Fast Company

Employee continuing education and the future of work

Why supporting nontraditional learning and career paths is simply smart business

University Business

Can higher ed rally to boost the number of women of color in tech fields?

A new partnership launched by Western Governors University could provide a spark in getting all women into once-taboo STEM fields.

Inside Higher Ed

Understanding the College Enrollment Drop

Two national experts explore why community colleges have lost students, whether and when enrollments are likely to start climbing again, and how institutions should respond.

The Commercial Appeal

Changing workforce requires new skills and flexible approaches to learning | Opinion

Today’s rapidly changing workforce requires a shift in learning.

Think with Google

Why supporting nontraditional learning and career paths is simply smart business

During the pandemic, my family and I went down a DIY rabbit hole. We learned a whole new set of skills, like how to make pasta from scratch, fix leaky faucets, and tie-dye T-shirts.

WRDW

McDonald’s seeks to hire 7,000 new employees across Greater Carolinas

Local McDonald’s restaurants in the Greater Carolinas said they are looking to hire roughly 7,000 new employees this summer.

Kent Reporter

Nearly 1,500 WGU students to attend graduation at T-Mobile Park

Western Governors University (WGU) will celebrate the largest commencement in the university’s 25-year history this weekend as more than 10,000 students and guests gather Saturday, July 16 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle for commencement ceremonies.

Diverse Issues

Should Short-Term, Online Programs Get Pell Grants?

As part of the Bipartisan Innovation Act, Congress is weighing an amendment to expand Pell Grant eligibility to short-term programs—or those as short as eight weeks and no longer than 15 weeks.

Forbes

Higher Education Must Invest In Students, Not The Other Way Around

Too often, the “value” of a college degree is misconstrued to be synonymous with its cost.

Inside Higher Ed

Saint Leo’s Sudden, Quiet Change at the Top

President of four years departs with no notice at Roman Catholic university that has endured failed merger and seen enrollment drop by more than a third since 2015.

The EvoLLLution

E-Quality Means Equality: Why Online Students Deserve the Same Practices as On Campus

As online classes soared in popularity over the last few years, accessibility in higher ed reached an all-time high.

The Washington Post

More workers without degrees are landing jobs. Will it last?

The increasing availability of good jobs for those without degrees coincides with challenges for traditional higher education

Forbes

‘It’s What You Know, Not How You Acquired It’

Over 20 years ago, SkillSurvey started to pursue the idea of improving reference-checking in hiring processes.

The Altamont Enterprise

Recruit, train, and retain teachers who reflect the full spectrum of their students

Recent announcements in Bethlehem, Guilderland, and South Colonie schools have caught my attention — for all the right reasons.

The Caswell Messenger

PCC & Western Governors University Sign Transfer Agreement

Piedmont Community College (PCC) recently signed an agreement to continue to support academic and career growth for students and help qualified graduates transfer to Western Governors University (WGU).

Higher Ed Dive

Some college leaders want short-term Pell for online programs. What guardrails would be needed?

Congress is considering an amendment that would allow programs as short as eight weeks to be eligible for Pell — but it excludes online offerings.

Penn Live Patriot News

Fathers can face difficult odds in trying to pursue higher education | Opinion

Raising children is a deeply rewarding experience and research shows that involved fathers are linked to better outcomes on nearly every measure of child wellbeing - from cognitive development and educational achievement to self-esteem and pro-social behavior.

Utah Policy

WGU and BYU-Pathway Worldwide announce scholarship and student transfer collaboration to improve lives through education

Renewed agreement establishes a seamless transfer process for BYU-Pathway students, graduates, and employees enrolling at Western Governors University

The Evollution

Bring in the Translators and Decoders: The Language of Credentialing Needs Help – Part Three

Language is a powerful tool in communicating skills and competencies. What matters most is using transparency and context to accurately convey what a learner knows and can do.

Government Technology

Education, Tech Leaders Endorse Digital Credentials

In a Thursday panel at the Learning Impact Conference in Nashville, tech executives and higher ed officials discussed ways to help connect students to careers through programming and credential sharing.

Courier Journal

Juneteenth: Honor those who suffered enslavement and recognize the power of education

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Ghana on the west coast of Africa, a country whose history is forever linked to the United States through, among other reasons, the Cape Coast Castle.

Chicago Tribune

Letters: Access to higher education is key to improving equality

June 19 marks the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth, a celebration of the abolishment of slavery.

MedPage Today

Health Value: It Takes a Skilled Workforce

A new online institute works to hasten the movement to value-based healthcare

Inside Higher Ed

Arkansas’s Winding Path to Building an Online University

As other public institutions seek to expand their offerings for place-bound adult learners, the formal end of the homegrown eVersity offers some lessons.

Capitol Weekly

For education, adults should have financial aid opportunities, too

It’s been my dream to earn my MBA and this year, I did it.

GovTech

Cybersecurity Programs Gain Popularity With Veterans

Cybersecurity programs such as the online one at Western Governors University have seen growing interest from military personnel looking for flexible IT training, either for their current roles or after their service.

Denver Herald

As Latino leaders, it’s time to prioritize investing in our students

In the United States, 82% of Latino students graduate from high school.

YouTube

Scott Pulsipher on Student Debt

Caller Times

Opinion: Time to reboot the nursing pipeline

Recently, we have seen fewer and fewer individuals pursue careers in healthcare, especially in the nursing or home care profession.

EdSource

Online courses can help community college students succeed

While California is accustomed to earthquakes and has prepared for the Big One for decades, the state was caught off guard by the pandemic quake that shook our state in March 2020.

The Sylvia Herald

Deal offers SCC grads easy transfer to WGU

Southwestern Community College officials last month signed a partnership agreement with WGU North Carolina, an affiliate of the nonprofit, fully online Western Governors University.

Inside Indiana Business

WGU Indiana partners with Warren Township schools

WGU Indiana is partnering with the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township to offer the district’s employees the opportunity to earn a degree and fill needed roles within the school system.

EdSurge

As Student Engagement Falls, Colleges Wonder: ‘Are We Part of the Problem?’

Learning from higher ed institutions that deliver support to students as the default, not the exception.

AZ Central

Arizona employers continue to seek workers; McDonald's alone seeks 4,500 workers in the state

Jobs remain widely available in Arizona, where the unemployment rate has eased to 3.2%.

The Spokesman Review

Tonya Drake and Michelle Jungbauer: Higher ed needs to do more for student well-being

Without a doubt, students have felt the effects of the pandemic with enrollment rates dropping, financial aid applications down and student mobility becoming a growing concern.

KVUE

Bastrop ISD teacher shares journey from custodian to educator

Fernanda Torres has been in Bastrop ISD schools for 22 years, but this is the first semester she has had her own class of students.

Inside Indiana Business

The Power of Mentorship to Support Career Readiness

Mentorship can happen at varying levels, from one-off micro-mentorship opportunities to deeper connections that span decades-long careers.

ABC15-Arizona

Country continues to wait for student debt forgiveness decision by President Biden

Some higher education leaders ask Biden to do more than just forgive debt

Empire Report

Reimagining Higher Ed for Men and Fathers

The equity problem disproportionately affecting women and mothers in the workplace is well documented.

Nevada Business

Executive Education in Nevada Determining Return on Investment

Pursuing a career in business has traditionally gone hand-in-hand with a college degree.

Phelps County Focus

WGU Missouri and UScellular provide pathway to earning degrees

WGU Missouri and UScellular, the fourth-largest, full-service wireless carrier in the nation, announced they have joined forces to provide UScellular associates with an affordable pathway to earning their bachelor’s or master’s degrees from WGU

Kona-Kohala Chamber

WGU and Hawai’i CC Partner to Offer Graduates Pathways to Pursue Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

WGU and Hawai’i CC Partner to Offer Graduates Pathways to Pursue Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees Online, nonprofit university extends special benefits to Hawai’i CC grads and employees

Grown and Flown

Three Generations, One Graduation, Our Hearts Could Burst

Asya Welz is a proud 2022 graduate, but at graduation her family, including her mom and grandma, did much more than sit clapping and beaming with pride in the audience. They graduated as well.

The Journal Record

Letter to the Editor: More support needed for teacher education

In your article regarding Oklahoma education funding, Governor Stitt was quoted as saying, “Oklahoma students can’t be the best without the best teachers.”

The Daily Yonder

Filling Rural North Carolina’s Maternal Health Care Desert

Two new training programs aim to expand the workforce in rural NC counties. Pregnant people could be some of the largest beneficiaries.

