Indianapolis, IN -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/06/2011 -- Dr. Dennis A. Trinkle, provost and chief academic officer for Harrison College (http://www.harrison.edu), a post-secondary, proprietary educational institution aimed at business, industry, and the public sector, has announced that Marvin Bailey, president of Harrison College’s Indianapolis Northwest Campus, was proclaimed a “Net Literacy Hero” by the student board of directors of Net Literacy, a digital inclusion nonprofit founded in 2003 by middle school students.

The Net Literacy board comprises 50 percent students and the rest are adults. In 2005, Bailey was invited to serve as one of the first adult board members and help mentor the fledgling organization. Immediately following Bailey’s election to the board of directors, the students increased the scope of the nonprofit and changed the name to Net Literacy, an organization that has now donated more than 20,000 computers and increased computer access to more than 170,000 Hoosiers, and whose programs have been endorsed by two American presidents.

As Net Literacy vice chairman, Bailey also facilitated Harrison College’s donation of equipment to Net Literacy, enabling the College to build more than a dozen computer labs in churches and community centers. A program is under development where Harrison students will refurbish computers to assist Net Literacy with additional capacity to donate computers to schools and other nonprofits.

QUOTES
“Mr. Bailey is an advocate for youth empowerment and students maintaining ownership and responsibility for our all-volunteer nonprofit,” said Student Chair David Johnson, a senior at Northwest High School. “As the only adult board member with nonprofit experience, he is our visionary and helped us understand how to mature and scale our organization. Mr. Bailey supported the concept of a youth-empowered, technology-oriented service-learning nonprofit, and as our vice chairman, he is our coach, mentor, and cheerleader. Because Mr. Bailey had always encouraged us teens to graduate from high school and attend college, one of his first actions at Harrison was to provide all student volunteers a Harrison College scholarship. We thank him and Harrison College for their show of support.”

“It is an honor to work with Net Literacy,” said Bailey. “The work that this group does to help ensure that everyone knows how to succeed in a digital age is tremendous, and I look forward to helping them with their efforts in the future.”

DETAILS
- For more information about Net Literacy, visit http://www.netliteracy.org or contact Daniel Kent at (317) 809-2568 or at danielkent@netliteracy.org.

- Bailey also serves as the chairman of the TechPoint Foundation for Youth and was CEO of an education and technology training nonprofit for many years.

- Last year, the Federal Communications Commission cited several of Net Literacy’s programs in the National Broadband Plan presented to Congress, and this year, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced plans to launch a “digital literacy corps,” a suggestion made by and credited to Net Literacy students, in the National Broadband Plan.

About Harrison College
Harrison College is a contemporary, career-focused institution of higher education serving more than 6,000 students throughout the United States and internationally, with 12 campuses in Indiana and Ohio, a culinary school in Indiana and one in North Carolina, and courses online at Harrison.edu. The institution grants associate and bachelor’s degrees across five schools of study: business, health sciences, information technology, criminal justice, and veterinary technology, as well as its culinary division, The Chef’s Academy.

Harrison College offers students a variety of learning environments including online, traditional classroom or a combination of both. Accredited by the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), Harrison College is dedicated to excellence in higher learning and is currently a candidate with The Higher Learning Commission, an affiliate of the North Central Association (HLC-NCA). Harrison College was founded in 1902 as Indiana Business College and has a rich history of preparing students for success in their chosen profession.