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APLU Launches $1.3M MAPSS Initiative, Selects Mentor Collective to Provide Mentorship Technology at Six Universities

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today announced the launch of the Mentorship for Academic & Personalized Student Success (MAPSS) Initiative, an innovative program funded by a $1.3 million grant from ECMC Foundation. This groundbreaking initiative will support six APLU member universities in developing and implementing sustainable peer mentorship models using technology-enabled solutions from Mentor Collective, a leading provider of student success platforms.

“We are honored to have been selected by APLU to provide the mentorship technology and support for this transformative MAPSS Initiative,” said Mentor Collective’s CEO Erin Mayhood. “As the chosen provider, we are fully committed to empowering these six universities with our cutting-edge mentorship platform and expertise. Through this collaboration, we are not just facilitating connections but equipping these institutions with the data-driven tools and resources to significantly impact student outcomes and address systemic barriers to success. This aligns perfectly with our mission to foster student success through meaningful mentorship.”

The three-year MAPSS Initiative aims to improve peer mentoring to drive student success across APLU member institutions. Mentor Collective will play a crucial role by providing its technology platform, which offers institutions meaningful data to identify and address barriers to student success.

Karen Vignare, Vice President for Digital Transformation for Student Success and Executive Director of the Personalized Learning Consortium at APLU, expressed enthusiasm for the initiative: “We’re thrilled to announce the opportunity for institutions to pilot and refine peer mentoring programs. We know peer mentoring can be a powerful way to help students thrive, and this work will help more institutions more fully leverage peer mentoring to advance student success.”

Jacob Fraire, President of ECMC Foundation, highlighted the importance of mentorship in student success: “Well-designed mentorship programs increase student success by providing essential support, fostering a sense of belonging, and offering resources needed for student success. MAPSS has the potential to address these challenges by developing structured, high-quality mentorship programs using technology-enabled services. We are proud to support this initiative and look forward to the positive impact it may have on our students.”

The MAPSS Initiative offers APLU member institutions the chance to:

Participate in an APLU-led community of practiceBuild institutional capacity for sustainable mentorship programsAccess Mentor Collective’s cutting-edge technology and supportIntegrate data-informed decision-making into overall student success strategiesCollaborate and share best practices with fellow APLU member campuses

Call for Proposals: December 20, 2024 Deadline

APLU member institutions are invited to apply to participate in the project. Applications are due December 20, 2024. For information on how to apply, please click here.

Program Timeline
Application Deadline: December 20, 2024
Program Duration: 2025–2027

APLU members interested in participating can contact APLU staff for detailed application instructions. Join the MAPSS initiative to collaborate with leading institutions and the Mentor Collective to build sustainable peer mentorship models that address systemic student success challenges.

About Mentor Collective
Mentor Collective is a Student Success Engagement solution that partners with colleges, universities, and corporations to improve retention, foster a sense of belonging, and enhance career readiness. By connecting students and employees with mentors who share similar backgrounds, we create meaningful relationships that support academic achievement and personal growth. Our platform leverages data analytics to identify individual needs, enabling organizations to provide timely support and activate appropriate resources.

About APLU
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is North America’s oldest higher education association, founded in 1887. APLU’s membership comprises nearly 250 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The association fosters collaboration among university leaders to advance the mission of public research universities, focusing on increasing access, equity, completion, and workforce readiness, promoting groundbreaking scientific research, and bolstering economic and community engagement.

About ECMC Foundation
ECMC Foundation is a national foundation committed to eliminating equity gaps in postsecondary completion by 2040. The Foundation employs strategic grantmaking and program-related investments through Education Innovation Ventures to support nonprofit and for-profit ventures. Their focus areas include removing barriers to postsecondary completion, building organizational and institutional capacity, and transforming the postsecondary ecosystem.

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SOURCE Mentor Collective

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Howard Hughes Holdings Set to Join S&P SmallCap 600

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NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HHH) will replace Arcosa Inc. (NYSE: ACA) in the S&P SmallCap 600 effective prior to the opening of trading on Wednesday, October 28. S&P 500 constituent CRH plc (NYSE: CRH) has acquired Arcosa in a deal that closed today, October 23.

Following is a summary of the changes that will take place prior to the open of trading on the effective date:

Effective Date

Index Name  

Action

Company Name

Ticker

GICS Sector

October 28, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Addition

Howard Hughes Holdings

HHH

Real Estate

October 28, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Deletion

Arcosa

ACA

Industrials

ABOUT S&P DOW JONES INDICES

S&P Dow Jones Indices is the largest global resource for essential index-based concepts, data and research, and home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. More assets are invested in products based on our indices than products based on indices from any other provider in the world. Since Charles Dow invented the first index in 1884, S&P DJI has been innovating and developing indices across the spectrum of asset classes helping to define the way investors measure and trade the markets.

