Willcoxon
Director of Marketing | ISTS
cwillcoxon@applyISTS.com
(615) 777-3735

–Festival Begins March 29 at 100 AMC Movie Theatres with tickets on sale now–

Logo and Stills Available HERE

Los Angeles, Calif. – March 20, 2024 – Blumhouse, the driving force in horror, and AMC Theatres (NYSE: AMC) are celebrating Halloween early with the first-ever Halfway to Halloween Film Festival. The five-day festival kicks off Friday, March 29 in over 40 cities and 100 AMC movie theaters across the U.S., and features five different repertory films – anchored by the 13th anniversary of Insidious April 1, nearly halfway to Halloween. Insidious marked the first collaboration between the now-merged Blumhouse and Atomic Monster.

Festival-goers can catch their favorite Blumhouse films on the big screen, with tickets priced at just $8 per film. Plus, they’ll have the chance to win giveaways, get sneak peeks and see exclusive recorded messages from directors and talent from the films. Tickets are on sale now on AMCTheatres.com and within the AMC Mobile App for the following films:

Friday, March 29 – Sinister
Saturday, March 30 – The Purge
Sunday, March 31 – Ouija: Origin of Evil
Monday, April 1 – Insidious (13th year anniversary of the movie’s opening)
Tuesday, April 2 - The Invisible Man

“We wanted to celebrate local communities of horror fans throughout the country with a fun, affordable and slightly evil night at the movies. We’re grateful to our partners at AMC for helping us bring this idea to life,” said Jason Blum, Founder and CEO, Blumhouse.

“Blumhouse films terrify and delight horror fans. We are excited to bring these favorites back to the big screen,” said Elizabeth Frank, EVP Worldwide Programming and Chief Content Officer, AMC Theatres.

The full list of cities includes: Atlanta (GA), Baltimore (MD), Boston (MA), Charlotte (NC), Chattanooga (TN), Chicago (IL), Cincinnati (OH), Columbus (OH), Dallas (TX), Denver (CO), Detroit (MI), Harlingen (TX), Hartford (CT), Houston (TX), Indianapolis (IN), Jacksonville (FL), Kansas City (MO), Las Vegas (NV), Los Angeles (CA), Miami (FL), Minneapolis (MN), Mobile (AL), New Haven (CT), New Orleans (LA), New York (NY), Norfolk (VA), Orlando (FL), Philadelphia (PA), Phoenix (AZ), Pittsburgh (PA), Rockford (IL), San Diego (CA), San Francisco (CA), Seattle (WA), Spokane (WA), Tallahassee (FL), Tampa (FL), Tucson (AZ), Tulsa (OK), Washington, D.C., Wichita (KS).

Learn more about the first-ever Halfway to Halloween Film Festival here: www.amctheatres.com/events/halfway-to-halloween

About Blumhouse

Blumhouse is a multimedia company regarded as the driving force in horror. The company has produced over 200 movies and television series with theatrical grosses of almost $6 billion in worldwide box office. In film, the company has produced iconic, genre, film franchises like Halloween, The Purge, and prolific films like the box-office juggernaut Five Nights at Freddy’s, M3GAN, Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman; Get Out from Jordan Peele, among several others. The television company operates in genre and provocative programming through acclaimed scripted and unscripted series and documentaries, such as the upcoming original series The Sticky, produced by Jamie Lee Curtis for Amazon; The Thing About Pam for NBC; Worst Roommate Ever for Netflix; The Jinx for HBO. The company also recently launched a games division. In October 2023, Blumhouse was honored by Fast Company in its third annual Brands That Matter list.

About AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.

AMC is the largest movie exhibition company in the United States, the largest in Europe and the largest throughout the world with approximately 900 theatres and 10,000 screens across the globe. AMC has propelled innovation in the exhibition industry by: deploying its Signature power-recliner seats; delivering enhanced food and beverage choices; generating greater guest engagement through its loyalty and subscription programs, website, and mobile apps; offering premium large format experiences and playing a wide variety of content including the latest Hollywood releases and independent programming. In addition, in 2023 AMC launched AMC Theatres Distribution with the highly successful releases of TAYLOR SWIFT | THE ERAS TOUR and RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ. AMC Theatres Distribution expects to release more concert films with the world’s leading musical artists in the years ahead. For more information, visit www.amctheatres.com.

