Due to the unique program, some Chick-fil-A employees are graduating from college.
Thanks to partnerships between the three entities – independent Chick-Fil-A operators, Point University and FICUS Education – 177 Chick-Fil-A employees were able to graduate this year while working at locations across the country.
More than 70 Chick-Fil-A employees attended the recent graduation ceremony of Point University, a private Christian institution in Georgia.
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More than a dozen Chick-fil-A operators attended the meeting.
Doug Danowski, president of education at FICUS, Georgia, told Fox News that it all started with the vision of an operator and a university in 2023: giving his team the opportunity to earn a college degree. ”
Independent Chick-Fil-A operator and its team members graduates take photos of Point University in Georgia. Chick-Fil-A employees graduated without debt due to a partnership between operator Point University and Ficus Education. (FICUS Education)
“This decision sparked a movement.”
FICUS Education employer-sponsored partnership allows independently operated Chick-Fil-A restaurants to complete their degree online through Point University without paying out-of-pocket fees or canceling student loans.
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"Initially, an operator's desire to invest in his team has grown into a national movement: hundreds of degrees, which is estimated to avoid $11 million in student debt while the real business impact," Danowski said.
Chick-fil-A franchisees have partnered with FICUS Education to help their employees graduate from college without any student debt. (iStock)
Choosing Chick-Fil-A franchisees to pay tuition to employees to induce recruitment and retain workers.
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“This is a partnership built around a question: How do we help operators recruit, develop and retain their staff and strengthen restaurants?” Danowski said.
After this year's graduation ceremony, a Chick-Fil-A operator hugged one of his team members. (FICUS Education)
Danowski said more than 500 independent Chick-Fil-A operators have participated in the program since its inception.
FICUS Education hosted the hotel suite for independent operators, graduates and special guests before the opening ceremony.
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"Through Point (University) and through the partnership with Ficus (Education), we've been able to create this day when Chick-fil-A team members are going to walk across the stage and get their four-year degree or their master's degree, which is going to bring them forward in their careers," André Kennebrew, chair of the board of trustes at Point University and a former Chick-fil-A development program leader, told attendees in remarks shared with Fox News Digital.
André Kennebrew, chairman of the board of directors of Point University, spoke with three members of the Chick-Fil-A team who received their degrees from a private Christian institution in Georgia. (FICUS Education)
Federal education debt is now over $1.6 trillion, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Just as the Federal Office of Student Aid recently announced that it had resumed its collection of defaulted student loans, 177 Chick-Fil-A graduates collectively avoided more than $6 million in debt, according to QSR.
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The program makes it possible for employees to advance in Chick-Fil-A's career, with some dreaming about their own franchise, or going somewhere else, becoming a doctor, attorney or anything else," Kennablu said.
"It's worth continuing," Kennablu said of the plan.
“It’s worth growing.”