S&P Dow Jones Indices is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies, and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

S&P Dow Jones Indices
index_services@spglobal.com

Media Inquiries
spdji.comms@spglobal.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/howard-hughes-holdings-set-to-join-sp-smallcap-600-302918511.html

SOURCE S&P Dow Jones Indices

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Chelsea FC announces multi-year sleeve partnership with Sokin, the business payments and FX platform

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Chelsea FC name fast-growing fintech platform as Principal Partner

LONDON, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Chelsea Football Club has today announced a multi-year partnership with Sokin, the embedded finance and payments company used by businesses worldwide. Sokin will be named a Principal Partner and Official Business Payments and FX Partner of Chelsea FC and Chelsea FC Women.

As a Principal Partner, Sokin will be represented on the sleeves of the Chelsea FC men’s, women’s and academy home, away, and third kits from the 2026/27 season.

The partnership brings together two ambitious London-headquartered organisations with worldwide reach – a club with millions of fans across the world and a fintech platform through which businesses move more than $11 billion a year. A club of Chelsea’s scale works in many currencies every day, with partners, competitions and supporters around the world, and needs a financial partner built to handle that.

Sokin gives finance teams business payments, multi-currency accounts, foreign exchange, checkout and treasury in one place, so they spend less time juggling banks and providers and keep more of what they move.

As Official Business Payments and FX Partner, Sokin will simplify how Chelsea FC sends, receives and manages money in the currencies the club operates in.

The Sokin logo will feature on the sleeve of the Chelsea shirt for the first time [when the men’s team host Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 24th October.]

Jason Gannon, President at Chelsea FC said:

“At Chelsea, we seek to partner with organisations that share our ambition and innovative mindset. Sokin’s expertise in business payments, and their focus on making both simpler for the businesses they serve, makes them a natural fit for the Club. We are pleased to welcome Sokin to the Chelsea family and look forward to working together in the years ahead.”

Vroon Modgill, CEO and founder at Sokin said:

“Chelsea plays on the biggest stage in world football, and its business runs in dozens of currencies. Sokin was built for that with regulated, multi-currency payments and foreign exchange for organisations that operate internationally. We’re proud to be the platform behind the business payments and FX of one of the most iconic teams in football. Sokin’s platform serves businesses in more than 170 countries. We’re thrilled to be partners for the season ahead. An organisation as sophisticated as Chelsea doesn’t leave its finances to chance.”

About Sokin

Sokin is the financial layer global business runs on. Businesses can transact, convert and hold money in 70+ currencies across 170+ countries. Some businesses use Sokin to manage global finance in-house. Others build it into their products to power financial experiences for their customers. Businesses move more than $9 billion a year on licenses Sokin holds in 36+ countries and infrastructure Sokin owns. Founded in 2019, Sokin has raised over $100 million from investors including Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and Prysm Capital.

About Chelsea Football Club

Chelsea Football Club is one of the biggest, most successful football clubs globally and our men’s team are reigning world champions, having won the four-yearly FIFA Club World Cup in 2025. Our women’s team, Chelsea Women, are also multiple trophy winners.

Founded in 1905, Chelsea is London’s most central football club, based at the iconic 40,000-capacity Stamford Bridge stadium. Nicknamed the Blues, the club lifted the Champions League for the first time in 2012 and domestically has won the Premier League five times, the FA Cup eight times, the Football League Cup five times and the Football League Championship once, in 1955.

The Chelsea Women’s team have enjoyed a huge amount of success and in 2025 won the FA Women’s Super League for a sixth consecutive year and the eighth time overall. The Women’s FA Cup has been won on six occasions. We have also captured the FA Women’s League Cup four times as well as reaching the UEFA Women’s Champions League final in 2021. In two seasons, 2020/21 and 2024/25, a domestic treble of trophies was secured.

The Chelsea Foundation boasts one of the most extensive community initiatives in sport, helping to improve the lives of children and young people all over the world.

Media Contacts:

Taina Biggs
taina.biggs@sokin.com 

Nerissa Chesterfield
nerissa.chesterfield@chelseafc.com 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/chelsea-fc-announces-multi-year-sleeve-partnership-with-sokin-the-business-payments-and-fx-platform-302918466.html

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Amy Johnson Appointed President of GDIT

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RESTON, Va., Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) announced today that Amy Johnson has been appointed as president of GDIT, effective November 3.

Johnson is a 27-year veteran of General Dynamics Mission Systems, where she held increasingly senior roles in engineering, engineering management and business leadership across cybersecurity, defense electronics, space and intelligence systems, most recently as vice president and general manager for Space, Cyber and Intelligence. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and computer systems engineering. 

“Amy has a proven track record of leading teams to solve complex and highly technical challenges for our customers,” said Phebe Novakovic, CEO of General Dynamics. “I am confident that her dynamic leadership, operational rigor and deep commitment to our values and culture will deliver value to our customers, employees and shareholders.”

GDIT delivers digital modernization, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and software development solutions to the U.S. federal government, defense, intelligence agencies and other customers. It is a business unit of General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; and technology products and services. General Dynamics employs more than 120,000 people worldwide and generated $52.6 billion in revenue in 2025. More information is available at gd.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/amy-johnson-appointed-president-of-gdit-302918411.html

SOURCE General Dynamics

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