Discover, Chicago State University Partner to Offer Fully Funded Undergraduate Degree Program to Chicago Employees

By: Discover Financial Services via Business Wire

April 01, 2022 at 08:03 AM EDT

Innovative Partnership Increases Access to Education, Accelerates Pathways into Careers

Discover will expand its fully paid education benefit program to the city of Chicago through a partnership with Chicago State University (CSU). Both Discover employees living in Chicago who enroll at CSU and current CSU students who work full-time at Discover will be eligible to participate. The partnership will allow students to not only finance their education but will offer professional development opportunities to help them advance their careers.

The Discover College Commitment invites every eligible Discover employee to pursue a fully paid for college education at select schools. CSU is the first Chicago-based institution in the Discover College Commitment and the first education partner to offer in-person learning. While the CSU program is available to all eligible Discover employees, the program was designed specifically to support employees working in Chicago, especially those in Discover’s Chatham Customer Care Center on Chicago’s South Side.

“We are continuing to invest in our dedicated workforce through the Discover College Commitment,” said Roger Hochschild, CEO and President of Discover. “Our education program is designed to help our employees pursue their careers while getting a degree. We’re excited to be partnering with Chicago State to not only give our Chatham employees an opportunity to pursue a fully paid college education, but also give current CSU students the opportunity to jumpstart their careers at Discover and have their college education paid for.”

“The Chicago State University-Discover College Commitment partnership provides current and future students with the opportunity to receive a fully-funded, world-class education close to home,” said Zaldwaynaka Scott, Esq., President of Chicago State University. “Through this partnership, our organizations are creating a meaningful pathway to a college degree and a professional career.”

The Discover College Commitment benefit covers tuition and required fees, books and supplies needed to complete select bachelor’s degrees at Wilmington University, University of Massachusetts Global, Paul Quinn College, and the University of Arizona. The addition of CSU will be Discover’s first on-campus offering. The benefit starts from the first day of employment, so all eligible U.S.-based employees can start participating as soon as they want, regardless of how long they have been with the company.

In June 2021, Discover opened its Chatham Customer Care Center, with plans to bring 1,000 jobs to the South Side of Chicago by the end of 2024. More than 250 employees currently work at the Center, whose full construction will finish this summer. The workspace will also include the Shine Bright^®Community Center, a state-of-the-art multi-purpose space that will be available for use by community-based organizations and other entities.

Discover’s partnership with CSU represents its commitment to Chatham and the ongoing economic transformation of the 95^thStreet corridor. The Customer Care Center, located at the corner of 87^th& Cottage Grove, is within a quarter mile of Metra’s Electric Line station at 87^thStreet, which also serves CSU at 95^thStreet; the Chicago Transit Authority’s Cottage Grove #4 bus runs between Discover and CSU. All together, these public transit options make career and education opportunities more accessible to CSU students, Discover employees, and the community.

Discover’s partnership with CSU gives them the opportunity to recruit highly- skilled talent. Beyond recruiting, Discover has sponsored student scholarships as part of CSU’s State of the University events as their Presidential Lecture Series.

Discover plans to host multiple info sessions on CSU’s campus in April for students interested in working at their Chatham Customer Care Center.

Additional educational and training benefits that Discover provides its employees include:

Partially funded education options, including Tuition Assistance and Tuition Reimbursement through the Shine Brighter U program.
An internal professional development program that offers hundreds of courses on everything from communication and decision-making to agile software development.
A world-class, in-house technology curriculum known as the Discover Technology Academy, cultivates continuous skill development, collaborative learning, and innovation in the company’s engineering culture.

For more information about the Discover College Commitment program, including eligibility requirements, please visit jobs.discover.com/education.

About Discover

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a digital banking and payment services company with one of the most trusted brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its banking business. It operates the Discover Global Network comprised of Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance around the world. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.

About Chicago State University

CSU, founded in 1867, is the oldest public university in the Chicago Metropolitan area. The University’s five colleges offer over 70 undergraduate and graduate degree-granting and non-degree programs. CSU is committed to equity in education, serving as the only U.S. Department of Education-designated four-year Predominantly Black Institution in Illinois and ranked by a Harvard economist in the top 4% of public and private universities nationwide in supporting our graduates’ economic mobility. The University serves as a prominent civic space on the greater South Side of Chicago by hosting a multitude of athletic, educational, cultural, and recreational activities. The University is located near public transit that provides convenient access to the campus. For more information, visit www.csu.edu.