WGU and Real Salt Lake Award Four Students Tuition for One Year

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Western Governors University (WGU) and Real Salt Lake (RSL) teamed up to grant scholarships worth a year's tuition to four local students earlier this month. Recipients Cassandra Graham, Leslie Briggs, Jean-Philippe Desius, and Shana Butler were awarded the scholarships by WGU Chief Marketing Officer Patrick Partridge during halftime of the RSL-Houston Dynamo match at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Each of the winners are currently enrolled at WGU and submitted an official entry form earlier in the year. Graham is earning her bachelor's degree in nursing, Briggs is working toward her master's degree in curriculum and instruction, Desius is finishing his bachelor's degree in information technology, and Butler is completing her master's degree in accounting.

"Living expenses with a family of seven can be daunting," said Shana Butler, a CPA candidate and mother of five. "That was the biggest worry my husband and I had when I started seriously thinking about going back to school again. With this scholarship I'll be able to complete my degree, on my time, while still getting the education that I dreamed of as a high school girl."

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 are able to demonstrate mastery of the material. WGU has more than 72,000 students nationwide, including 4,800 in Utah.

"Real Salt Lake is proud to join WGU to offer these students free tuition for one year," said RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen. "The RSL organization places great value on education, and we are delighted to help provide academic assistance to members of our community."

Online, accredited, and nonprofit, WGU offers more than 50 bachelor's and master's degrees in business, K–12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. For more information about WGU, visit www.wgu.edu.

About WGU

Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education, online, nonprofit WGU now serves more than 72,000 students nationwide and has more than 68,000 graduates in all 50 states. Driving innovation as the nation's leading competency-based university, WGU has been recognized by the White House, state leaders, employers, and students as a model that works in postsecondary education. In less than 20 years, the university has become a leading influence in changing the lives of individuals and families, and preparing the workforce needed in today's rapidly evolving economy. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, has been named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, and was featured on NPR, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in The New York Times. The university's 2015 Annual Report is now available online.

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SOURCE Western Governors University