WGU Advocacy

The WGU Advocacy team has appreciated the opportunity to connect with you here about the incredible work you and our supporters are making possible for serving underserved students. As WGU continues to grow and engage with students, alumni, and policymakers across the country, we invite you to follow us here on the Western Governors University page and/or @wgu on X to keep the conversation going for valuable updates on our work. This will provide expanded opportunities to connect with the wider WGU community. This account will be deactivated as of August 31, 2024. We hope to see you join our larger WGU community before then!

Our last day will be today, due to the holiday weekend. This is a last reminder to follow Western Governors University for more updates on our policy work and student impact!

Maybe the 3% thought they had to replace the WGU #graduate they already had. 😉

#Nurses need hands-on #experience before they work with patients. That's why Western Governors University recently opened a state-of-the-art lab in Kansas City, #Missouri. Its goal is to #educate more than 500 new nurses in the area by 2026 and up to 3,000 per year in the near future. As Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas stated, “We are committed to expanding access to #education and unleashing opportunities that not just enable individuals to reach their maximum potential but also nurture community in the long term." WGU CAO and Provost Dr. Courtney Hills McBeth added, “This new nursing lab reflects WGU’s commitment to expanding access and preparing nurses who serve on the front lines of #healthcare, those who are needed both now, and in the future."

How can students stay in #rural communities when the closest class is hours away? “We can't expect these students to come to us,” explained Dr. Keith Smith, senior vice president for Leavitt School of Health. “We need to find ways to reach out to them with workable, viable solutions that enable them to pursue #education.” Dr. Cynthia Guttierez, director of public health for Pharr Public Health Department, agreed. She added that supporting students as they pursue careers in #healthcare can lift entire communities: "We want to not only have them finish their careers but stay and want to serve this population that so much needs it." Find out how WGU and Rio Grande Valley are tackling rural health equity and workforce challenges at https://lnkd.in/gikKXfxk

Qualified applications to #nursing programs are being turned away—65,766, to be exact. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reported that qualified applications are turned away from schools of nursing every year. One barrier they cited was the lack of #infrastructure and #faculty. WGU’s Leavitt School of Health is working to change that. With new #clinical sites designed to add capacity and offer flexible, #affordable options for nursing students, WGU is committed to adding more qualified nurses to the workforce. As #Missouri Gov. Mike Parson declared, “Nurses are vital to improving health outcomes in our #state and region, and WGU’s innovative educational options will help more individuals who wish to fill crucial roles in the #future of our state.” https://lnkd.in/gutWDPQC

What’s on governors’ minds? A LOT. During the National Governors Association discussion on Governors Driving American Competitiveness, President Scott Pulsipher moderated a panel with #Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and #Hawaii Governor Josh Green to talk about #healthcare, #cybersecurity, and #education and #workforce development initiatives. “We need to have an education system that meets people as they’re wanting to find new talents and new #skills,” Gov. Gordon explained. “We have got to figure out ways to engage people, and I think education is central to how we evolve into the kind of #community that we want to see.” Learn more about how #governors are engaging their communities at https://lnkd.in/e_u5VENq.

#Hawaii Governor Josh Green couldn't have said it better. "We don't have the bandwidth anymore to disagree badly. We have too much work to do on too many meaningful topics." WGU was founded by 19 governors concerned about #highereducation in their states, particularly on meaningful topics like access, quality, and cost. Join President Scott Pulsipher, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, M.D., and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon in a National Governors Association Task Force discussion about driving American #competitiveness. As President Pulsipher stated, "#Education is a huge contributor to our competitiveness. Through [the governors'] leadership and collaborative efforts, we can address shared challenges and contribute toward improving American competitiveness and shared #prosperity." https://lnkd.in/g9CUtXCp

Meet Obi. Obi Jane Akusoba is a rising star in the #tech sector. As a Fortune 10 data analytics company software developer, she needed a #degree to advance in her #career. Enter Western Governors University. Through WGU's competency-based model, Obi could balance a full-time job while completing her studies at the same time. Watch her compelling story at https://lnkd.in/gXW2xHmm.

Numbers don't lie. WGU graduates are far more likely than the national average to believe their #degree was valuable. Over three-quarters (77%) of WGU alumni strongly agree their #education was worth the cost, more than double the percentage of bachelor’s degree holders nationally who say the same (35%). At a time when confidence in higher education is waning, it’s critical that every #student who enrolls in #college gets an experience and outcomes that make it worth it. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/ggx_HEbf.