Western Governors University Receives Significant Investment to Serve More Students in Indiana, Washington, and Texas State Subsidiaries

Nonprofit, online university receives $4.5 million grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help expand access to affordable, competency-based higher education

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Western Governors University, www.wgu.edu, has received a $4.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help leverage the online university's state subsidiaries to expand access to affordable, competency-based higher education. The grant will be used to support development and outreach for WGU Indiana, WGU Washington, and WGU Texas, as well as to launch additional state subsidiaries in the future.

Western Governors University was established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to quality higher education. Accredited and nationally recognized, the online university now has more than 25,000 students in all 50 states. The university's four colleges, Business, Information Technology, Teachers College, and Health Professions (including Nursing), offer more than 50 accredited bachelor's and master's degrees, many with industry-specific certifications.

Designed to meet the needs of working adults, WGU uses a competency-based learning model, which allows students to advance by demonstrating their knowledge and abilities, rather than accumulating credit hours. Students can take advantage of prior education and experience to move quickly through course material they already know, allowing them to focus on new learning. In addition, students may enroll at the beginning of any month and terms are six months long with no limit on the number of courses a student may complete per term. Tuition is affordable, less than $6,000 per year for most programs. For more information, go to www.wgu.edu.

"College students have changed, and it's time higher education made some changes to keep up with them," said Hilary Pennington, Director of Postsecondary Success at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "The foundation is pleased to support Western Governors University because they have a strong track record of providing a high-quality, affordable, and flexible college experience that meets the needs of today's students.  In these tough economic times, it is more important than ever to support students who are juggling jobs and families while trying to make a better life for themselves."

About Western Governors University

"[WGU is] the best relatively cheap university you've never heard of."– TIME magazine

Featured on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, WGU is the only university in the U.S. offering competency-based degree programs and the only nonprofit, fully online university with students in all 50 states. WGU offers 50 degree programs in Business, Education, Information Technology, and Health Professions, including Nursing. Since its inception in 1997, WGU has grown into a national institution, serving more than 25,000 students. WGU is self-sustaining on tuition, and does not rely on state or national support to fund its operations.  

WGU is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). WGU nursing programs have been 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's Teachers College is the first and only exclusively online provider of teacher education to receive accreditation for its degree programs that lead to teacher licensure from NCATE, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

In 2011, WGU received its second 21st Century Award for Best Practices in Distance learning from the United States Distance Learning Association, (USDLA). In addition, WGU President Robert W. Mendenhall was recognized for his achievements in higher education when he received the 2010 McGraw Prize in Education.

On June 11, 2010, WGU Indiana, referred to by Governor Mitch Daniels as Indiana's eighth state university, was formed through a partnership with the state. WGU Washington was established by the Washington State Legislature on April 22, 2011.  On August 3, 2011, the state of Texas created WGU Texas. Subsidiaries of Western Governors University, WGU Indiana, WGU Washington, and WGU Texas are state-endorsed and offer degree programs that are accredited through Western Governors University.

The university has earned the support of more than 20 leading corporations and foundations. They include institutions such as AT&T, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dell, Lilly Endowment, HCA, Hewlett-Packard, Lumina Foundation, Microsoft, Oracle, Qwest, SunGard Higher Education, and Zions Bank. More information is available at www.wgu.edu or by calling 866.225.5948.

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Contact for media inquiries:
Joan Mitchell – Director of PR
801-428-5463
[email protected]

Contact for enrollment information:
866-225-5948
www.wgu.edu

SOURCE Western Governors University