Olivet Announces Education Partnership with Chicago Cubs

    CHICAGO, IL, March 02, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Olivet Nazarene University today announced a new partnership with the Chicago Cubs, that makes Olivet the official education partner of the Cubs organization. Ben Zobrist, Cubs second baseman and a member of Olivet's class of 2004, will serve as the University's spokesperson.

Zobrist is a 12 year veteran of Major League Baseball, World Series champion, and an alumnus of Olivet. As an ambassador for Olivet, Zobrist will appear in promotional assets for the partnership specifically focusing on the school's new ONU Global initiative.

"We could not be more thrilled to announce this partnership with the Cubs organization and to find such an outstanding partnership ambassador in Olivet alumnus Ben Zobrist," said Ryan Spittal, ONU vice president for strategic expansion. "Ben is a man of faith and an outstanding example of a friend and teammate, and we are so glad to have him as an ambassador for Olivet and this partnership."

A native of Eureka, Illinois, Zobrist attended Olivet for three years. He played three seasons on the Tigers baseball team at pitcher, second base and shortstop before transferring to Dallas Baptist University for his senior year. Before playing for the Cubs, Zobrist made his mark with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals - where he was part of the 2015 World Series championship team.

"I would not be where I am today without Olivet and the education they provided," said Zobrist. "With the flexibility and variety in programs offered by Olivet's School of Graduate and Continuing Studies, now everyone can advance themselves in both career and life by letting Olivet take them from where they are now to where they want to be."

ONU Global oversees the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies and has locations in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, offering more than 30 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs.

"We're pleased to welcome Olivet as the team's Official Education Partner of the Chicago Cubs and look forward to working with an inspiring role model in Ben Zobrist to encourage future generations to pursue their dream," said Allen Hermeling, senior director, corporate partnerships, Chicago Cubs.

Partnered with more than 200 organizations across the United States, ONU Global has more than 150 learning locations, including five regional centers. Staying true to its international reach, ONU Global has a presence in Hong Kong along with partnerships in China, the Czech Republic, South Africa, Dubai UAE and Israel. 

Information on ONU Global and the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies is available at graduate.olivet.edu.

Olivet Nazarene University is an accredited Christian, liberal arts university offering more than 120 areas of undergraduate and graduate study, including the Doctor of Education in ethical leadership. Olivet's 275-acre park-like main campus is in Bourbonnais, Illinois, 50 miles south of Chicago. Additional sites are in Rolling Meadows and Oak Brook, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Grand Rapids and Grand Ledge, Michigan; Hong Kong; and more than 100 School of Graduate and Continuing Studies learning locations throughout Chicagoland and the Midwest. From Oxford to Tokyo, hundreds of Olivet students also experience the global classroom each year through study abroad opportunities, internships and worldwide mission trips.

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