ABOUT WGU
University governance.
Nonprofit, independent, and guided by a mission.
Our mission statement:
The principal mission of Western Governors University is to improve quality and expand access to post-secondary educational opportunities by providing a means for individuals to learn independent of time or place and to earn competency-based degrees and other credentials that are credible to both academic institutions and employers.
Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University.
Scott Pulsipher has served as president of nonprofit Western Governors University (WGU), the nation’s first and largest competency-based university, since April 2016, leading all academic, operational, and organizational functions.
Pulsipher blends a personal drive for making a difference in the lives of individuals and families through education and a passion for technology-powered innovation. At WGU, he is driving continuous innovation to improve student outcomes by focusing on rapidly advancing curriculum quality, new faculty models, data-driven learning, and a different cost model.
Before coming to WGU, Pulsipher had more than 20 years of leadership experience in technology-based, customer-focused businesses, including Amazon, Sterling Commerce (now part of IBM), and two successful startups that traverse retail, supply chain, banking, payments, and manufacturing sectors. Pulsipher holds a bachelor’s degree in Management from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Harvard University.
WGU’s governance.
WGU is governed by a Board of Trustees consisting of educators, industry leaders, and state governors. In addition, WGU continues to draw support (although no ongoing state funding) from the Governors of the Member States that were instrumental in the founding of WGU.
Board of Trustees
The Honorable Jim Geringer, Chairman
Director, Policy & Public Sector, ESRI
Governor of Wyoming (1995 – 2003)
John W. Bluford III
President
Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute;
Former President, Truman Medical Centers
Cole Clark
Executive Director, Higher Education Client Relations
Deloitte Services, LP
Former Global VP for Education and Research, Oracle Corporation
Dr. Therese (Terry) Crane
President
Crane Associates;
Former Executive, Apple and AOL
Robert Evanson
Former President
McGraw Hill Education
Joseph B. Fuller
Professor of Management Practice and Co-Director of the Managing the Future of Work Project
Harvard Business School
The Honorable Gary Herbert
Governor
State of Utah
The Honorable John Hickenlooper
Governor
State of Colorado
Tammy Johns
CEO
Strategy & Talent;
Former Executive, ManpowerGroup
Lenny Mendonca
Director Emeritus
McKinsey & Company
Scott D. Pulsipher
President
Western Governors University
David Simmons
President
Simmons Media Group
Dr. Samuel H. Smith
President Emeritus
Washington State University
Dr. Charles Sorenson
President and CEO
Intermountain Healthcare
Jessie Woolley-Wilson
CEO and President
Dreambox Learning
Governors of Member States
Jim Geringer, Chairman
Governor, Wyoming 1995–2003
Michael O. Leavitt, Chairman Emeritus
Governor, Utah 1993–2003
Alaska
Governor Bill Walker
Arizona
Governor Doug Ducey
California
Governor Jerry Brown
Colorado
Governor John Hickenlooper
Guam
Governor Eddie Baza Calvo
Hawaii
Governor David Ige
Idaho
Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter
Indiana
Governor Eric Holcomb
Montana
Governor Steve Bullock
Nebraska
Governor Pete Ricketts
Nevada
Governor Brian Sandoval
New Mexico
Governor Susana Martinez
North Dakota
Governor Doug Burgum
Oklahoma
Governor Mary Fallin
Oregon
Governor Kate Brown
South Dakota
Governor Dennis Daugaard
Texas
Governor Greg Abbott
Utah
Governor Gary Herbert
Washington
Governor Jay Inslee
Wyoming
Governor Matt Mead
The National Advisory Board.
Another crucial source of support is our National Advisory Board, made up of representatives from prestigious corporations and foundations. Members provide ongoing support and advice to the university.
WGU’s National Advisory Board is a diverse group of industry leaders. Its members help WGU foster a global, visionary perspective in the strategic planning process, ultimately enhancing our ability to fulfill our mission.
Guiding councils.
Academic programs are developed and guided by WGU administrators working through several councils, which comprise academicians and industry experts in the various fields of knowledge.
