Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC), an independently incorporated nonprofit, was established in 1989 as a part of the national Communities In Schools network. The organization is the nation’s largest community-based dropout prevention program with nearly 200 communities serving 1.2 million youth in the United States. For more information about CISNC, call (800) 849-8881 or visit their Web site at www.cisnc.org.

Related Links:
www.cisnc.org
www.youtube.com/user/CISNC
www.flickr.com/photos/cisnc
www.mmimarketing.com

News Facts:
• Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC) has launched a YouTube channel.
• The CISNC YouTube channel currently hosts two videos which focus on the CISNC mission in addition to a WRAL interview featuring Danya Perry, field services specialist at CISNC.
• The YouTube channel is a recent addition to the increasing use of social media applications by the organization, including blogs and podcasts.
• To view the CISNC videos, visit www.youtube.com/user/CISNC.
• Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC), an independently incorporated nonprofit, was established in 1989 as a part of the national Communities In Schools network.
• The organization is the nation’s largest community-based dropout prevention program with nearly 200 communities serving 1.2 million youth in the United States.

Quotes:
“We are pleased to launch the CISNC YouTube channel,” said Harrill. “This is an outstanding outlet and allows us to further spread our mission to help young people successfully learn, stay in school and prepare for life in an interactive way.”

“Hosting the CISNC videos on YouTube is highly beneficial and a great way for anyone to have access to our organization’s mission,” said Mike Stephens, chief operating officer at CISNC. “We are excited to begin this process and look forward to many additions to our channel.”

About Communities In Schools Of North Carolina:
Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC), an independently incorporated nonprofit, was established in 1989 as a part of the national Communities In Schools network. The organization is the nation’s largest community-based dropout prevention program with nearly 200 communities serving 1.2 million youth in the United States. CISNC is overseen by a board of directors that represents both public and private interests for the state. The 39 local CIS affiliates across North Carolina connect existing county-wide resources with students and their families at schools to ensure that youth continue to stay in school, learn necessary skills and are well-prepared to begin working or attend a post-secondary school after graduation.

Busch began his career in education at Axia College of the University of Phoenix. As Marketing Analyst, he oversaw media development and placement decisions for the university’s 190+ local campuses, both nationally and internationally. At the University of Phoenix, Busch held the position of learning products marketing manager. He played a pivotal role in the extending of University of Phoenix resources to over 50,000 virtual high school students, as well as to researchers in China working to support educational opportunities to migrant labors under the auspices of a Ford Foundation grant. Later as learning content project director, Busch directed new content acquisition and development projects, with a focus on stakeholder interaction and adding value to the University of Phoenix business ventures. Among his notable projects was the content digitization of Insight Schools, an online high school.

Busch earned a Bachelor of Arts from Arizona State University in 2000, graduating Cum Laude, followed by a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Phoenix in 2007. He has maintained memberships with the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) and the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). He is currently Adjunct Faculty for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Phoenix.

Additional information on Ryan Busch and the StraighterLine program can be found at www.straighterline.com or by visiting the StraighterLine blog at www.mmimarketing.com/blog/?author=straighterline.

Related Links:
www.smarthinking.com
www.straighterline.com
http://axia.phoenix.edu

Quotes:
“We are pleased to announce Ryan Busch as director of StraighterLine,” said Burck Smith, CEO and co-founder of SMARTHINKING. “His extensive and innovative background in the online education industry makes him a natural fit to lead our newest division.”

About StraighterLine:

StraighterLine provides students with a new online option for obtaining required college credits from accredited colleges and universities. StraighterLine’s affordable courses are the first to include up to 24/7 live, on-demand instruction. StraighterLine offers entry-level college courses including College Algebra, English Composition, Economics 101 and Accounting 101, with many more under development. StraighterLine students may choose to receive credit from StraighterLine’s regionally accredited partner colleges. Student-earned credits may also be transferable to non-partner colleges that recognize StraighterLine’s partner’s courses as equivalent programs. There are no set due dates for StraighterLine courses. Students may start and stop at any point with up to six months of access. For more information, visit www.straighterline.com

The theme for ALT-C 2008 is “Rethinking the Digital Divide.” Keynote speakers for this year’s event are:

David Cavallo, chief learning architect for One Laptop per Child (OLPC)
• Presentation Topic: The New Maths: Multiplying by 1-to-1 to Reduce a Division

Itiel Dror, senior lecturer at the School of Psychology at the University of Southampton (UK).
• Presentation Topic: Learning and Technology: What is It All About?

Hans Rosling, professor of International Health at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
• Presentation Topic: A Fact-Based World View

John Fischer, deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Leeds, and professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
• Speaker Topic: Welcome address to attending delegates on behalf of the University of Leeds

At ALT-C 2008, SMARTHINKING will exhibit its award-winning, live, online tutoring services which are delivered to students 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the subjects of math, writing, science, business, ESOL and Spanish. In 2007, SMARTHINKING was honored with the coveted Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) CODiE Award for Best Instruction Solution for Students at Home. To date, the company has provided more that 1 million tutoring sessions to college students.

For general information or to register for ALT-C 2008, visit www.alt.ac.uk/altc2008. Additional information on SMARTHINKING is available online at www.smarthinking.com.

Related Links:
www.smarthinking.com
www.alt.ac.uk/altc2008
http://burck.blogspot.com
www.straighterline.com

About SMARTHINKING:

SMARTHINKING is the market leader in providing online tutoring and academic support to students. Their services were honored with the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) CODiE award for Best Instruction Solution for Students at Home. Schools, colleges, universities, libraries, government agencies, textbook publishers and other education providers partner with SMARTHINKING to increase student achievement and enhance learning. SMARTHINKING connects students to e-structor®-certified tutors for assistance in math, writing, science and business, up to 24/7, on any Internet connected computer. SMARTHINKING’s corporate office is located in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.smarthinking.com.