Inside Higher Ed

Ep.83: What Colleges and Instructors Need From Ed-Tech Companies

How to be partners, not vendors.

Huntsville Business Journal

Drake State, WGU Enter Partnership to Facilitate Continuing Education

Huntsville-based Drake State and Community Technical College has formally entered into a partnership with online, non-profit institution Western Governors University

The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Edge: This Online Giant Is Just Getting Started

Western Governors University celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, a good moment to look at how far it’s come — and, more importantly, where it’s headed.

KNXV-TV

Country continues to wait for student debt forgiveness decision by President Biden

Some higher education leaders ask Biden to do more than just forgive debt

National Governors Association

Computer Science Education And The Workforce

Governors, First Spouses, industry partners and national experts met in Boston, Massachusetts, to discuss K-12 computer science education, the focus of the NGA Chairman’s Initiative.

EdScoop

University faculty want more time to evaluate edtech, poll finds

Professors say they don’t have enough time to evaluate technology to be used in classrooms, according to a recent survey from the College Innovation Network, a project of WGU Labs, the research affiliate of Western Governors University.

U.S. News and Education

How to Pay for College Using Overlooked Strategies

Students and parents should consider these ideas for making college cheaper.

Workshift

What happens when the ‘hybrid college’ goes virtual?

PelotonU, a pioneer of the hybrid college, is rethinking its approach in the wake of the pandemic. We talked to the nonprofit’s co-founders about what has proven essential (coaching, and a lot of it) and what is open to change.

The EvoLLLution

Open Skills Libraries Help Today's Education and Training Providers Respond to the Recent Surge in Skills-based Hiring Practices

Transparancy with students is crucial for them to have successful educational journeys, develop their personal brand and stand out as potential employees.

CNBC

Op-ed: That college degree is no longer the only path to achieving the American Dream

As more employers recognize that the lack of a four-year college degree doesn’t mean a potential worker doesn’t have value, the return on investment for university graduates is dropping.

Bladen Journal

WGU North Carolina announces military service scholarships for 2022

As part of Military Appreciation Month, WGU North Carolina has announced that it is offering ten $2,500 Military Service Scholarships for 2022.

NC Health News

Filling rural NC’s maternal health care desert

Two new training programs aim to expand the workforce in rural NC counties. Pregnant people could be some of the largest beneficiaries.

Forbes

Why Having Two Types Of Elite Universities Will Restore Confidence In U.S. Higher Education

For decades, a disproportionate amount of attention has been paid to and showered upon a tiny number of the most selective colleges and universities in America.

Utah Policy

WGU creates Distinguished Alumni Council in Utah

If you had a question and needed an accurate answer, where would you go? Straight to the source.

Workshift

Unbundled, online ed was going to revolutionize college—could it still?

We talk with Burck Smith, founder of StraighterLine, about why the online course revolution hasn’t materialized—and why he believes it still will.

The Courier Times

How higher ed is addressing Indiana’s teacher shortage

For generations, it’s taken a certain kind of person to be an educator.

Chargin Valley Today

Guest column: Classroom heroes deserve our continued support

As Ohio and the nation observe National Teacher Appreciation Week from May 2-6, there’s even more reasons this year to voice our gratitude for America’s classroom heroes.

Montgomery Adviser

Key to improving healthcare deserts in Alabama? Family nurse practitioners

The past two years have revealed just how much our communities rely on nurses and nurse practitioners to provide quality care.

National Governors Association

Using Data To Advance Digital Skills: A State Playbook

To assist states in closing digital skill gaps and preparing for digital equity planning, this brief offers key questions and resources for state leaders to consider.

Higher Ed Dive

How online programs can keep students from disengaging and help them feel they belong

Student belonging is an ongoing process that requires outreach and a good user experience, writes a researcher and communications expert at WGU Labs.

Coal Valley News

SWVCTC expands programs, plans upgrades for performing arts center

SWVCTC expands programs, plans upgrades for performing arts center

Utah Policy

Utah Jazz scholarship winners ‘ready to make an impact on many lives’

Western Governors University (WGU) and the Utah Jazz teamed up to award four Utah students with a full year of tuition. Awarded during halftime at the Jazz – Memphis Grizzlies game on April 5th, these scholarships will allow the students to attend WGU, an online, non-profit university, tuition-free for one year.

The Connection

School district reaches deal with new teacher certification program

This month, the Robertson County School Board approved an out-of-state educator preparation partnership agreement.

EdSurge

The Digital Revolution Is Saving Higher Ed

The most notorious oracle predicting the coming death spiral of academia was the late Harvard University professor Clayton Christensen, who in 2011 famously forecast that “50 percent of the 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. will be bankrupt in 10 to 15 years.”

The Fan 104.3

Mile High Magazine 04/03/2022 Great “Reinvention”

Dr. Tonya Drake, Regional VP Northwest Region, Western Governors University Over 120,000 people left their jobs in Colorado last year during the “Great Resignation”.

Utah Policy

WGU and Canyons School District sign partnership to address teacher shortage

Western Governors University (WGU) and the Canyons School District announced a partnership to encourage more education support professionals to pursue teaching credentials and rewarding careers as teachers.

Bronx Times

Op-Ed | To achieve education equity, teachers need to reflect the students they serve

Research by the Learning Policy Institute found that students of color and white students reported having positive perceptions of their teachers of color — including feeling cared for and academically challenged.

Online Education

What is Competency-Based Education? Two Expert Perspectives

What if earning a degree was a matter of demonstrating mastery and skill rather than attending a set number of classes for a required number of weeks and repeating memorized information?

Grothman House

GROTHMAN INTRODUCES COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION ACT

Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-06) has introduced The Competency-Based Education Act to assist universities in cultivating learning environments that will allow students to learn at their own pace, called competency-based education (CBE), in an effort to more quickly lead young Americans to meaningful careers and less student loan debt. Grothman’s bill is cosponsored by Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07), Congressman Burgess Owens (UT-04), and Congressman Fred Keller (PA-12).

La Opinión

Por un futuro con más oportunidades para los inmigrantes

Asambleísta Blanca Rubio propone subvenciones para estudiantes mayores de 25 años que ingresen a universidades acreditadas en línea y sin importar su estado migratorio

Yakima Herald- Republic

Saturday Soapbox: Career exploration is reinventing the workforce

As we wrap up “Explore Your Career Options Week” April 3-10, it’s a good time to reflect on what we’ve all learned as a result of the pandemic workplace closures.

Spectrum News

Western Governors University launches new campaign to target adult learners in LA

The campaign is called "Success in the Making," and Richard Benbow is in charge of the pilot program that launched last month in the Los Angeles area.

McKinsey and Company

Using machine learning to improve student success in higher education

Deploying machine learning and advanced analytics thoughtfully and to their full potential may support improvements in student access, success, and the overall student experience.

Christensen Institute

Innovation in action: CBE and bridging the college to career gap

Education has no shortage of challenges.

University Business

The Great Reskilling: Cengage CEO Michael Hansen says higher ed must meet demand

The pandemic opened up huge possibilities for online learning and shorter-term credentials to help meet the needs of students and employers.

NC Tech

Exploring IT Degrees Positioned for Job Growth

North Carolina’s tech community has been abuzz since last April when Apple announced it was building a $1 billion campus in Research Triangle Park that could eventually employ 3,000 workers – mainly working on machine learning, artificial intelligence, and software engineering.

Campus Technology Insider

From Instructional Design to Learning Experience Design: Understanding the Whole Student

These days, we hear a lot about the "new normal" in higher education. Remote and hybrid learning is here to stay, offering students more flexibility in their learning journeys.

Open Campus Media

Time is a barrier for workers with college benefits

Do frontline workers have enough time to use their free college benefits? Also, free Big Tech certificates for 200K learners and a call for intentional design around skills-based hiring.

Inside Higher Ed

Evolving Conversation About Quality in Online Learning: Special Report

This free print-on-demand report explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped both the practice and perceptions of online, hybrid and blended learning in postsecondary education.

The Chronicle

Number of LCCC students passing nursing exams tops state, national rates

The number of Lorain County Community College nursing graduates passing the 2021 National Council Licensure Examination has outpaced state and national rates, the college announced last week.

The EvoLLLution

A Time for Learning Experience Designers

Changing the way we engage students, use technology and develop personal experiences can help us craft deeper, more meaningful connections in the months and years ahead.

Helix Education

Western Governors University Brings Skills & Labor Focus to New Program Development

How can higher ed be sure that its programs are delivering the skills employers and students want?

