Apollo Group Goes Wireless with AT&T

Three-year Agreement for Services Inked; Apollo to Participate in Cell Phones for Soldiers Recycling Program

Phoenix, Arizona.- Apollo Group, the parent company of University of Phoenix and other academic institutions, has named AT&T* its primary wireless services provider. The three-year agreement will enable Apollo Group to offer corporate, employee and student discounts on a wide range of AT&T products and services – from smartphones to AT&T’s LaptopConnect card – to its 60,000-member workforce, faculty, alumni and the 400,000 students who study at its physical and online campuses and learning centers across the country.

Apollo Group will also join AT&T and the charity Cell Phones for Soldiers TM (CPFS) in recycling thousands more cell phones this year — becoming the first AT&T business customer to recycle with AT&T and the charity. Since Earth Day 2008, CPFS has recycled more than 2.5 million wireless devices. CPFS uses the proceeds from recycling to buy and distribute free phone cards for U.S. troops overseas.

“Our broad reach enables us to make a lasting impact on hundreds of thousands of students each day, and it also allows us to give back to the community in a variety of meaningful ways,” said Joe D’Amico, president and chief operating officer of Apollo Group. “Now, thanks to our national purchasing power, we are able to leverage AT&T’s vast portfolio of products and services for the benefit of our Apollo Group family, while benefiting our men and women in uniform and protecting the environment.”

Wireless users can drop off used cell phones and accessories at any of the 2,000-plus AT&T stores across the U.S. and at University of Phoenix ground campuses. Or, they can download free shipping labels from www.att.com/recyclewireless and mail them to the recycling plant on behalf of the cause.

According to the EPA, more than 100 million cell phones are discarded annually; and, in 2007, only 10 percent were recycled. Recycling or reusing cell phones — which are made up of precious metals, copper and plastics — helps to prevent air and water pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that occur during manufacturing. If every consumer recycled his or her cell phone, the country could save enough energy to power more than 18,500 U.S. homes for one year.

Apollo Group already has made a strong commitment to sustainability, in part by fueling the equivalent of 27 percent of its annual electricity use nationwide with renewable energy sources. Among Apollo Group’s other green initiatives have been the execution of an internal employee sustainability education program; design and implementation of environmentally sound practices at its corporate offices in Phoenix; local and national recycling initiatives; the development of environmental programs; and involvement in far-reaching community projects that support use of solar power and other alternative energy sources.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.