Academic Leadership
Scott D. Pulsipher
President
MBA, Harvard University
Marni Baker Stein
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Fred Hurst
Vice President for Academic Advancement
Ph.D., Union Institute and University
Sarah DeMark
Vice President for Academic Programs
Ph.D., Arizona State University
Stacey Ludwig Johnson
Vice President, Academic Operations, Teachers College
Ph.D., University of Colorado, Denver
Mitsu Frazier
Vice President, Academic Operations, College of Business
MBA, Western Governors University
John Balderree
Vice President, Academic Operations, College of Information Technology
Master of Accounting and Financial Management, DeVry University's Keller Graduate School of Management; MBA, American InterContinental University
Daren Upham
Vice President, Academic Operations, College of Health Professions
MBA, American InterContinental University
Deb Eldridge
Academic Vice President, Teachers College
Ed.D., Boston University
Rashmi Prasad
Academic Vice President, College of Business
Ph.D., University of Kentucky
Elke Leeds
Academic Vice President, College of Information Technology
Ph.D., Walden University
Jan Jones-Schenk
Academic Vice President, College of Health Professions
DHSc., A.T. Still University
Lucas Kavlie
Vice President for Accreditation & Compliance
Ed.D., University of North Texas
Assessment Council
Randy Bennett
Norman O. Frederiksen Chair in Assessment Innovation
ETS
Ph.D., Columbia University
C. Victor Bunderson
Professor, Instructional Psychology & Technology
Brigham Young University
Ph.D., Princeton University
Peter Ewell
Vice President
National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)
Ph.D., Yale University
Ric Luecht
Professor of Education Research Methodology
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Lawrence Rudner
Vice President, R&D
Graduate Management Admission Council
Ph.D., The Catholic University of America
Donna L. Sundre
Professor of Psychology
Executive Director, Center for Assessment and Research Studies
James Madison University
Ed.D., University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Health Professions Program Council
Grace Coventry
IT Strategy Principal Director
Accenture
Andrew Croshaw
CEO Leavitt Partners
Dr. Paul Handel
Former Sr. VP and Enterprise CMO
Health Care Service Corporation
Dr. Brent James
Executive Director, Institute for Health Care
Delivery Research
VP, Medical Research & Continuing
Medical Education
Intermountain Medical
Dr. Paul Keckley
Healthcare Industry Analyst & Policy Expert
Governor Mike Leavitt
Founder of Leavitt Partners
Former HHS Secretary and Governor of Utah
Delphene B. Oliver, MSN, MBA
AVP Executive Development
Hospital Corporation of America
Dale Prestipino, BSEE
Executive VP, CIO
Accolade, LLC
Dr. Ken Sharigian
SVP & Chief Strategy Officer
American Medical Association
Carol Ann D. Wilhelm, MPH, RHIA
Consultant and Adjunct Instructor
Loma Linda University, Cypress College
Nursing Advisory Council
Kathy Apple, RN, MS, CAE
Former CEO, NCSBN (retired)
David Benton, RGN, PhD, FFNF, FRCN, FAAN
Chief Executive Officer
National Council of State Boards of Nursing
Brenda Cleary, PhD, RN, FAAN
Former Director
Center to Champion Nursing
Former NC Congressional Candidate
Mark Douglas, JD, FNP, RN
Head National Medicaid Innovation
Executive Director Population Health Strategy
Linda Knodel, MSN, RN, FAAN
AONE Past President
Chief Nurse Executive, Senior Vice President, National Patient Care Services
Kaiser Permanente
Richard C. MacIntyre, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor
Samuel Merritt University
Margaret McClure, PhD, RN, FAAN
Former Chief Nursing Officer
NYU Medical Center
Co-author of the original Magnet Hospital study under the auspices of the American Academy of Nursing
Amaechi George Ozor, MSN, RN, CEN, TCRN
WGU dual Alumnus from Prelicensure BSN and MSN Leadership and Management
Jane Swanson, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Director
Geri and Richard Brawerman Nursing Institute, Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles
Sylvain Trepanier, DNP, RN, CENP
Regional Chief Clinical Executive
Providence St. Joseph Health
General Education Council
Milton Chen
Senior Fellow
The George Lucas Educational Foundation
Ph.D., Stanford University
Christine Johnson
Chancellor/CEO
Community Colleges of Spokane
Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder
Matt Newcomb
Associate Professor & Composition Coordinator, English Department
SUNY New Paltz
Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University
Amelia Ross-Hammond
Professor of Music, Director, Service-Learning and Civic Engagement
Norfolk State University
Ph.D., University of Denver
Business Program Council
Frances A. Hume, SPHR GPHR
President
Hume ‘n Resources Consulting
MBA, University of Utah
Ernest E. Wessman
General Manager
Rescue Alert
MBA, University of Utah
Jim Stice
Professor
Brigham Young University
Ph.D., University of Washington
David H. Harrison
Harrison Management Consultants
