WGU: A Second Chance at College
This article is for subscribers only.
In 1997 two leaders of the Western Governors’ Association, Republican Mike Leavitt of Utah and Democrat Roy Romer of Colorado, started talking about the need for more alternatives in higher education. Their goal: to help adult students who had dropped out of college before getting their degrees.
The result is Western Governors University (WGU), an online mix of course offerings in health sciences, business, information technology, and teacher education. The concept has been embraced by the six Democrats and 13 Republicans who make up the Western Governors’ Association. Now in its 15th year, the nonprofit WGU, funded entirely by $6,000 annual tuition fees, has awarded nearly 17,000 bachelor’s and master’s degrees.