Source: AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.

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Media Contact

Cynthia Arntzen
cynthia.arntzen@blumhouse.com

NEW YORK, New York -  As Congress reconvened on Antisemitism at Post-Secondary Institutions  and Anti-Defamation League (ADL) hosts their “Never Again is Now” summit next week to confront the troubling rise of antisemitism overall and specifically on college campuses, including violent protests, and heart wrenching testimony yesterday, The Heart Monitors – a strategy and insights consultancy – believes it’s imperative to acknowledge the “why,” the feelings behind the facts and the realities truly faced by Generation Z (Gen Z). The Heart Monitors found that 70% of Gen Z feels apart from other generations and not heard.

The Heart Monitors was born in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Israel/Hamas attacks, which revealed the strong feelings, perspectives and larger social debate of the Gen Z generation. Co-founded by marketing and brand strategy industry pioneers Jon Bond and Robin Lemberg -  both parents to Gen Z aged children  – The Heart Monitors was created to better listen, understand and connect with the powerful feelings of Gen Z in the Hamas/Israeli conflict from all perspectives: Gen Z overall, Gen Z Muslims, Gen Z Jews, and what they term the Middle. Bond and Lemberg believe that exposing, and quantifying different facts and the  feelings behind them are the new currency to change minds and behaviors.

“Feelings are the new currency in an ‘Emotion economy’. Facts alone cannot combat feelings,” said Robin Lemberg, co-founder, The Heart Monitors. “In a world of truth decay and misinformation,  we are in the Emotion Economy where feelings are the new contemporary currency that drives identification, adherence to a message, powerful narratives and ultimately behavior change. There are twenty core emotions and thousands of feelings. Feelings shift hearts to change behaviors and incite action — facts do not.”

Since January 1, 2024, The Heart Monitors has fielded over 300 short quantitative surveys supplemented by qualitative research conducted through a nationally representative panel of U.S. teens/adults. Research was conducted among Gen Z (ages 16-26), with results compared to the general population 16-plus (U.S., national), and then among separate samples of relevant sub-segments of Gen Z (self-identified Jews, Muslims and other, along with LGBTQ+ identifying Gen Zers when relevant). The key to the methodology is quick and timely reads on the most meaningful headlines, and related  pop culture events as they appear. This quick take on the “pulse” of GenZ is coupled with a bold approach: asking the questions that no one asks, so it is possible to derive the insights no one else is seeing, even when the answers might be hard to hear. And when confronted with a meaningful statistic, The Heart Monitors drills down further, to get to the raw feelings behind the facts and then uses a battery of feelings behind them.

From these research pulses, The Heart Monitors has revealed statistics and insights which indicate a disconnect between the perceptions of Gen Z and the general population around  the realities of antisemitism, perceptions of antisemitism, Hamas vs the IDF as well as  the actions of Israel and the beliefs of American Jews , the feelings of Gen Z Jews and Gen Z Muslims. The Heart Monitors has examined the events at Harvard as a microcosm of college campuses across the country,  quantified what is free speech or hate speech, their reactions to slogans, messaging and creative ideas circulating on social media and compared them to the General Population.

Just yesterday, The Heart Monitors found that only 50% of Gen Z identified the cartoons released by Harvard Professors as Antisemitic. Additionally, the majority of Gen Z does not view the Antisemitic cartoons as a form of hate speech (50%). Instead, as we know they argue for their right to free speech, even in educational settings. Moreover, the story of Dr. Claudine Gay’s resignation was viewed as an influence of “rich Jewish donors” (60% agreement)  and less  her failure to address antisemitism and accusations of plagiarism, and that 46% of Gen Z believes that Jews should be considered a minority group with all others in the context of DEI, yet accusations of quotas at Harvard, Penn and other institutions of higher education speaks to the complexities at play.

Earlier Gen Z insights from The Heart Monitors from January 2024 through February 2024 show that only 32% of Gen Z believe the Holocaust is relevant today, 25% of Gen Z believe that both Hamas and IDF are terrorist organizations, and 50% of Gen Z agree the slogan “Free Palestine” inspires them to take action or support the cause. Gen Z feelings range from numb/indifferent, curious and confused, shocked, and suspicious, depending on the topic and inspired, sympathetic, sad, joyful, happy to creative messages and ads. “Never Again is Now” is a Jewish call to action, but alienating to others as the Holocaust is seen as history in the face of modern day genocide.

