Monster(R), the leading global online careers and recruitment resource and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), today announced that Bank of America is extending its primary corporate sponsorship of the Making College Financial Planning Count program, an evening program for parents that offers financial planning advice for college. Making It Count, a business unit of Monster, is an educational service provider for students and parents.
Developed for parents of college-bound students in grades 9-12, Making College Financial Planning Count is a live, free evening seminar that introduces college funding strategy and illustrates the options that can be used to finance a college education. The scope of topics includes an introduction to the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), an overview of the many types of financial aid, and a discussion of how to identify and apply for scholarships. Families who attend will learn how to evaluate their own situation and develop a personal college-financing plan specific to their family's resources and needs.
Last year, Monster and Bank of America joined together to offer more than 500 of these college-financing presentations across the country and plan to expand the program to reach an even more extensive audience for the 2005 - 2006 academic year.
"According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, college fees have risen faster than the overall rate of inflation every year since 1982. What should be an exciting time for both students and parents has become a stressful experience, and we are thrilled with the opportunity to help families break the process down into more manageable steps. Last year's Making College Financial Planning Count program was very successful, and we are delighted that Bank of America has chosen to collaborate with Monster once again to bring this valuable program to parents and students," said JR Cifani, Vice President, General Manager, Making It Count.
"At Bank of America, we strive to help students and their parents achieve their dreams of obtaining a higher education. Making College Financial Planning Count is a powerful way to reach this demographic, and we are excited to continue as the primary corporate sponsor," said Don Mills, Senior Vice President, Student Banking at Bank of America.
Making College Financial Planning Count is one of several Making It Count programs. Other Making It Count programs are designed specifically for students: Making High School Count for high school freshmen, Making Your College Search Count for high school juniors, Making College & Career Count for high school seniors and The Ultimate Road Trip for college freshmen. All Making It Count student programs are designed to educate and empower students to recognize their potential for future success and make the most of their high school and college experiences.
About Monster
Founded in 1967, Monster Worldwide, Inc. is the parent company of Monster(R), the leading global online careers and recruitment resource. The company also owns TMP Worldwide, one of the world's largest Recruitment Advertising agency networks. Headquartered in New York with approximately 4,800 employees in 26 countries, Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ: MNST) is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the NASDAQ-100 Index. More information about Monster Worldwide is available at www.monsterworldwide.com [1].
About Making It Count
Making It Count provides a nationally recognized series of live, in-school presentations that educate and motivate teens to excel in both personal and professional educational endeavors. Delivered by a roster of skilled presenters from a variety of backgrounds, including members of the U.S. Olympic Team, the corporate-sponsored programs reach more than 2.5 million students every year, and are hosted at over 5,000 high schools and 650 colleges nationwide. More information is available at http://www.makingitcount.com [2].
About Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 38 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 5,800 retail banking offices, more than 16,700 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 14 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in 150 countries and has relationships with 97 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 79 percent of the Global Fortune 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Special Note: Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the company's strategic direction, prospects and future results. Certain factors, including factors outside of our control, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements, including economic and other conditions in the markets in which we operate, risks associated with acquisitions, competition, seasonality and the other risks discussed in our Form 10-K and our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.
CONTACT: For Monster Weber Shandwick Worldwide Andy Rohr, 617-520-7030 arohr@webershandwick.com [4] or Bank of America Diane Wagner, 312-828-2932 Diane.wagner@bankofamerica.com [5] SOURCE: Monster