WGU Texas Announces TAMACC Partnership and $25,000 in Scholarships

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month and fill the growing need for a robust, well-educated Hispanic workforce in Texas, WGU Texas has signed an agreement with the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC). TAMACC, is a 39-year-old Austin-based organization, consisting of 24 local Hispanic chambers of commerce throughout Texas, and represents more than 15,000 Hispanic business members. WGU Texas is the first university to partner with TAMACC.

WGU Texas will award five Hispanic Achiever Scholarships, each valued at up to $5,000 ($1,000 per term for up to five terms) to encourage TAMACC members and their employees to get a college degree, Members and their employees will also receive a five percent tuition discount (for up to two years) and can also apply for scholarships offered through the WGU Texas Institutional Partners Scholarship program.

"To succeed in our state's competitive economy, Hispanic business owners need workers with top-notch credentials and management skills," said JR Gonzales, Executive Vice Chair at TAMACC. "WGU Texas is offering our members an affordable and credible path to get their college degree, while continuing to successfully grow their businesses."

The demand for educated and skilled workers in Texas continues to rise. By 2020, 62 percent of the jobs in Texas will require post-secondary education, according to a study by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. However, while the fastest growing workforce fields require college degrees, Hispanics continue to have the lowest post-secondary degree attainment of any population. Currently, fewer than 17.18 percent Hispanic Texans have attained a two- or four-year degree.

John Flores, a network engineer in Houston, Texas, and a father of two sons under the age of three, earned a B.S. Information Technology from WGU Texas in a year and a half and is now working toward his master's degree. "The best thing about WGU Texas is that the university values the knowledge you already have, and teaches you what you don't know," he said.

WGU Texas offers more than 50 accredited online degree programs in today's high demand fields. The innovative, competency-based education model is ideal for working adults who amass considerable knowledge and expertise in their field prior to earning a degree. Because WGU Texas measures learning, not seat time, many students are able to accelerate their time to graduation. Tuition is charged at a flat rate of about $3,000 per six-month term for most programs, and terms can begin on the first day of any month.

To learn more about the Hispanic Achievers Scholarships, go to texas.wgu.edu/hispanicachievers. For more information about the TAMACC partnership benefits, go to texas.wgu.edu/TAMACC.

About TAMACC 
Founded in 1975, TAMACC is an organization that promotes the growth, development and success of local Hispanic chambers of commerce. Today, the association consists of twenty-four local Hispanic chambers of commerce throughout Texas and Oklahoma, representing over 15,000 Hispanic business members from a wide spectrum of industries. TAMACC is recognized as the leading advocate for over 500,000 Hispanic businesses in Texas and continues to be one the most prominent and influential state Hispanic chamber associations in the country.

About WGU Texas 
As the state's only online, competency-based university, WGU Texas offers accredited bachelor's and master's degrees in today's high-demand fields. WGU Texas' model is unique—rather than earning degrees based on time spent in class, students advance toward their credential at their own pace by demonstrating competency. On average, students graduate with a bachelor's degree in three years—saving time and money. WGU Texas offers some of the lowest tuition in the state — most of the university's degree programs are charged at a flat rate of $3,000 per six-month term, and terms can begin on the first day of any month.

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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WGU Texas News
Contact for media inquiries:
Holly Subervi, PR Manager
512-225-6652 or 512-965-4500
holly.subervi@wgu.edu

Contact for enrollment information:
877.214.7011
texas.wgu.edu

SOURCE WGU Texas