Western Governors University and Utah Jazz Award Three Students Tuition for One Year

SALT LAKE CITY, April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Western Governors University (WGU), www.wgu.edu, and the Utah Jazz have teamed up to grant scholarships worth a year's tuition to three students at the final home game of the 2013-14 season. The three scholarships recipients, Kyle Deamer, Jasmin Williams, and Taylor Jones, were awarded the scholarships at halftime Monday night by WGU President Dr. Robert Mendenhall.   

Each of the winners are currently enrolled at WGU and submitted an official entry form earlier in the Jazz season. Deamer is working toward his bachelor's degree in Health Informatics, Williams is earning her bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management, and Jones is getting his bachelor's degree in Special Education. 

"This scholarship will allow me to dedicate more time to my studies as I juggle work and family commitments," said Jones, who currently works full time in special education, in addition to keeping two part-time jobs. 

The majority of WGU students are working adults who benefit from WGU's flexibility and competency-based online courses, which allow students to advance through their programs as soon as they're able to demonstrate mastery of the material. This, combined with low tuition of $6,000 a year for most programs, is helping more and more working adults go back to school. 

"The Utah Jazz are proud to join WGU to give these students free tuition for one year," said Randy Rigby, Utah Jazz president. "The Jazz organization places great value on education, and we are thrilled to help provide academic assistance to members of our community."

Online, accredited, and nonprofit, WGU has more than 45,000 students nationwide and offers more than 50 bachelor's and master's degrees in business, K–12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. WGU's competency-based learning model, which allows students to study and learn at their own pace, is ideal for students with job and family responsibilities.

About Western Governors University
Recognized by President Obama as an innovative university that "awards credits based on learning, not seat time," Western Governors University is the only university in the U.S. offering accredited, competency-based bachelor's and master's degree programs at scale. Named one of  Fast Company's "Most Innovative Companies for 2013," WGU has been featured on NPR's "All Things Considered," The NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, CNN's "Schools of Thought," and in The New York Times.

WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. WGU's Teachers College is the first exclusively online provider of teacher education to receive accreditation for its teacher licensure programs from NCATE, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. The WGU bachelor's and master's nursing degree programs are accredited by the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE*), and its B.S. in Health Informatics is accredited by CAHIIM (Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education).

WGU was founded in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors led by Utah Governor Mike Leavitt. The university's headquarters is located in Salt Lake City, and more than 3,600 Utahns are currently enrolled at WGU.

About the Utah Jazz
Founded as the 18th member of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1974, and located in Salt Lake City since 1979, the Utah Jazz is committed to excellence as a team and in the community. On the court, the Jazz is the third-winningest team in the NBA over the last 30 years, having won eight division titles and two Western Conference championships along with 14 seasons of 50-plus wins, and is supported by one of the most passionate fan bases in all of sports. Away from the court, the Jazz is very active in the local community and has assisted a multitude of organizations and worthy causes by way of charitable donations, service and grants through Larry H. Miller Charities. The Utah Jazz also operates the Junior Jazz program, the largest and longest-running youth basketball league in the NBA, featuring over 55,000 players and an additional 13,000 volunteers who take part annually across seven states. 

The Jazz franchise is part of Miller Sports Properties which includes the MiLB Triple-A Salt Lake Bees; Miller Performance, consisting of Miller Motorsports Park, Ford Racing School, and Oneiro, an event management company; EnergySolutions Arena, which seats nearly 20,000 fans; KJZZ-TV; 1280 The Zone Sports Network; Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, men's professional cycling race; and All-Star Catering. For more information on the Utah Jazz, visit www.utahjazz.com.

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SOURCE Western Governors University