Native Hoosier to Lead WGU Indiana

Allison Barber Joins Indiana's Newest University as Chancellor

INDIANAPOLIS, June 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Allison Barber has been appointed Chancellor of WGU Indiana, http://indiana.wgu.edu,  the state's new online, competency-based university established today by Executive Order 10-04. A native Hoosier and graduate of Indiana University, Barber joins the university with more than 20 years of experience in education and public service. She will lead WGU Indiana from its Indianapolis office, which is located at 10 W. Market Street.

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"Allison knows the assignment and sees the opportunity: to help thousands of adult Hoosiers get the college degree they have wanted, at a price they can afford, on a schedule they can manage.  She is ideal for this job," said Governor Daniels.

Barber is returning to her home state of Indiana after several years of public service in Washington, DC. Most recently, she has operated her own strategic communication firm and is currently serving as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Prior to establishing her own firm, she spent more than seven years at the Pentagon. Her work there included serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Internal Communications and Public Liaison, where she was responsible for community relations programs and all of the online and offline communication to the military worldwide. Before her work at the Department of Defense, Barber served at the American Red Cross.

Barber spent five years working as a teacher at Merrillville Public Schools, where she served as Teachers Association Vice President. She earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Tennessee Temple University, and an M.S. in Elementary Education from Indiana University. Barber's husband is Notre Dame graduate Linden Barber, an attorney with the Drug Enforcement Administration and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves.

About WGU Indiana

WGU Indiana is an online, competency-based university established through a partnership with the state of Indiana to expand access to higher education for Indiana residents. Private and non-profit, WGU Indiana is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Western Governors University. Open to all qualified Indiana residents, the university offers 50 undergraduate degree programs in Business, Education, Information Technology, and Healthcare Professions, including Nursing.

Degrees will be granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and the Distance Education and Training Commission (DETC). Teachers College programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and Nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

WGU Indiana is an approved education provider for Indiana state grants and scholarships offered through the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI).  In addition, the university has partnered with Ivy Tech to offer graduates who have completed their associate's degrees a generous transfer policy as well as application fee waivers and tuition discounts.

For more information, visit the WGU Indiana website indiana.wgu.edu or call 1.877.217.7014.

SOURCE Western Governors University