MBA, University of Virginia, Darden School of Business
Information Technology Program Council
Martin Carmichael
Managing Director, Business Information Security Officer
MUFG Americas
Peter Horadan
Peter Horadan Executive Vice President of Engineering & CTO
Avalara
Mischel Kwon
Founder and CEO
MKACyber
M.S., Marymount University
Kumud Majumder
Sr. Vice President (Global SME Manager - Corporate Technology Officer)
CitiGroup, NYNJ
Ph.D., Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
David W. Ricker
Associate Director of Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence
Dartmouth College
M.A., John Carroll University
Education Program Council
John G. Conyers
Conyers JJ & Associates
Ed.D., Oklahoma State University
Richard Lesh
Rudy Distinguished Professor of Education
Retired - Indiana University
Ph.D., Indiana University
George Ann Rice
Associate Superintendent, Ret., Human Resources Division
Clark County School District, Nevada
J.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Ed.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Darline P. Robles
Superintendent of Schools
Los Angeles County Office of Education
Ph.D., University of Southern California
Sharon Robinson
President and CEO
American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education
Ph.D., University of Kentucky
Martha Schwartz
Retired Contract Consultant
Julie Young
President and CEO
Florida Virtual Schools
MS, University of South Florida
Additional information.
Student success and performance data: Read about WGU student satisfaction, student success on national exams, and employer satisfaction in hiring WGU graduates.
FAQs: WGU's governance and structure
Is WGU a nonprofit or for-profit university?
WGU is a nonprofit online university that was founded by 19 U.S. governors. However, it is a private university, not a state university. WGU developed out of a vision for the future of higher education that emerged among the governors of the Western Governors Association (hence our name), but WGU operates independently with its own governance structure.
What is the role of a Program Council?
Each Program Council at WGU is composed of WGU faculty and outside experts in the field of study. The councils are responsible for guiding the development of degree programs. Each council helps define the skills and knowledge that a competent graduate should possess, helps determine the best ways to assess the competence, and monitors and reviews the relevance of each program over time.
What principles or themes guide the way WGU operates?
WGU was founded by 19 U.S. governors on two primary foundations:
The first a goal of expanding access to high-quality higher education through affordability, the use of technology, and flexible learning models. Particularly, WGU strives to serve historically underserved populations, including ethnic and racial minorities, first-generation college students, those with modest incomes, and those who live in rural or other geographic locations that do not allow them to attend traditional, campus-based colleges.
The second foundation is a goal of producing highly competent graduates for the benefit of themselves, their families, their industries, and their local and national economies.
How does WGU define success toward fulfilling its mission?
WGU defines mission fulfillment by focusing on four core themes. These core themes, their objectives, and their measures of success reinforce WGU’s commitment to its mission. The metrics assigned to each objective allow faculty and staff to evaluate their progress toward mission fulfillment.
- Core Theme 1: Develop people and leaders that enable WGU to accelerate its pace of innovation and meet scaling demands for rapidly improving student success, an ever-growing student body, and increasing sector influence and peer enablement.
- Core Theme 2: Advance the quality and relevancy of our academic credentials using a competency-based approach to enable students and graduates with the skills and competencies directly linked to professional readiness and success in the nation’s workforce for education, IT, business, and health.
- Core Theme 3: Accelerate advancements in student progress and attainment by driving the advancement of next-generation learning models that leverage technology, innovative faculty models, individualized learning, integrative program paths, self-service, social engagement, etc.
- Core Theme 4: Expand access to high-quality, affordable post-secondary programs, particularly among the underserved student populations, through greater awareness, credibility, efficiency, enabling partnerships and financial prudence.
Four colleges, one purpose.
WGU offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business, IT, K–12 teacher education, and health professions, including nursing. Our programs align with the most in-demand careers in today’s job market, and we continually update our existing programs—and create new ones—to meet the most current needs of employers, the economy, and our students.