The Chronicle of Higher Education

The University in Ruins

The “innovations” that promise to save higher ed are a farce.

National Governors Association

State K-12 Education Trends For 2022

Nearly all Governors of the 55 states, commonwealths and territories deliver an annual State of the State address.

E School News

It’s time to focus on learning experience design

We must focus on the whole student experience if we want our learners to begin, continue, and succeed on their pathways to and through education

Sustaining Capitalism

The Future of Education: Where Is It, and What Does It Look Like?

Much has been written about the impact of technology, especially as it relates to teaching and learning during the pandemic, whether at the early grade school levels or for ongoing training in the workplace.

American Council on Education

THAT’S A WRAP ON ACE2022, ACE’S ANNUAL MEETING IN SAN DIEGO

Close to 900 members and leaders of the higher education community convened in San Diego for the first in-person ACE Annual Meeting since the pandemic.

KUER

More people enrolled in teacher preparation programs during the pandemic

Zach Asay had long been interested in becoming a teacher. His father, Brad Asay, taught for decades and later became the president of the teacher’s union AFT Utah.

SXSWEdu

WGU: A Model for the Future of Higher Education

For the past twenty-five years, Western Governors University (WGU) has been the model for online competency-based education, working toward the goal of making higher education truly student-centered.

Credential Engine

Open Skills and Rich Skill Descriptors: CTDL Enables Connections and Collaboration

With growing momentum for skills-based education and hiring, we all need to work together on shared solutions for more equitable ecosystems that enable everyone to have the skills necessary to thrive in a fast-moving and ever-evolving workforce.

ManifestED

ManifestED x Dr. Mark Milliron [Ep. 8]: Five Education Resolutions for a New Year

Join us as we speak with Dr. Mark Milliron, Senior Vice President of Western Governors University and Executive Dean of the Teachers College, and discuss a digital learning infrastructure, reimagine our learning models and competency based learning, how to champion healthy learning and balance educator self-care with professional development.

EdTech

Disruptive Innovation Helps Universities Overcome Financial Obstacles

Fast-growing universities are using digital transformation strategies and solutions to create financially sustainable business models.

The Tech Edvocate

A Time for Learning Experience Designers

If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that understanding the whole student matters. Since March of 2020, billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of person hours have been spent enabling remote learning access, rolling out strategic student supports—particularly around mental health—and providing emergency aid for students struggling with basic needs.

Utah Policy

First WGU, Alpine School District scholarship presented to ASD paraeducator

Local leaders from Western Governors University (WGU) and the Alpine School District surprised Tristan Chile with the first Pathway to Become a Teacher Scholarship in her classroom Friday morning.

Whats Up NewP

Opinion: Higher education is possible for all, but different approaches may be needed

For Rhode Islanders in Blackstone Valley communities, a college education can be difficult to access.

Hartford Courant

We need to address disparity of student loan debt that is hampering Black college graduates

Despite the United States Department of Education’s recent action to extend the pause on Federal student loan payments through May 1, student debt still looms as a national crisis impacting more than 43 million Americans who owe a combined $1.75 trillion in federal and private student costs.

DVIDS

US Naval Community College Selects 2 Schools for Cybersecurity Program

The U.S. Naval Community College selected two schools for its Pilot II cybersecurity degree programs Feb. 11, 2022.

Caller Times

Forum: Creating a more diverse workforce starts with a diverse student body

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has quickly become a business buzzword, with more companies piloting initiatives to create a more equitable workforce.

EdSurge

Triumphs and Troubles in Online Learning Abroad

I’ve always thought of the U.S. as the leader in digital learning, representing the most adventurous innovations.

Inside Higher Ed

How an App Increased Student Belonging at Rio Salado College

The RioConnect program showed that students attending the college asynchronously and online could feel a greater sense of belonging by using an app that connected them in a virtual community.

Forbes

Innovative Answers To College Affordability

The collapse of President Biden’s higher education agenda has put a kibosh on the notion that Washington will be offering up trillions of new dollars to deliver “free” community college or pay off student loans.

YourHub

Reduce Burnout in Frontline Workers by Helping Them Rediscover Their Purpose

On Valentine’s Day, we can offer more than candy and cards to help heal the hearts of exhausted frontline workers, including teachers and health care professionals.

Indianapolis Business Journal

Alison Bell: What’s next for Indiana’s workforce? The growth of IT

Workplaces across Indiana and the country continue to be redefined from all angles as the workforce evolution continues.

Federal News Network

How state agencies want to foster more resilient workforces and get them off assistance

Unemployment insurance has been a crucial safety net for the past couple of years.

Inside Higher Ed

Legislation Expands Pell Grants but Excludes Online Ed

Community college leaders want to know why the proposal to expand Pell Grants to short-term programs excludes online learning.

AMNY

Op-Ed | Black students are disproportionately burdened by debt — reimagining education can bring equity

Despite the United States Department of Education’s recent action to extend the pause on Federal student loan payments through May 1, 2022, student debt still looms as a national crisis impacting more than 43 million Americans who owe a combined $1.75 trillion in federal and private student costs.

Commercial Appeal

Five ways to improve schools, communities and students | Opinion

All parts of a regional education ecosystem — early learning, K-12, community colleges, colleges and universities — are interconnected.

The Evolllution

Quality Digital Education in 2022: Intentional Design Matters

Online education was once a Wild West of ideas and experimentation for early adopters.

Deseret News

Opinion: Want a master’s degree that pays off? Come to WGU

New data published in The Wall Street Journal shows that Western Governors University’s MBA had one of the best returns on investment in the country

Mountain Democrat

Guest column: California’s adult learners deserve equal access to financial aid

When I came to the United States from Russia, I had no idea how difficult making my way would be.

Forbes

Olympics Of Hypocrisy: At Online Universities, ‘Global’ Is Not World-Class

Today marks the start of the Winter Olympics. It’s also the 20th anniversary of the biggest scandal in Winter Olympics history.

The Spectrum

Utah nursing program created to combat COVID-19 overcrowding could become permanent

Utah has been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic for nearly two years and during this time nursing staffing levels have dropped precipitously.

KSL

New Utah partnership offers college readiness scholarships to Latinos

Claudia Gonzalez said she thought it was too late for her to complete a bachelor's degree.

EdSurge

Will Online Learning Lead to College Closures? Clay Shirky Says It’s Complicated.

It’s popular these days to argue that a pandemic boost of online education will lead to a wave of college closures.

Utah Policy

WGU Academy partners with Suazo Business Center to provide college readiness to Utah’s underserved communities

WGU Academy announced today a partnership with Suazo Business Center that will provide Utahns from Hispanic/Latino and other under underserved communities with college-readiness education scholarships.

Florida Politics

Grace Carpenter: SB 1284, HB 823 could help change the lives of Floridians, including future teachers

It could make a big difference in the lives of countless Floridians.

Penn Live

COVID-19 is forcing a rethinking of priorities in education | Opinion

Educators in Pennsylvania are still facing the challenge of pandemic-driven logistical burdens, budgetary fluctuations, dramatic teacher shortages and divisive politics.

KTSM

City of Sunland Park, WGU partner in education venture

Western Governors University (WGU) and the City of Sunland Park launched a new partnership agreement to create seamless transfer pathways for city employees who want to earn their bachelor’s or master’s degree with WGU Texas.

Idaho Education News

Mentoring puts the heart, connection into higher education

Good mentors are gold.

Clermont

K.L. Allen: Finding sustainable solutions to the workforce crisis in health care

Ohio is hitting new record highs for Covid infections and hospitalizations.

Your Hub

Better Together: Five Education Resolutions for a New Year

The shortage of teachers is reaching a critical point in Colorado.

EdNC

Perspective | Better together: Five education resolutions for a new year

Over the last two years, educators have grappled with change and challenges.

EdSurge

What Online Learning Reveals About Innovation in Higher Education

Change in higher education historically has been a dynamic process involving two sectors—one consisting of mainstream institutions and the other a grab bag of diverse, nontraditional organizations, service providers and emerging models.

Texas Tribune

Better together: Five education resolutions for a new year

The education challenges at hand are real and mounting, but educators, policymakers and community leaders can take steps towards a new solution with these resolutions.

The Daily Herald

Tonya Drake: For mentor and mentee, exchange deepens learning

In higher education and after, mentoring offers guidance, encouragement and a fresh perspective.