“To Gen Z, Anti-Semitism is a gray area at best. Viewing this through a brand marketing lens, Israel is losing the propaganda war with Gen Z.,” said Jon Bond, co-founder, The Heart Monitors. “‘Free Palestine’ is arguably the best marketing campaign of the 21st century. It was a simple, powerful, unified message from a well orchestrated playbook. Gen Z responded, and Israel lost the hearts of Gen Z. In less than 5 months, the pro-Palestinian effort has flipped the script so that Israel is no longer ‘the underdog’ — they have become David, and Israel is now big, bad Goliath. What are the long term implications of this? We need to truly listen to Gen Z to understand more.”

To donate  your voice to your favorite non-profit and provide your perspective around this conflict to incite change please visit theheartmonitors.com. The Heart Monitors will be launching online forums for discussion and healthy debate.

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The Heart Monitors is a new type of strategy consultancy that exposes the feelings behind the facts™ that offer deep insights and drive behavior change. Made up of passionate leaders from the worlds of marketing, finance, non-profits, research and social science, The Heart Monitors bring a proprietary research tech stack, custom communities, daring questions, quick and timely reads and with products and services such as the “F Factor” and the “Gen Z Heart Tracker.” We empower non-profits, brands and their partners with powerful audience insights around messages, campaigns, topical and polarizing issues in order to craft a story that resonates, drives behavior and influences change. For more information, visit theheartmonitors.com.

Media Contacts: 

The Heart Monitors
Haley Steinhauser
haley@theheartmonitors.com
Ph: 562-991-3170

RocketshipPR
Warren Cohn
Warren@rocketshipPR.com
Ph: 917-7967463

The leading digital financial services company is inviting marketing students across the United States to create an effective integrated brand campaign

Effie United States (part of Effie Worldwide), a nonprofit that champions marketing effectiveness, announced that its 2024 Effie Collegiate program will be in collaboration with Ally. Modeled after the Effie Awards, the Effie Collegiate program engages marketing students to research, ideate, and develop comprehensive marketing plans to address real world business challenges.

For the Spring 2024 semester, college students across the country will be challenged by Ally and Effie to build Ally brand awareness, consumer advocacy, and consideration through a disruptive, integrated marketing campaign. Participating student teams will be briefed with a target audience, budget, and marketing challenge and have through April 3, 2024 to submit their projects.

All entries will be reviewed by a jury of marketers from across the Effie network, representing agencies, brands and media. The final teams will be invited to pitch their ideas to Ally’s Marketing team in late Spring 2024.

Ally is continuing its relationship with the Effies, following a successful Collegiate competition last year.  The Spring 2023 Brand Challenge winner was from Loyola Marymount University.

“The ideas presented by last year’s Effie Collegiate participants were innovative and truly brought to life the idea that we are all better off with an ally,” said Andrea Brimmer, Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer at Ally. “We look forward to seeing more work that elevates our approach of challenging the status quo in financial marketing while engaging consumers where they are on their financial journeys.”

“I am so pleased to be kicking off another Collegiate Brand Challenge with our friends at Ally,” said Traci Alford, Global CEO, Effie Worldwide. “The Effie Collegiate competition offers students an unmatched opportunity to solve a real business challenge. Ally’s brief helps take the marketing theories learned at university and put them into practice. All underpinned by Effie’s framework for effectiveness. As always, I wish all students the best of success in this year’s program and look forward to seeing the results.”

Call for Entries for the Effie Collegiate US x Ally Brand Challenge is open now. The Challenge is open to students enrolled in full/part-time graduate, undergraduate and portfolio programs at accredited educational institutions.

For more information about the Effie Collegiate US competition, click here: https://marketing.effie.org/effiecollegiate_overview

About Effie Worldwide

Effie is a global 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to lead and evolve the forum for marketing effectiveness. Effie leads, inspires and champions the practice and practitioners of marketing effectiveness through education, awards, ever-evolving initiatives and first-class insights into marketing strategies that produce results. The organization recognizes the most effective brands, marketers and agencies, globally, regionally and locally through its 50+ award programs across the world and through its coveted effectiveness rankings, the Effie Index. Since 1968, Effie is known as a global symbol of achievement, while serving as a resource to steer the future of marketing success. For more details, visit effie.org.

