CHESTER, Pa., April 26, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- GradSchools.com, a comprehensive online directory of graduate school information, has agreed to take over GRADPortal, a web-based information and referral service designed to enhance minority students' access to graduate education.
The University of South Carolina, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the National Research Council (NRC), and the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) launched this initiative with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE) in the hopes of creating a service that will help minorities find the schools and funding they need to receive a graduate degree. The website was demoed at last year's CGS conference, and many advisors have been waiting for its arrival.
GradSchools.com will take over the GRADPortal website on June 30, 2005 in an effort to propel the initiative forward and develop a business model to support the endeavor. GRADPortal will still have input from the original grant contributors and an independent advisory board is being formed to provide guidance in the continued development of the website.
"We are so excited and honored to be able to help this project move forward," says Mark Shay, president and CEO of Educational Directories Unlimited, the company behind GradSchools.com. "GRADPortal not only refines features of existing services, but it offers unique attributes that no other non-profit, federal, or private website provides. In a time when the number of U.S. citizens pursuing a doctoral degree is rapidly declining, we hope this will turn that trend around and open up a world of possibilities to the untapped pool of potentially highly skilled workers from underrepresented groups."
GradSchools.com anticipates that GRADPortal will assist faculty mentors in helping students find their ideal graduate program with the appropriate funding, thus enabling greater numbers of minority students to enroll in graduate programs. It is also ideal for linking minority-serving undergraduate institutions to graduate institutions, and will give those programs seeking to recruit minority students a targeted vehicle to promote their offerings.
"Many minority students do not even realize the financial possibilities available to them. GRADPortal will make this information readily accessible while complementing the services already provided through GradSchools.com," promises Shay. Visit http://www.GradSchools.com/GRADPortal for more information.
GradSchools.com
GradSchools.com is the Internet's leading source of graduate school information. It helps students find their ideal graduate school through a comprehensive directory of colleges and programs organized by subject, school and location. GradSchools.com is a service of Educational Directories Unlimited, Inc. (EDU), a leading Internet company serving higher education. Based in suburban Philadelphia, EDU's steady growth since its inception in 1989 has led to its inclusion in the Philadelphia 100, Inc. Magazine/ICIC Inner City 100 and Inc. 500 lists of fast growing businesses.