NewJersey.com

5 big things we must do to improve N.J.’s COVID-encumbered schools in 2022 | Opinion

Rebecca L. Watts, Ph.D. and Mark David Milliron, Ph.D., say it's not enough to simply pine for a return to normal for our schools, we have to be proactive and make some changes.

EdCircuit

BETTER TOGETHER: FIVE EDUCATION RESOLUTIONS FOR A NEW YEAR

Over the last two years, the Western Governors University faculty, staff, and leaders have worked with educators around the country, particularly in our public schools, who have been consumed with change and challenges.

Forbes

What Learning Can Learn From Machine Learning

Over the years, this biweekly letter has provided me with the opportunity to fully and fairly document just how much free time college students can have if they try. My college roommates tried really hard.

The Job Newsletter

The Job: Cloud Credentials

A look at how AWS plans to offer free cloud training to 29M people.

LinkedIn Live

How to Measure the Value of Higher Ed?

Western Governors University president, Scott Pulsipher, joins Jeff Selingo for LinkedIn Live to explain how his institution measures and explains value to the public and what they have learned in doing so that might apply to the rest of higher ed.

King 5

Want to invest in your education this year? WGU can help - New Day NW

Marissa Price, WGU's 250,000th graduate, joined New Day NW to talk about her experience with the online university.

Everett Post

WGU – Inspiring and Educating the Next Generation of Nurses

A career comes full circle as WGU Celebrates Its “Year of You”

The EdUp Experience Podcast

381: The Whole Equals the Sum of the Parts - with Linda Battles, Regional Vice President & Chancellor, WGU Texas

In this episode, President Series #131, YOUR guest is Linda Battles, Regional Vice President & Chancellor of Western Governors University Texas, YOUR host is Dr. Joe Sallustio, aka, THE Voice of Education, & YOUR sponsor is The Charles Koch Foundation!

CT Post

Opinion: Better together: Five education resolutions for a New Year

Opinion: Better together: Five education resolutions for a New Year

The Expert Center

WGU Experts Available

Our experts are available to respond to qualified inquiries from journalists, conference organizers and more.

Forbes

Our Labor Market Infrastructure Is Ancient: 3 Key Investments To Unlock Opportunity

“Infrastructure” connotes images of roads and bridges, the physical capital that enables movement across society.

Race to Value Podcast

A Legacy of Leadership in Value-Based Care and Competency-Based Education, with Michael O. Leavitt

This week we have the great honor of hosting one of the most respected American political leaders over the last few decades, a visionary who ushered in a new era of value-based care in our country during his tenure at HHS.

The Byran Times

K. L. Allen: Some resolutions that matter

If your New Year’s resolutions are like mine, most will have a “shelf life” shorter than holiday eggnog – turning sour and forgotten within days of January 1.

Canton Daily Ledger

Swope graduates from Westerns Governors University

Chastity Swope, a resident of Canton, has graduated from Western Governors University (WGU) with a Bachelor of Science in Business - Healthcare Management.

The Saratogian

Reader’s View: Better Together: Five education resolutions for a new year

Over the last two years, educators in New York have been challenged by pandemic-driven logistical burdens, budgetary ups and downs, dramatic teacher shortages, and divisive rhetoric.

ECampusNews

39 predictions for higher ed’s path in 2022

What edtech trends will take top billing on college and university campuses in the new year?

Real Clear Education

Five Education Resolutions for the New Year

Over the last two years, the Western Governors University faculty, staff, and leaders have worked with educators around the country, particularly in our public schools, who have been consumed with change and challenges.

Deseret News

Opinion: Take a moment to reflect on your blessings

As an immigrant to the United States, education has been the biggest, life-changing opportunity for me

Junction City Union

Earning a degree while in the military

Service members, veterans and their spouses have many reasons to seek college degrees. Some service members see it as a means to enhance their current military career, while others prepare for post-service careers.

The Tennessean

Family nurse practitioners are key to improving health care deserts in Tennessee| Opinion

Family nurse practitioners can be the saving grace for Tennessee health care deserts.

Idaho Mountain Express

With teachers scarce, BCSD hopes to 'grow' its own

New program will pay for existing staff become full-time teachers

Mexico Ledger

WGU Missouri partners with the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives to offer scholarships

In an effort to empower residents in rural areas of Missouri to go back to school and further their education, WGU Missouri has announced it has partnered with the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives to provide $1 million in scholarships to residents who are served by an electric cooperative and are interested in pursuing a degree from the online, nonprofit university.

KTVO-TV

IHCC, WGU sign new transfer agreement for students

Indian Hills Community College and Western Governors University have signed an articulation agreement.

Rice University

Rice’s Doerr Institute expands CoachRICE program to serve other institutions

The Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University is expanding its CoachRICE leadership coaching program, providing other institutions of higher education with training to improve how they develop students as high-potential leaders.

Utah Policy

Research tackles barriers for adult Utahns pursuing college degree, career change

Research tackles barriers for adult Utahns pursuing college degree, career change

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Alison Bell: With nurses exiting field at alarming rate, healthcare workers are in need of ‘rapid response’

Our healthcare workers are still feeling the pinch from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inside Higher Ed

New Alignment to Focus on Working Learners

Several colleges and universities that focus on adult and working learners are joining forces to try to better serve those students and ensure they have access to high-quality programs.

University Business

Model for the future? One fully online university’s stunning success

While others have slumped through the pandemic, Western Governors has grown enrollment and continued to innovate.

Times Higher Education

US universities hit science teacher training goal

Advocates fulfil 2011 Obama promise of 100,000 new science and engineering teachers in decade, citing gains in recruitment and evidence-based training

WTEN

Empire State Weekly: How New York Will Benefit from the Federal Infrastructure Bill

This week on Empire State Weekly, now that the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is signed into law, billions of dollars are heading to New York State to make long-lasting changes that will improve how New Yorkers travel, communicate, as well as enhance the overall health of the state from the ground up.

Inside Higher Ed

The Tangled Transition to Adulthood

Becoming an adult is much more difficult than it was 60 years ago.

The Crescent-News

Dr. K.L. Allen — The right time to finish your degree

The past year-and-a-half have been a challenge: lockdowns, health concerns, illness, working from home, job loss — we’ve seen it all.

Las Vegas Sun

Apprentice program aims to address ‘brain drain’

Although the national conversation around the labor shortage focuses primarily on minimum-wage roles, a different kind of labor shortage is occurring in smaller metropolitan and regional centers across the United States.

Governing

How Post-Secondary Education Is Squandering Human Potential

It’s little wonder that so many Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs — and quitting them. We need new approaches to education beyond high school that give every learner the opportunity to flourish.

New Hampshire Business Review

Higher education has a responsibility to help diversify NH’s workforce at all levels

Nationwide, women lost more than 12 million jobs during the pandemic’s recession, triggering what many have dubbed a “she-cession” because of the disproportionate employment losses by gender.

Rual Health Association of Tennessee

Rural Opportunity Must Be a Priority

The news is often gloomy regarding healthcare and education in rural communities

Ironton Tribune

K.L. Allen: New resources make it the right time to finish degree

The past year-and-a-half have been a challenge: lockdowns, health concerns, illness, working from home, job loss—we’ve seen it all.

Long Island Press

OpEd: Broadband Access Is a Long Island Problem

Much has been written about the digital divide — the lack of broadband access, specifically — in New York.

Getting Smart

Leading Together Toward Healthy Learning

Whether it’s preschool, grade school, high school, or higher education, there is not a privileged parent on the planet that is not careful about ensuring that their child is entering a healthy learning environment.

8 News Now

Western Governors University hosts in-person commencement for 1st time since 2019

More than 1,000 students participated in Western Governors University in-person graduation in Las Vegas Saturday.

The Courier Journal

Kentucky needs more nurses. Here's how to resuscitate our health care workforce | Opinion

According to a recent survey, more than half of Kentucky’s nurses reported feelings of exhaustion, anxiety and overwhelm as they face the unpredictability of COVID-19 both personally and professionally.

Inside Higher Ed

Old Wine in a New Bottle

Perhaps you remember the parable described in Matthew 9:17, about the danger of placing new wine in an old bottle. The parable’s lesson: innovating within an existing institution is likely to fail. Instead, transformational change needs to take place in a new organization.

WXMI-TV

'We don't have enough nurses.' Health care staffing shortages continue across Michigan

Since the start of the pandemic, Michigan continues to see a surge in patients. But hospitals are unable to meet the rising demand due to a nursing shortage, an issue the 7 Action News team highlighted in July.

