An Interview with the PR Director of Western Governors University
Western Governors University is a nonprofit, online university founded in 1997 by a group of 19 U.S. governors, all members of the Western Governors Association. The governors wanted to take advantage of new technology to find ways to provide high quality higher education affordably and accessibly. Last week, Governor Rick Perry established and endorsed the new WGU Texas. This is WGU’s third state subsidiary [other branches are in the Washington State and Indiana]. This blog is based off of our interview with WGU’s PR Director, Joan Mitchell:
Joan Mitchell is proud to be the PR director for Western Governors University. She likes the premise of the organization — making high quality higher education affordable and accessible to working adults. She is also proud of WGU’s growth rate: currently the University has 26,000 students and sees 30% more students every year. She says WGU does not compete with traditional universities. Their goal is enabling working adults to complete bachelor’s and master’s degrees affordably and efficiently without compromising on quality.
WGU’s model is efficient and affordable:
- Tuition is just under $6,000 a year (for most programs) students can take as many courses as he or she can complete. To pass courses, students must demonstrate mastery of subject matter by completing tests and other assessments with the equivalent of a “B” grade or better.
- WGU offers 50 degree programs in four fields: IT, education, health professions and business.
- WGU employs competency-based learning. This model measures student learning rather than time spent in class. Students use what they already know and learn at their own pace, following a curriculum and using learning resources provided by WGU. They are awarded degrees based on demonstrating what they know and can do rather than simply accumulating credit hours. So, at WGU it typically takes 2 ½ years to complete a bachelor’s degree.
- Most of the 600 faculty have master’s or PhD degrees, but they don't teach, do research or publish. They work one-on-one with students, providing coaching and mentoring.
- All grading is done by a separate team of anonymous graders, which helps ensure objectivity.
- Approximately 72% of WGU students work full-time, and most have families. The average student age is 36 years.
A strong and sound curriculum
While some are still skeptical of online education, many consider WGU to be better than for-profit online schools like the University of Phoenix and Kaplan. WGU’s learning resources come from well-known third-party sources. For example, some IT courses include Microsoft certifications.
Marketing WGU
Mitchell says WGU uses social media more each year. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube videos help attract and convert prospective students. Governors and state officials also endorse WGU and often participate in helping get the word out. Mitchell is pleased with WGU’s growth, its new Texas branch and its overall national success. "We have made higher education more affordable and more accessible to many Americans who couldn’t otherwise go to college and we have done this without compromising quality."