Three San Diego City employees are recognized with tuition scholarships from National University as part of ongoing effort to increase access to educational and professional development opportunities; This year marks the 5-year anniversary of National University’s designation as the City of San Diego’s Preferred Employee Education Program Partner
October 21, 2019—SAN DIEGO—For their proven dedication to achieving their higher education goals, City of San Diego employees Karess Caldwell, Carrie Lindsay, and Glenda Evans have been named 2019 City of San Diego/National University Scholarship recipients. Their collective success as city employees and students at National University represents the spirit of an education-focused collaboration launched in 2015 that expands educational opportunities to city employees through National University’s designation as the City of San Diego’s Preferred Employee Education Program Partner.
The three employees are part of the partnership’s wider effort, coordinated through the National University System (NUS) and its Workforce Education Solutions (WES) Division, through which all City of San Diego employees are offered a tuition scholarship, a portion of which is matched by tuition assistance. The partnership is being renewed for another five years — with the tuition scholarship amount being expanded to 20 percent — to provide continued access to an affordable, quality education for city employees who, in turn, serve and support the wider community.
Through the partnership, city employees can apply for additional competitive scholarships which were awarded today at National University headquarters. Two city employees were recognized with full tuition scholarships to further their education at National University: Caldwell received the City of San Diego/National University Professional Development Scholarship, and Lindsay received a newly created National University Presidential Scholarship. Evans was named the 2019 runner up and will receive a $7,500 scholarship presented jointly by National University and Cal Coast Credit Union.
“National University is proud to have served as the City of San Diego’s Preferred Employee Education Partner for the past five years, and we look forward to many more years in partnership,” said National University President Dr. David Andrews. “I am pleased that we can offer city employees access to a quality education through these scholarship opportunities that recognize their hard work and perseverance while they pursue their degrees.”
Kris Michell, the City of San Diego’s chief operating officer, agreed: “This scholarship empowers our employees to expand their educational opportunities, advance their careers and become even stronger leaders for the City of San Diego. Our team works diligently to serve and support our communities, and we are thankful for National University’s commitment to the City’s most important asset – our workforce. Congratulations to each of the 2019 scholarship award winners.”
While pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at National University, Caldwell—who is the 2019 City of San Diego/National University Professional Development Scholarship winner, works as a word processing operator for the San Diego Police Department’s Crime Laboratory. In this role, she provides training for civilian and sworn personnel, trains new lab employees, and volunteers working in the front office. Caldwell hopes her newly learned skills will help her as she continues her education past graduation at National University at a polygraph school. Her ultimate goal is to become a full-time polygrapher for the SDPD.
“Furthering my education has been a goal of mine for quite some time,” said Karess Caldwell. “This scholarship will allow me to get closer to achieving that goal, while also being able to better serve the San Diego community. And while working full time and going to school is a challenge, the support I have received from National University’s faculty and staff has allowed me to be successful in the pursuit of my degree.”
Carrie Lindsay, the 2019 National University Presidential Scholarship winner, is a zoning investigator in the Development Services Department (DSD). Lindsay is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in public administration at National University. With a decade of public service experience, she has handled a variety of projects, including one that contributed to her division to transition to paperless tracking of requests for investigations. Lindsay believes her degree will allow her to further improve DSD operations, better understand government operations, and eventually move into a managerial role with the City of San Diego.
Glenda Evans—this year’s runner up and National University/Cal Coast Credit Union Scholarship recipient—is a water plant operator in the Public Utilities Department. She has been with the City of San Diego for 20 years and is also currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in public administration at National University. She hopes her bachelor’s degree will help her gain a better understanding of how the public sector operates as it provides services to the community. Eventually, Glenda would like to become a mentor and a source of information for new hires, college students, and anyone who may be interested in a career in the water industry.
“We are very pleased to be collaborating with the City of San Diego to help support a need to expand educational and training opportunities for employees who serve such a critical purpose in the community,” said Chris Graham, president of Workforce Education Solutions at the National University System. “Ensuring access to our lifelong learners contributes to San Diego’s continued development as a place of opportunity and innovation.”
National University has long been an educational leader in California, and about 25 percent of San Diego Unified School District principals are National University alumni as are former San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, now President and CEO of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce; and former San Diego City Councilwoman Marti Emerald. San Diego City Council President Myrtle Cole, who served as the keynote speaker for National University’s 2017 commencement ceremony at Petco Park, is also an alumna of National University.
City of San Diego employees can chose from more than 75 program offerings at National University, which is one of the largest private, nonprofit universities in California, with the chance to pursue their dreams in specialties such business and cybersecurity. City employees interested in taking part in this program can learn more about their options here.
About National University
Founded in 1971, National University is among the largest, private, nonprofit universities in California. With more than 230,000 alumni, National University is dedicated to making lifelong learning opportunities accessible, challenging, and relevant to a diverse population of students through its three Colleges: Sanford College of Education; College of Law and Public Service; and College of Letters and Sciences. Programs are offered both online and at campuses throughout California and Nevada. National University is headquartered in La Jolla, California.
About the National University System
The National University System is a network of accredited nonprofit education institutions serving a diverse population of students including PreK-12 students and working professionals. NUS higher-education institutions serve more than 45,000 students through National University, Northcentral University, City University of Seattle, and John F. Kennedy University. NUS education-focused initiatives include Workforce Education Solutions and the Sanford Programs.