OLYMPIA—State Rep. Phyllis Gutiérrez Kenney is calling on lawmakers to embrace a new kind of competency-based online university that would enable full-time workers, dislocated workers and other underserved adult learners earn college degrees in high-demand fields.
On Feb. 26, the House of Representatives agreed, voting 70-26 to declare that Washington state intends to partner with Western Governors University (WGU) to create WGU-Washington—the first nonprofit online university in the state.
“Anyone who hasn’t heard of Western Governors University will be amazed at what WGU-Washington could do to create high-quality college opportunities everywhere in our state,” said Kenney (D-Seattle).
WGU is a fully accredited nonprofit university that was founded in 1997 by 19 western governors, including former Gov. Mike Lowry. Unlike traditional universities that measure student progress by credits, WGU awards degrees for competence. Each student is assigned a mentor, and graduation specialists are available to support student success.
Even though WGU requires no state or federal funding, the cost to students—less than $6,000 annually—is about a fifth of what they would pay at some public universities and only a fraction of the cost of attending a for-profit online university.
“This will be especially valuable to working students who are trying to build on a two-year degree while also holding down a job and raising a family,” said Rep. Larry Seaquist (D-Gig Harbor), who chairs the Higher Education Committee in the House.
At the Feb. 10 public hearing on Kenney’s bill, the House Higher Education Committee heard that WGU has quickly established a track record of producing teachers and graduates who are competent in high-demand fields such as science and math.
“We are now the largest producer in the United States of teachers trained in STEM areas” (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), said Sam Smith, a former president of Washington State University and one of the designers and founders of WGU.
Allison Barber, the Chancellor of WGU-Indiana, revealed startling statistics on the success of her university and its students.
“Ninety-seven percent of our employers said that they would rate WGU students equal or better than they rate students hired from other universities,” Barber said. In addition, “96 percent of our students walk away satisfied or very satisfied with the education they’re getting from WGU-Indiana.”
According to Kenney, WGU could fill significant gaps in workforce training and higher education in Washington.
“Washington is expected to add more than 250,000 jobs that require postsecondary education by 2018, and frankly we are not creating enough of the degrees our students need to get those jobs,” said Kenney, who chairs the Community Development & Housing Committee and formerly chaired the Higher Education Committee.
Kenney pointed out that WGU-Washington would help employers meet their workforce needs by extending college opportunities to students who have been unable to attend traditional campuses.
“WGU-Indiana’s success rate for students and employers is even more impressive when you consider that most of its student body comes from previously underserved communities,” said Kenney.
Kenney pointed to the demographics of students at WGU-Indiana, where the average student is 36-years-old and 70 percent are learning while also working at full-time jobs. Roughly 80 percent of the students at WGU-Indiana are from underserved communities, including rural communities, dislocated workers and ethnic and racial minorities.
In addition to declaring the state’s intention to establish WGU-Washington, Kenney’s House Bill 1822 authorizes the Higher Education Coordinating Board to integrate its academic programs and services into state policy and strategy.
Kenney noted that her proposal has received support from across the political spectrum because of its success in Indiana and elsewhere.
“Shouldn’t Washington have similar college opportunities to meet the needs of our students and businesses?” Kenney asks.
# # #