ROLFS Global and L’Oréal's partnership with Mesa Community College (MCC) and Arizona State University (ASU) has forged the creation of a higher-education program for beauty professionals that is the first of its kind worldwide.
Students around the globe can now earn the first-ever Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Beauty and Wellness from MCC and then apply to ASU for a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree program in Heath, Entrepreneurship and Innovation with an emphasis on personal care. Courses will teach students skills in finance, marketing leadership, ethics, communication and evidence-based decision-making. In collaboration with a team of academics and higher-education specialists, Francis Tesmer, CEO and partner of ROLFS Global, has spent the past 11 years conceptualizing and developing the program from ROLFS headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.
ROLFS Global awarded the program’s first full-ride scholarships for students to complete their associate and bachelor’s degrees, which totals a more than $516,000 investment.
“This is the time for beauty to meet humanity,” says Tesmer. “Our over $500 billion dollar essential and powerful industry has the highest obligation to positively impact the world and humanity collectively in a time when we need it the most. We are responding to this historic calling by empowering our workforce through higher education, which will enable them to embrace a much bigger and more transformative role in the world. We have developed an accelerated program in which students can earn their degrees in half the time, with an AAS taking one year and a BAS taking two years. This is the fastest, most cost-effective and transformational degree ever offered.”
Following cosmetology school, a licensed cosmetologist can enroll at MCC for an AAS in Beauty and Wellness. A cosmetologist will be awarded 30 credit hours toward his or her AAS degree at no cost. After earning the AAS, the student then has access to a continued pathway at ASU, where he or she can transfer 100 percent of the AAS credit hours earned. The student will then fulfill additional credit hours, typically accomplished in four semesters, to earn a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS).
This program is offered online as well as on campus, or a hybrid of the two.
L’Oréal USA’s Professional Products Division (PPD) leveraged their vast salon, artist, educator and vendor networks, to provide industry-oriented curriculum support and education content, experts for guest lecturers and speaking engagements, as well as mentorship, apprenticeship and other education and career advancement opportunities.
“I applaud Francis Tesmer and ROLFS Global for their vision and commitment to make this higher-education pathway a reality for the next generation of beauty professionals,” says David Greenberg, group president of L’Oréal USA’s Professional Products Division. “This is the right time for this program, and I hope that other institutions of higher learning across the United States will embrace this pioneering model, which will create new opportunities for professionals within this critically important sector of the economy. Supporting a collegiate degree that enables individuals with a passion for beauty to pursue a career within and beyond the salon–studying business management, entrepreneurship, digital marketing, wellness, ethics and more–symbolizes L’Oréal’s long-standing commitment to the industry, helping to pave the way for the next generation of beauty innovators and hairdressing talents.”
Along with its academic partners, ROLFS Global is currently working to take this program nationally.
