Dive Brief:

• Rasmussen College opened the doors to a new high tech learning center for high school students, college students and members of the Chicago community Tuesday to help bridge the digital divide in the city.
• The facility's aim is to both increase the number of high school students taking advantage of dual-enrollment programs and serve adult learners furthering their education, Campus Technology reports. 
• The center expands upon a partnership between Rasmussen and nonprofit Academy for Urban School Leadership, which currently operates over 30 schools in the Chicago Public School System.

Dive Insight:

Initiatives like this one and the one recently announced by Howard University are important in large metropolitan areas where broadband access may serve as a hindrance to students trying to complete assignments. The collaboration between Rasmussen and the Academy for Urban School Leadership to expand the reach to high school students is not only the right thing to do, but it helps affirm the value-add of the regionally-accredited institution in the city of Chicago, and could be instrumental in helping to propel Mayor Rahm Emanuel's college-attainment goals.

If more students in the city are encouraged towards dual-enrollment programs, it not only puts college attendance on their radar, it brings the graduation goal within reach. And Rasmussen is cultivating a pool of students from which to potentially recruit who are already familiar with the institution.