Rio Grande Guardian

Battles: Just because WGU is online, it doesn’t mean we’re not part of South Texas community

The new chancellor of Western Governors University Texas has reaffirmed her institution’s “huge” commitment to South Texas.

Lehigh Valley Live

Adult students hold key to Lehigh Valley’s 21st century workforce potential | Opinion

President Biden’s recent trip to the Lehigh Valley and Gov. Tom Wolf’s visit last month to Easton underscored a desire to improve the quality of life experienced in the region by revitalizing local communities for the 21st century and fostering economic prosperity for residents.

Open Campus Media

A college-wide approach to accelerating student careers

One of the more promising models for helping lower-income and underrepresented college students transition to the workforce, Braven, is poised to achieve an elusive milestone in the college-to-career space: scale.

SoundCloud

WGU Missouri: Perfect fit for veterans

Dr. Angie Besendorfer, Chancellor of WGU Missouri, with details about their special opportunities for those who have served our country, plus the more about what separates them from other higher education institutions.

The Missouri Times

DESE unveils new recruitment initiative amid teacher shortage

As the nation grapples with a teacher shortage, Missouri is reaching out to the next generation of educators through a new recruitment platform.

EdScoop

WGU partners with governors to ‘democratize’ higher education

The National Governors Association on Thursday announced it’s formed a partnership with Western Governors University to develop best practices in state policy that can improve access to higher education.

Wall Street Journal

A Graduate Degree That Pays Off: The M.B.A.

Wall Street Journal analysis of federal student loan data found 98% of programs leave students with manageable debt loads

Herald Net

Comment: Daylight saving is a time to thank health care staff

While you get an extra hour of sleep, night shift nurses are getting some treats from WGU-Washington.

Inside Higher Ed

Making Transfer Work for Rural Students and Communities

Too often, transfer demands that rural students leave their communities to continue their education.

California Business Journal

The Shift To Online Education And Degrees Isn’t New; It Follows The Historical Educational Trend Since The Turn Of The 20th Century

Western Governors University is the leader in today’s online education classification with graduates landing positions at Apple, Disney, Facebook, IBM, Bank of America, Cedars-Sinai, American Express, Duke University, AT&T and Johns Hopkins.

National Governors Association

National Governors Association Welcomes 6 States To 2nd Phase Of Workforce Innovation Network

Hawaiʻi, North Carolina, North DakotaHawaiʻi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania And Rhode Island Join Network To Close Workforce Achievement Gaps By Advancing Digital Skill Development, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania And Rhode Island Join Network To Close Workforce Achievement Gaps By Advancing Digital Skill Development

Richmond Times- Dispatch

Letters to the Editor for Oct. 29, 2021: A competency-based path to a degree amid aid issues

Students from low-income high schools in Richmond and elsewhere are part of a critical segment of Virginia’s population: individuals who have not pursued higher education, and the jobs that could result, largely because they didn’t apply for or receive financial aid.

Delaware Business Times

VIEWPOINT: Unlocking pay equity, leadership roles for women

Nationwide women lost more than 12 million jobs during the pandemic’s recession, triggering what many have dubbed a “she-cession” because of the disproportionate employment losses by gender.

King 5

Considering a new career? The cybersecurity field is growing

An accredited online cybersecurity program prepares students for a career dedicated to fighting cybercrime.

San Antonio Report

Texas needs nurses now more than ever

In August, Texas faced a worst-case scenario: rural and urban hospitals were hitting capacity across the state.

Seattle Business Magazine

Reskilling and Upskilling

The pandemic has touched each of our lives in unique ways. One significant impact has been to workers and learners across the country.

Global Health Talks

Equitable learning opportunities for new nurses

With over 130,000 students at Western Governors University (WGU) delivering online courses from the US, Dr Jan Jones-Schenk is the Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the College of Health Professions.

WCET Frontiers

Student ROI and the Role of Stackable Credentials

Now more than ever, learner-workers need faster, more flexible options in their education pathways to stay competitive in the world of work.

11 Alive

Western Governors University

Check out the competitive MBA program at online university Western Governors University.

Yes! Weekly

Leading Together Toward Healthy Learning

Whether it’s preschool, grade school, high school, or higher education, there is not a privileged parent on the planet that is not careful about ensuring that their child is entering a healthy learning environment.

The EvoLLLution

Humanizing Online Education Through Technology and Community

During the extended pandemic, traditional colleges and universities have rushed to move programs online by simply transferring an existing degree to a digital format.

Higher Ed Dive

Pandemic fueled huge online-only enrollment growth, report finds

Pandemic fueled huge online-only enrollment growth, report finds

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Weekly Briefing: Which State Lost the Most Undergraduates Last Fall?

The enrollment picture for undergraduates has been grim lately. Some surveys have found that undergraduate enrollment dropped 3.6 percent in the fall of 2020 and 4.9 percent in the spring of 2021.

Idaho Education News

Episode 28: COVID-19 and children’s health, an inside look

The trends and the numbers are clear. As the delta variant has taken hold in Idaho, children’s coronavirus cases have soared to record levels.

Inside Indiana Business with Gerry Dick

Reimagining a 'New Possible' in Education Can Prepare Students for an Evolving Workforce

Over the past year, it’s clear that the pandemic has been uniquely challenging for Hoosier workers and employers as many had to shift their operations to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Edge: Deal Creates New Model for Adult Learners

Last month an adult-serving institution of 22,000 students officially switched its affiliation from the California university where it began 60 years ago to the public-university system in Massachusetts.

KSL.com

Weber County partners with WGU to address intergenerational poverty

Weber County Commissioners, the Weber Prosperity Center of Excellence and Western Governors University signed a resolution on Tuesday announcing a partnership that is expected to support more than 7,000 children impacted by intergenerational poverty in the county.

Inside Higher Ed

The Future of Higher Ed Is Occurring at the Margins

Combined, the current trends tell us that, taken as a whole, colleges and universities must brace for five new realities, Arthur Levine and Scott Van Pelt write.

The Daily Herald

Comment: Students’ time learning online suggests possibilities

More than a workaround during covid, strategies for higher ed need further development by partners.

Idaho Education News

Episode 26: The present, and the future, of online higher ed

For a quarter century — since the Internet’s infancy — Western Governors University has provided online higher education.

Olean Times Herald

Guest Comment: Broadband infrastructure vital to rural NY opportunities

As New York charts a path forward from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent analysis of census data conducted by Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts, estimates the state saw its rural population shrink by 4.7% from 2010 to 2020, among the steepest declines in the nation.

Fortune

Historically Black colleges can’t solve tech’s diversity problem alone

It has been a record year for funding and interest for the country’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Examiner Enterprise

A ‘new possible’ in education

As we look back on the last year and a half of education during the pandemic, it’s not hard to be reminded of the F5 tornado that hit Bridge Creek and Moore, Oklahoma on May 3, 1999.

Fountain Valley News

A New Possible Education

The rain fell for nearly a week, causing massive flooding from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs. Homes were destroyed, roads washed away, and lives lost. The cost to the many cities and towns along the Front Range impacted by the disaster totaled $4 billion.

The Tennessean

Addressing concerns and questions in education could lead to new possibilities | Opinion

By coming together to vision what is possible and working together to design what we want to bring forward, we can become better and stronger than we were before the crisis.

Record Searchlight

Speak your piece: Adults in rural California need access to education, too

For rural Californians, a college education can be hard to come by. It’s not an issue of desire. It’s an issue of access.

The Greeneville Sun

A New Possible Education

Schools across Tennessee are open, and so much is already up in the air. Confusion and uncertainty with the Delta variant, mask mandates, the risk of student exposure, and the inevitability of lost teaching days, all before the first school quarter is even done.

Campus News

WGU’s Rivera-Luna Scholarship targets NYC students

Western Governors University (WGU) announced the Rivera-Luna Scholarship for Business and Information Technology, which has a total committed value of $25k that will support students living in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan who have high financial need and wish to enroll at WGU to study business or information technology (IT).

Inside Higher Ed

Next Steps, New Directions Emerge for Life Beyond College: Part 2

In light of virtual internship and alternative career exploration experiences that occurred (or did not) during COVID, what supports do students now expect and need?

Inside Higher Ed

Next Steps, New Directions Emerge for Life Beyond College: Part 1

Future plans and career preparation approaches have shifted for students during the pandemic. How have they turned to college supports for help?