About Ally Financial

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a financial services company with the nation’s largest all-digital bank and an industry-leading auto financing business, driven by a mission to “Do It Right” and be a relentless ally for customers and communities. The company serves more than 11 million customers through a full range of online banking services (including deposits, mortgage, point-of-sale personal lending, and credit card products) and securities brokerage and investment advisory services. The company also includes a robust corporate finance business that offers capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies, as well as auto financing and insurance offerings. For more information, please visit www.ally.com and follow @allyfinancial.

For more information and disclosures about Ally, visit https://www.ally.com/#disclosures.

For further images and news on Ally, please visit http://media.ally.com.

February 13, 2024

The U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce 170 higher education institutions in 37 states and the District of Columbia have received the designation of Fulbright Top Producing Institution for having the highest number of candidates selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student and Fulbright U.S. Scholar Programs.

Fulbright Top Producing Institutions are grouped by Carnegie Classification, and represent the range of institutions engaging with the Fulbright Program and ensuring its broad impact on American communities across the country.

Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, commended the honorees: “Fulbright’s 2023-24 Top Producing Institutions represent the diversity of America’s higher education community. Dedicated administrators, faculty, and advisors support students and scholars to fulfill their potential and rise to address tomorrow’s global challenges through the Fulbright Program. We congratulate them, and all the Fulbrighters who are making a positive impact across the world.”

The institutions with the highest number of U.S. Scholars within their classification were California State Polytechnic University, Kirkwood Community College (Iowa), Middlebury College (Vermont), the Pennsylvania State University, Salem State University (Massachusetts), and Western Washington University. Oregon Health & Science University, and Chief Dull Knife College (Montana) were also recognized as top producers among special focus institutions and tribal colleges, respectively. Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals who teach or conduct research in affiliation with institutes abroad.

The institutions with the highest number of U.S. Students within their classification were Bowdoin College (Maine), Georgetown University (District of Columbia), the University of North Georgia, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Illinois).  Fulbright U.S. Students are recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals who participate in study/research exchanges or serve as English teaching assistants in local schools abroad.

Twelve institutions had the distinction of being a top producer of both Fulbright U.S. Students and U.S. Scholars: Arizona State University, Bowdoin College (Maine), the George Washington University (District of Columbia), Middlebury College (Vermont), North Carolina State University at Raleigh, Reed College (Oregon), Rollins College (Florida), School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Illinois), the University of Alabama, University of Maryland – College Park, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and University of Southern California.

For more information and stories about the Fulbright Top Producing Institutions, and to view the full list of institutions, visit the Fulbright Top Producing Institutions website.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges.

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support.

Interested media should contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at eca-press@state.gov.

The nonprofit will distribute over half a million dollars in scholarships, tuition waivers, and grants—funding the education of future restaurant industry leaders

NEW YORK – The James Beard Foundation® (JBF) announced today that applications for its 2024 Scholarship Program are now open. The Scholarship Program—an annual initiative aimed at supporting aspiring culinary students, future restaurateurs, beverage professionals, and more—will offer more than $500,000 to recipients this year.

With the independent restaurant industry at its most stable since before the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a renewed interest and excitement in the culinary arts among young professionals, resulting in nearly a 10% increase in enrollment in 2-year culinary programs between 2022 and 2023. The JBF Scholarship Program supports the life cycle of a culinary career, providing financial assistance to both emerging and established culinary talent looking to further their education at a licensed or accredited culinary school, hospitality institution, college, or university. As of 2024, JBF will have awarded nearly $10 million in financial aid to over 2,000 recipients, thanks in part to a new offering from HexClad and existing partnerships.

“The mission of the James Beard Foundation is to celebrate and support the people behind America’s food culture, while creating a future where all have the opportunity to thrive,” said Dr. Anne E. McBride, Vice President of Programs, James Beard Foundation. “As the country’s leading culinary nonprofit supporting independent restaurants, we are proud that our Scholarship Program offers this foundational support for aspiring culinary professionals at the very start of their careers.”

Scholarship award amounts range from $5,000 to $20,000, and eligibility requirements vary by opportunity. Applicants, generally, must be enrolled or planning to enroll in a program at a licensed or accredited culinary school, hospitality institution, college, or university in Fall 2024. International students may also qualify for many of the scholarships and are encouraged to apply. Previous recipients are also eligible to apply again, and interested applicants are eligible to apply for more than one scholarship. There is no application fee required.

