Online, Nonprofit WGU Texas Celebrates Second Anniversary with more than 4,000 Students

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two years ago this month, Governor Rick Perry, with strong bipartisan legislative support, signed an executive order establishing the state's only nonprofit online university, WGU Texas.

Since then, WGU Texas has taken root and become an important part of the state's higher education system. As of August 2, 2013, WGU Texas now has more than 4,000 students enrolled statewide, including students in 166 of the state's 254 counties. With an average age of 37, most WGU Texas students work and attend college full time, made possible in part by flat-rate tuition of about $3,000 per six-month term for most programs.

The innovative approach to learning, called competency-based education, is ideal for working adults, allowing them to advance in their degree programs by demonstrating mastery of subject matter rather than logging time in class. This lets students move quickly through material they already know so they can focus on what they still need to learn. They are guided in a highly individualized manner by full-time faculty mentors, who provide guidance, support, and subject matter expertise.

"The educational ecosystem in Texas was in need of WGU Texas. As a state, we are doing a better job of getting students through high school and into college, but if we are going to reach our collective goals at completion we have to have affordable, flexible models that support the demands on working adults trying to finish their degrees," said John Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of Educate Texas and WGU Texas Advisory Board member. "The real win for our state is this competency-based model that allows the thousands of highly skilled workers who are enrolled in the university to use their knowledge to accelerate their time to completion and increase their value to their employers, all while they remain active in the workforce."

WGU Texas has built significant partnerships with healthcare organizations (including CHRISTUS Health and HCA), corporations, and school districts, as well as the member institutions in the Texas Association of Community Colleges. The university offers seamless transfer with community college partners including a recently launched dual-admission Guaranteed Pathways program in nursing.

From tuition discounts to scholarships, WGU Texas works with partners to remove obstacles many learners, especially first-generation college graduates, face. Among the increasingly diverse student body, 40 percent are first generation college students and 28 percent are low-income. The flat fee of $145 per term for all texts, provided as e-resources in a robust online student portal, also provides savings to individuals and the companies that support tuition reimbursement programs for their employees.

"WGU Texas has made a real impact on Texas, from the productive transfer of community college graduates into their Finish to Go Further program, to the online and on-ground grant-funded support in helping other colleges build competency-based learning degree programs of their own," said Austin Community College President and CEO, Dr. Richard Rhodes. "They are a willing and capable partner, and they are important to the future of education in Texas."

The university's accessibility and affordability help the state to close the gaps in educational attainment as it reaches out to the 3.5 million Texans with some college but no degree. In the WGU Texas inaugural commencement ceremony last year, the university recognized more than 400 graduates. WGU Texas has succeeded in helping more than 800 students complete their degrees in just the past two years. Combined with graduates of its 15-year-old parent institution Western Governors University, more than 1,800 Texans hold a WGU degree.

"As the first in my family to earn a college degree, I can see first-hand that the work we are doing in WGU Texas is changing the lives of Texans for the better and, in doing so, also improving the communities in which our graduates live and work," said WGU Texas Chancellor Ray Martinez.  "All of us at WGU Texas look forward to helping more of the 3.5 million Texans with some college but no credential to finish their degrees and become the game changers in their families." 

One of those game changers is recent business management graduate Monica Peralta, who found the model worked for her. After starting, and stopping college 10 years ago while raising her family, Monica decided to give college another try when her youngest child turned 10. "My husband encouraged me to go back," explains Monica. "He knew how much I wanted the degree and fresh opportunities for advancement with my employer. Being able to work full-time, come home for dinner with my family then study at night and on weekends worked! " Earning the bachelor's degree gave her the opportunity to apply for, and get, a promotion as a Safety Officer at Del Sol Medical Center. Monica has since enrolled in the MBA program.

About WGU Texas

WGU Texas is a private, nonprofit, online university expanding access to quality higher education for Texas residents. Established by the state of Texas through a partnership with nationally recognized Western Governors University, WGU Texas (http://texas.wgu.edu) is open to all qualified Texas residents, and offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the key workforce areas of business, information technology, teacher education, and health professions including nursing.

WGU Texas uses an innovative competency-based academic approach that allows working adults to fit their education into their busy lives. All programs offer flexible, online study, state-of-the art learning resources, expert faculty, and one-on-one mentor-guided support. WGU Texas provides a convenient, cost-effective way for self-directed, hard-working adults to earn a degree and get ahead.

Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is regionally accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).  Learn more at texas.wgu.edu or call 1-877-214-7011.

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SOURCE WGU Texas