Pennsylvania Capital Star

Amid renewed push to expand Pell Grant eligibility, Pa. must remove barriers for students | Opinion

The expansion of the Second Chance Pell experiment represents an important first step toward a brighter future for thousands of students in Pennsylvania state prisons

Spokane Public Radio

Pandemic Education At Western Governors University

The pandemic has forced schools to move their teaching online for safety reasons. But there are education institutions that went online years ago to be more convenient for their constituents.

The Political Life

The Competency-based Revolution in Higher Education

Western Governors University (WGU) is an online university where students can earn an affordable, accredited, career-focused college degree at an accelerated pace.

Montgomery Advertiser

Say no to normal: Create a new possibility for education in Alabama

Schools across Alabama are open, and so much is already up in the air. Confusion and uncertainty with the delta variant, mask mandates, the risk of student exposure, and the inevitably of lost teaching days, all before the first school quarter is even done.

The New York Times

The Pandemic Has Accelerated Demands for a More Skilled Work Force

Even groups that regularly disagree on labor issues said there should be significant public investment in programs that can upgrade the skills of American workers.

The Evolllution

Better Serving the Underserved Through Personalization

Personalized learning in higher education doesn’t need to be a far-off feature. Institutions of higher education can start implementing personalized learning strategies now to better serve their underserved learners and create a more equitable educational space.

The Evolllution

Personalized Learning Experience at Scale

Higher education has been set in its traditional ways for decades, and with digital innovation at the forefront of everyone’s lives, it’s critical to be more digitally engaged with your students.

EducationNC

Perspective | A new possible in education

As we look back on the last year and a half of education during the pandemic, it is easy yet disheartening to see what a uniquely challenging time this has been for students and teachers.

Idaho Business Review

A new possible in education

The fire burned for four straight days, scorching thousands of acres in the foothills north of Boise.

NNY360

Rebecca L. Watts: We must provide a path to success for New Yorkers re-entering society

Amidst alarming news of the Delta variant and ongoing COVID-19 relief efforts, we must not overlook how recent legislation brought about a monumental, generation-defining shift to help people in prison successfully re-enter society.

Forbes

Leveraging Partnerships To Support Underrepresented Students In Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated many socioeconomic, racial, and geographic inequalities.

Springfield News Ledger

A new possible in education

Looking back on education during the last 18 months of the pandemic, it’s easy to be reminded of the EF5 tornado that hit Joplin, Mo., on May 22, 2011.

The Bradford Era

Infrastructure ensures quality education, economic prosperity for rural Pa.

As Pennsylvania charts a path forward from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent analysis of census data conducted by Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts, estimates the commonwealth saw its rural population shrink by 4.7% from 2010 to 2020, among the steepest declines in the nation

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Facebook Awards $38 Million for Affordable Housing and Homelessness in Silicon Valley

Facebook’s gift to four nonprofits is the first round of grants from its $150 million commitment to affordable housing in California’s Silicon Valley.

KSL

Are men less interested in college?

Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University joins the show to talk a new study that shows only 40% of students are men, and why more men are choosing to go straight to work after high school.

Utah Public Radio

Recent Study Examines Barriers For Nontraditional Students

Western Governors University recently conducted a study about the outstanding barriers adult learners in Utah face as nontraditional students.

Hechinger Report

COLUMN: Changes to come should be ‘music to your ears,’ higher education innovators say

Pandemic accelerates glacial pace of change — along with fears of ‘two worlds’

eLearningInside News

When COVID-19 Broke Out, I Was Fired, Had a Child, and Started Pursuing My Degree in Special Ed Online

Due to COVID-19, 2.4 million women have left the job force nationwide and the labor participation of women in the workforce has dropped to its lowest level since 1988.

The Buffalo News

Another Voice: Character education matters in today's world

Horace Mann, the catalyzing force behind America’s public education system, believed so much in character development that he held its importance at the same level as academic instruction.

Daily Press

Opinion: New program will open college doors to more veterans

College was mostly reserved for the wealthy prior to World War II. But the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, known as the G.I. Bill of Rights, allowed millions of returning servicemen to pursue an education instead of entering the workforce.

Forbes

Unbundling And Other Untruths

A few years back, my college roommate Dave saw on Facebook that our other roommate, Alex, was staying at the Royal Sonesta New Orleans. Naturally, he called the front desk and asked to be connected to Alex's room.

The Edadvocate

A New Possible Education

As we look back on the last year and a half of education during the pandemic, it is easy yet disheartening to see what a uniquely challenging time this has been for students and teachers.

Capital Gazette

Rebecca L. Watts: For incarcerated, Pell Grants a lifeline to the future | COMMENTARY

In a recent announcement that should not be overlooked, the U.S. Department of Education recently laid the foundation for a monumental, generation-defining shift that will help people in prison successfully re-enter society.

The EvoLLLution

Building Institutional Capacity for Microcredentials: A Framework for Innovation

As conversations about a new normal continue, it’s important for institutions to look at a microcredential framework to survive and thrive when serving the modern learner.

NJ Spotlight

Op-Ed: Props for learning program that helps incarcerated adults re-enter society

The federal government is expanding the Second Chance Pell Grant experiment

Idaho Statesmen

Western Governors University helps Idahoans seize opportunities in post-pandemic economy

Work Shift

A ‘Skills-Denominated’ Learning and Work Model

Western Governors University has continued its remarkable growth amid the pandemic. With an enrollment of more than 130,000 students, WGU is one of the nation’s largest universities. And just under 50,000 students graduated from the online, competency-based university during the last academic year.

Working Nation

WorkingNation Overheard: Scott Pulsipher on access for the working learner

Western Governors University is a fully accredited online institution with career-aligned bachelor's and master's degrees in IT, teaching, business, and healthcare and designed to help working professionals fit an online university education into their busy lives. “If individuals don’t have internet access, we certainly are going to find ourselves in a situation where large portions of our people are not able to engage in the economy and change their lives,” says WGU president Scott Pulsipher.

The Hechinger Report

OPINION: Time to talk about the many ways higher education must change

Innovators are gathering in San Diego this week to discuss new ways of delivery for a new era

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

2021 NASFAA Gold Star Award Winner Western Governors University Preaches Responsible Borrowing- and Students Listen

Too often, borrowers are saddled with burdensome student loan debts and leave school unable to make payments on loan amounts they probably shouldn't have even taken out in the first place.

EdSurge

Are College Students Comfortable Using EdTech? Maybe Not

Without reliable access to the internet and devices like laptops or cell phones, college students probably aren’t going to succeed in online learning.

ESchoolNews

3 ways students can be ready for college and a career

Ensuring college and career readiness can be daunting, but these tips can help students prepare for success after high school

The Daily Item

Pa.needs access to affordable broadband

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, access to affordable broadband internet became a significant challenge for many Americans.

NJ.com

Character education builds communities that thrive | Opinion

Our nation has seen many cultural and lifestyle changes over the past 15 months, prompting our society to self-reflect on everything from social norms to social justice to educational priorities.

LoHud.com

The Great Resignation: Workers demand flexibility. Higher Ed should listen | Opinion

As the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic begin to decrease across the country, millions of former employees have spoken. No longer satisfied with the pre-pandemic status quo, they’re intent on claiming — or holding onto — work on their terms: more fulfillment, more money, more flexibility.

EdSurge

Why the Future of Work Needs a Shared Language to Describe Skills

Today, job seekers rely on outdated methods to communicate their abilities and work experiences. The status quo fails to capture the full spectrum of an individual’s range of skills and creates a bias favoring credentialed learning, which hurts the nearly 70 percent of Americans who don’t have a college degree.

Sustaining Capitalism Podcast

What is the Future of Remote Learning?

In this episode, Dr. Mark Milliron, Senior Vice President & Executive Dean of the Teachers College at Western Governors University, joins Elizabeth Crofoot, Senior Economist at the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED), to discuss the role that remote learning can play in reimagining a more equitable and resilient education system.

Open Campus Media

Is this finally the moment for competency-based education?

Advocates have been touting the promise of competency-based education for a long time. They argue that the delivery method’s flexibility is good for working students, and that the focus on mastering skills is attractive to employers.

Biz Journals

Educators grapple with accessibility issues after years of remote learning

Schools spent much of the last year educating in a remote setting. That exacerbated the accessibility issues some students face.

The Nevada Independent

The importance of the emerging technologies task force

Nevada has long been a state with a diverse population. However, in the wake of the recent economic storm front that descended upon the Silver State from the pandemic, renewed calls are underway for Nevada to diversify its economy as well.

Hartford Business

With uptick in attacks, demand for hard-to-find cybersecurity talent grows

recent slew of cyberattacks targeting major employers is pushing companies of all sizes to ramp up their network defenses — and putting a renewed focus on a national shortage of cybersecurity workers, a problem industry figures say they’ve been grappling with for years.