This year, JBF will offer three basic types of scholarship awards in the categories of Culinary and Pastry Arts, Wine Studies, and Food Systems. The types of awards are:

• Scholarships: Cash grants applied to tuition and, on a case-by-case basis, other school-related expenses
• Tuition Waivers: Tuition waivers granted by educational institutions, which are renewable in some cases
• Work Study Grants: Grants for working culinary professionals that cover expenses from programs offering experiential learning at farms, fisheries, wineries, and other venues of food production, under the auspices of the Jean-Louis Palladin Professional Work/Study Grant

Below is a selection of the scholarships JBF will be offering for the 2024 year:

• The Debbie Lewis Women in Wine Scholarship: The Debbie Lewis Women in Wine Scholarship honors the life of vintner Debbie Lewis. Debbie had a lifelong passion for mastering the business of wine and set an inspiring example of dedication and hard work to all those around her. Students who are women over the age of 21 who reside in the U.S. and are planning to enroll or are currently enrolled in a beverage, wine studies, hospitality management, master sommelier, or culinary program at an accredited culinary school, hospitality institution, college, or university will qualify. Up to one [1] scholarship of $5,000 will be granted.
• HexClad Culinary Scholarship: The HexClad Culinary Scholarship is open to women and BIPOC individuals who reside in the United States and are accepted into or enrolled in an accredited Culinary program. Up to 2 scholarship(s) of $12,500 each will be granted. Please note that there are promotional opportunities associated with this scholarship.
• The JBF Visit San Antonio Culinaria Scholarship Fund: The JBF Visit San Antonio Culinaria Scholarship Fund, funded by the Tasting Texas Wine + Food Festival, is open to women and BIPOC individuals who reside in the state of Texas and are pursuing a degree at an accredited institution in culinary, pastry, restaurant management, or wine studies. Up to six [6] scholarships of $10,000 will be granted.
• The JBF National Scholars Scholarship: The JBF National Scholars Program, which launched in 2016, provides ten [10] high-impact scholarships of $20,000 each to food-focused candidates of exceptional talent. Candidates for the 10 National Scholarships are selected according to academic merit, personal and professional recommendations, and demonstration of the potential for leadership roles in culinary arts, food studies, agriculture, hospitality management, and related fields. To ensure regional diversity of this national program, one [1] awardee will be selected from each of the 10 geographic regions defined by the JBF Awards.

The Scholarship Program is administered by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. (ISTS), an independent company that specializes in managing sponsored educational assistance programs. ISTS hosts the online application process, vets the initial candidates for eligibility, and disburses awards to recipients on the Foundation’s behalf. The JBF Scholarship Selection Committee reviews the semifinalists and approximately 40 recipients are selected. The deadline to apply is April 5, 2024.

For more information about the program and to apply, visit jamesbeard.org/scholarships.

About the James Beard Foundation

The James Beard Foundation (JBF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that celebrates and supports the people behind America’s food culture, while pushing for new standards in the restaurant industry to create a future where all have the opportunity to thrive. Established over 30 years ago, the Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives and is committed to supporting a resilient and flourishing industry that honors its diverse communities. By amplifying new voices, celebrating those leading the way, and supporting those on the path to do so, the Foundation is working to create a more equitable and sustainable future—what we call Good Food for Good®. JBF brings its mission to life through the annual Awards, industry and community-focused programs, advocacy, partnerships, and events across the country. Coming soon, for the first time in the Foundation’s history, exceptional culinary talent, industry leaders, and visitors from NYC and beyond can experience unforgettable dining and educational programming at Pier 57—inspiring food and beverage devotees for decades to come. Learn more at jamesbeard.org, sign up for our newsletter, and follow @beardfoundation on social media.

About James Beard Foundation Programs

The James Beard Foundation’s Programs help the independent restaurant industry reach new standards around equity, sustainability, and workplace practices to ensure that all involved in its supply chain can thrive. We look to turn independent restaurant jobs into long and healthy independent restaurant careers; to expand who has access to leadership, visibility, financial stability, and capital; and to use the power of chefs for climate change mitigation and other issues that touch our food system. Our mission comes to life through training programs, policy advocacy, and harnessing the agency of chefs for change.