South Bend Tribune

Viewpoint: Indiana’s workforce depends on acknowledging, acting on women’s job loss

Due to the effects of the pandemic and our world being turned upside down, we’re unfortunately witnessing another national crisis. The labor participation of women in the workforce is where it was in the 1980s as 2.4 million women have left the labor force nationwide.

The Providence Journal

Opinion/Watts: Rhode Island learners need closure of digital divide

Rhode Island is ranked fourth in the nation for best broadband access, with 84% of households subscribed to the internet, compared to 83% nationally, and 99% with access to highspeed broadband.

CT News Junkie

The Great Resignation: Responsive Higher Education for a Rapidly Changing Job Market

As the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic appear to be waning across the country, a promising workforce trend is taking hold. Individuals of virtually every job description, having reassessed and reevaluated their preferences and priorities during the past year, are evaluating the characteristics of their jobs from a fresh perspective.

Complete College America

CCA On the Air | Rethinking Higher Education with WGU President Scott Pulsipher

Complete College America (CCA) is committed to being a bold voice in the higher education space elevating critical conversations that both actively and passively impact college completion.

WSAZ News Channel 3

Education for the working mother

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, more the 24 million women have left the labor force nationwide. And by the end of last year, West Virginia’s labor force lost 113,000 workers - with nearly three times as many women unemployed compared to the previous year.

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Alison Bell: Working mothers need options, support as they recover from the pandemic’s wrath on women in the workforce

We are unfortunately facing yet another national crisis as the pandemic has taken equity out of the workplace, namely for women and working mothers. Recent federal data continues to indicate women are having to leave work at a far greater rate than men.

Courier Journal

The future of Kentucky’s workforce depends on providing equitable opportunities for women

The pandemic has taken equity out of the workplace, namely for women and working mothers. Recent federal data continues to indicate women are having to leave work at a far greater rate than men.

Forbes

Renewing The Promise Of Higher Education

Policy should consider critical challenges of completion, cost, relevancy, and ultimately, value.

The Baltimore Sun

Online education: preparing the workforce for the future

If Maryland’s workforce is to respond to the ever-changing needs of business and industry, and if employers are to provide thriving-wage jobs that allow individuals to advance in chosen career paths, there is work to do.

The EdUp Experience Podcast

Personalized Learning Experience at Scale - with Dr. Marni Baker-Stein, Provost/CAO, Western Governors University

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! In this episode, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome Dr. Marni Baker-Stein, Provost/CAO, Western Governors University! Marni talks about WGU's expansion while they've personalized the learning experience at scale.

NASFAA

2021 Gold Star Award Winner

NASFAA's Gold Star Award recognizes innovative ideas in the financial aid arena at any level, targeted toward any constituency. This award is open to individuals working at NASFAA member institutions; member institutions; regional associations; and state associations.

The Citizens’ Voice

Immigrants are key to our economic recovery

Immigrants to any country face many obstacles, and sometimes highly skilled and college-educated immigrants encounter barriers when trying to apply their skills and knowledge in their new home. For those holding an H1B visa or achieving U.S. citizenship, enrolling in an accredited, online U.S. college or university can help them overcome these barriers.

NYDailyNews

How to end she-cession: Prioritize workplace flexibility

Walking the streets of New York City, you can begin to feel optimism. Summer is around the corner. COVID-19 vaccinations and hospitalizations are trending in the right direction.

NewJersey.com

Thousands in New Jersey still don’t have broadband access | Opinion

Rebecca L. Watts, a Jersey City resident and regional vice president for Western Governors University, says nearly 345,000 households in New Jersey still do not have an internet subscription and more than 300,000 more receive their internet connection via a cellular data plan. We can't afford to let lack of broadband access hinder educational and business opportunities in the state.

The Columbus Dispatch

Opinion: Juneteenth is opportunity to reflect on dreams that do have to remain deferred

This June 19, we commemorate the 156th year of Juneteenth, a celebration of our nation’s most infamous deferred dream, the long prayed-for abolishment of slavery.

Big Country News

State of Idaho Partners With Western Governors University to Expand Options For Idaho Workforce

On Tuesday, June 15, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Western Governors University (WGU) – a leading nonprofit, online university – to expand access to affordable degree programs for Idahoans who need additional education to thrive in the state’s evolving workforce.

CTExaminer

COVID-19’s Disproportionate Impact on Women Remains a Barrier to Economic Recovery

The arrival of the most optimistic of seasons – spring – and the accelerating rate of vaccinations across the adult population are offering hope that economic recovery may also be within sight.

95.3MNC

Pandemic could worsen educational inequity for Indiana women

The pandemic may have long-term consequences on women’s ability to earn degrees and make inroads in the workforce, and higher-education leaders across the state say schools should be coming up with better ways to help women achieve their goals.

NBCLX

How a Single Mother Overcame Homelessness and Inspired a Community

'This is the reality of our situation: I’m a mom, and I’m going to fight for our kids, and I’m going to fight for my education.'

KSL

Is it time to change careers? 41% of workers are considering it.

If you are out of a job, would you be willing to change careers? Not jobs but careers.

The Pueblo Chieftain

A Pueblo teacher wanted to get a second master's degree. The stimulus helped her do it.

The coronavirus pandemic has put a heavy burden on education and teachers in particular.

Business Wire

T-Mobile and Western Governors University Work to Keep College Students Connected

KSL

How Utah hopes to help those who left college get their degree back on track

Israel Sanchez, who is working toward a bachelor's degree in health care administration at Western Governors University, has been on a circuitous journey in higher education for nearly two decades.

CBS News

School honors mother of three who earned her college degree while homeless

Crystal Allenton returned to her alma mater, WGU Washington, this week, more than five years after she received her bachelor's degree from the school.

Forbes

Forgive Us Our Debts: The Racial Inequity At The Root Of The Student Loan Crisis

The “student debt crisis” is not a monolith; it masks a range of underlying dynamics.

WorkingNation

The digital divide is disenfranchising jobseekers and students

“The internet is no longer this perceived privilege, or some convenience, it is truly fundamental to one’s quality of life and our society at large. The internet has become this new superhighway connecting businesses, and health care, and education, and students.”

Utah Business

2021 Corporate Counsel Honorees

As outside counsel, attorneys help companies solve specific problems. But as in-house counsel, attorneys have the opportunity to help their companies develop short-term goals and long-term strategies.

Forbes

Real Help For Student Loan Borrowers (Outside Of Praying For Loan Forgiveness)

There have been plenty of rumors regarding federal student loan forgiveness, as well as several different plans that could bring this type of plan to fruition — at least for some.

Higher Ed Dive

How 3 megauniversities think local to aid students during natural disasters

Western Governors, Grand Canyon and Southern New Hampshire are using their scale to help students cope with crises in their communities.

The Journal of Competency-Based Education

Enabling pathways to opportunity through a skills‐based architecture

Inside Higher Ed

Colleges, McKinsey and Strada Start Task Force on Higher Education and Opportunity

The leaders of three dozen colleges and universities plus global consulting giant McKinsey & Co. and Strada Education Network, a nonprofit focused on the education-to-employment pipeline, announced a new group Monday called the Taskforce on Higher Education and Opportunity.

Christensen Institute

Scott Pulsipher reveals how being deliberate in nurturing connections can pave pathways never previously imagined

At WGU, our mission is to create pathways to opportunity, whether that be your first opportunity, your next opportunity, or the one after that.

Forbes

New Report Shows The Success Of WGU Academy’s College Readiness Program

A new study shows that an online college readiness program is effective in helping college students make better academic progress in their first year of study.

Strada Education Network

How to Make Online Ed Work for Students

Can the pandemic induce higher education to jump-start the future of learning?

Higher Ed Dive

3 ways the pandemic is changing colleges' mandate right now

The health crisis is accelerating the need to cater to adult students and unbundle degrees, college officials said during last week's virtual SXSW EDU conference.

Campus Technology

6 Ways COVID-19 and Social Justice Intersect in Higher Ed

Financial pressures, political unrest, health concerns — here's how the pandemic and concurrent equity challenges have impacted both institutions and their students.

Washington Monthly

What’s Missing from the American Rescue Plan

We still need reform and funding for the federal government’s crazy quilt of job training and career assistance programs.

The Washington Post

Opinion: Virginia’s incarcerated can now receive Pell Grants. It will benefit everyone.

Amid a presidential transition and covid-19 relief efforts, recent legislation has brought about a monumental, generation-defining shift to help incarcerated people successfully reenter society.

Deseret News

370K Utahns have some college, no degree; this proposal aims to help some finish what they started

Adult learners grant program could make college completion accessible, affordable

Forbes

Elite Universities Should Enroll A Million Students

What would a Harvard of a million students look like? Have you ever wondered?

Topcoder

Making 2021 the Year of Reskilling

Reskilling was a major topic in 2019, and it’s re-emerging as we get back to work in 2021.

The Hechinger Report

Why is it so hard for workers to find new jobs?

Saeed Shareef badly wanted to get out of the restaurant industry.

Forbes

Does Biden’s Vision On Loan Forgiveness Go Far Enough?

In Peter Drucker’s famous phrasing, customers don’t want a quarter inch drill, they want a quarter inch hole.

Forbes

College Enrollment Shrank In Fall 2020 (But Not Everywhere)

College enrollment declined in Fall 2020, according to estimates by the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), but the decline was far less severe than many observers previously predicted.

Forbes

The Top 100 Companies For Remote Jobs In 2021

For years, translation and localization company Lionbridge has maintained a remote workforce, with employees operating from 5,000 cities around the globe.

Forbes

Happy? New Year: Five Resolutions For Higher Ed

t week felt more like the 53rd week of the prior year, rather than the first week of 2021. Our expectations for a new year, one in which we can finally stop using the word ‘unprecedented’, may already have been dashed.

Working Nation

Higher education must innovate and put non-traditional learners first

Learners First Framework: Presidents Forum outlines 10 principles the group believes will help all institutions better serve their increasingly diverse student populations

Money

How to Go to College for Free (or Pretty Close to It)

Facing economic instability and comparatively high unemployment, millions of Americans are considering their career plans from a fresh lens, including the possibility of starting or continuing college.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Scott Pulsipher on Reimagining Talent Finance

Education should be the surest path to opportunity. But traditional higher education has two fundamental design problems: first, we have conceived education as a path as leading only to the first opportunity, as opposed to a continuous path that leads us through our entire careers.

EdSurge

New U Venture Partners Gets a New Partner, Name and Investment Scope

New U Venture Partners is getting a new partner. And along with that comes a new name and a broader investment thesis.

The Evolllution

Fast Forward: Looking to the Future Workforce and Online Learning

With employers and students looking to close the gap in workforce skills, it’s critical for them to know what skills are in need the most.

The College Post

College, University Presidents Promote ‘Learners First’ Higher Ed Reform

With long-standing issues such as widening racial and economic inequality and outdated course offerings being amplified by the pandemic, US colleges and universities are being called upon to reassess their policies and practices.

Education Dive

College network debuts framework to serve diverse student bodies

The members of the Presidents Forum — many of whom helm large online colleges such as Western Governors, Southern New Hampshire and Capella universities — will meet over the next 15 months to share best practices and produce resources for other institutions to meet the framework's goals, according to a news release.

Getting Smart

Marni Baker Stein on What’s Next For Higher Education

On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we’re talking with Marni Baker Stein, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Western Governors University (WGU).

Higher Ed Dive

College network debuts framework to serve diverse student bodies

The members of the Presidents Forum — many of whom helm large online colleges such as Western Governors, Southern New Hampshire and Capella universities — will meet over the next 15 months to share best practices and produce resources for other institutions to meet the framework's goals, according to a news release.

Market Scale

How a Utah Incubator is Helping to Solve Education’s Tech Needs

The world of EdTech is exploding as the demand rises due to COVID. However, taking a curriculum from in-person to online isn’t as easy as turning on a webcam.

Ed Surge

Trump’s Legacy For Students and Workers: Shifting Focus From ‘Degrees’ to ‘Skills’

About 36 percent of Americans age 25 and older have earned at least a bachelor’s degree.

Telecompetitor

Governors Report on Broadband Best Practices for States, CARES Act Broadband Funding

Governors can help spur broadband deployment in their states through a range of best practices, according to a new report from the National Governors Association and Western Governors University.

Institute of Effectiveness in Higher Education

Using Data to Support Adult Learners in Competency-Based Education

At the beginning of 2020, none of us could have predicted the challenges we’d face this year.

Education Technology Insights

The Key to Regaining America’s Trust in Higher Ed? Skills

Education Dive

Western Governors spins off college readiness program as a nonprofit

WGU Academy, the college readiness arm of Western Governors University, announced this week that it has become a separate nonprofit corporation.

EdTech Magazine

EDUCAUSE 2020: College Presidents Rally to Lead and Empower in Response to COVID-19

Higher education is facing one of its most existential threats with the global COVID-19 pandemic forcing campuses to shut down and shift to virtual instruction indefinitely.

News 12 Brooklyn

Surprise graduation ceremony, wedding engagement cap big day for Brooklyn woman

A Brooklyn woman who planned on surprising her parents with her master’s in business degree had the tables turned on her during a day she will never forget.

The Evolllution

Disruption, Leadership in Crisis, and Re-Imagining the Promise of Higher Education

With the degree to which the pandemic has disrupted higher education, it’s more important than ever for leaders and institutions to embrace change and push for a more innovative future that will not only provide institutional benefits but also a better learning experience to students.

Hechinger Report

OPINION: Time to rebuild the economy, not just stimulate it

The American economy is in dire need of life support, and federal stimulus efforts have been critical to limiting the economic damage. But cash infusions aren’t nearly enough. We need to do more than get Americans back to work; we need to prepare them for a future of work that looks very, very different.

Ellucian

Ellucian Announces 2020 Impact Award Winners

Ed tech leader awards $150,000 in grants to six institutions; Prize recognizes excellence in student experience, innovation and digital transformation

Silicon Slopes Newsroom

Bridging the Digital Divide

It is sobering to consider what the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic would have been if it had taken place 30 years ago, before internet access was ubiquitous and pocket-sized devices could connect us to the world of learning and work, to far flung friends and family, and to entertainment and consumption with only a click.

U.S. News & World Report

How to Pay for College Using Overlooked Strategies

Students might not be aware of these strategies to pay for college, including options created in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Forbes

Finding A New Job Is Hard, But New Tech Can Change That

How do you share your talents, abilities, knowledge, and achievements? It isn’t always easy to communicate what we can do through a résumé or job application.

WSAW-TV

The digital divide crisis in education

More than 21 million Americans have no meaningful access to the Internet, a divide widened by the pandemic. This lack of access impacts more than 15 million students and as the rest of the country shifts to virtual work, health, and education “new normal,” it is the same “old normal” for these forgotten students who are offline and out of mind.

NPR

How To Make The Most Of Online College This Fall

Millions of students are starting the fall semester online — in their childhood bedrooms, at kitchen tables surrounded by siblings or wherever they can find a quiet spot — as the coronavirus has forced more than a third of four-year colleges to teach entirely virtually.

Forbes

Covid Is Hurting Higher Ed’s Bottom Line. Who Should Foot The Bill?

Our system of higher education is internationally admired, but also hugely expensive

Stat

Go national to solve the country’s looming nursing shortage

Nurses need our support now more than ever as they manage the frontlines in the fight against Covid-19, working long hours and risking their own well-being to care for those who are sick.

Quartz

History will look back on 2020 as a turning point for US universities

Covid-19 has forced universities to reckon with online higher education, many for the first time.

Diplomatic Courier

Embracing a Skills-Based Future

Embracing a Skills-based Future Is Now More Urgent than Ever.

Deseret News

Colleges will survive the fall. The bigger question is how we help students thrive

How can we renew higher education as the surest path to opportunity? How can we make sure that its promise is widely and equitably accessible?

RealClear Policy

The Outdated Tax Provision Holding Back Economic Recovery

The economic impact of the pandemic — including job losses — is going to get worse before it gets better.

KSL News Radio

WGU’s Scott Pulsipher on innovating education amid COVID

Western Governors University president Scott Pulsipher joins Boyd to discuss the nonprofit university's perspectives on higher education amid the COVID pandemic and how they are already one step ahead with their mission of innovating higher education and a skill-focused curriculum.

Times Higher Education

Pandemic crisis touted as time to finally embrace older students

Campus-focused plans show US colleges still too age-limited, says job-centric pioneer

Inside Higher Ed

Online Learning's Outlook for the Fall

Many questions loom about remote learning in coming months. Will online offerings from colleges be more sophisticated? What steps need to be taken to ensure academic quality in online learning? And will short-term credentials be more popular?