Online education has a home in TN
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Since Gov. Bill Haslam announced the Drive to 55 initiative in 2013, he has launched two large programs that will become the face of his higher-education legacy: Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect.
The first has already made big strides in improving graduating high school students’ access to quality education, and the latter will do the same for adults beginning this fall.
But there was one additional, lesstalked-about piece.
Gov. Haslam and his team estimated that, at the time, roughly 800,000 Tennesseans had some college credit but not a degree. Seeing an opportunity to reach that population, he worked to bring Western Governors University (WGU) – founded by 19 governors in 1997 – to Tennessee.
As a nonprofit, online university designed for working adults, WGU’s competency-based model made it an ideal option for students who have already mastered some course material through previous college experience and workplace knowledge.
Furthermore, the university’s focus on bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in the fields of business, K–12 teacher education, information technology, and health care, made it an optimal partner for meeting Tennessee’s future workforce needs.
Those are the major reasons that Gov. Haslam, along with the General Assembly, was successful in establishing WGU Tennessee – a state-based afIt filiate of the university – in 2013.
The university’s success speaks for itself. WGU Tennessee is celebrating its fifth anniversary this month, and the nonprofit college has already exceeded an enrollment of 4,000 with nearly 3,000 degrees conferred.
Better yet, third-party research shows that WGU graduates, on average, increase their salaries by approximately $20,000 four years after graduating. That is nearly double the national average.
We have enjoyed serving on the advisory board of WGU Tennessee, which has allowed us to participate in its quick and steady growth and, more importantly, the direct impact it has had on the lives of thousands of Tennesseans.
The university’s chancellor, Dr. Kimberly Estep, has worked tirelessly to establish the school as a leader in the higher-education world and a viable option for those 800,000 Tennesseans who need to finish their degrees.
Already, under her leadership, the university has partnered with many of the largest companies in Tennessee and – perhaps more notably – all 13 of Tennessee’s community colleges and its TCATs to offer tuition discounts and an easy transfer process for graduates who want to continue their educations.
Online colleges are perceived by some as taking a one-size-fits-all approach to education. WGU Tennessee is anything but that.
seeks buy-in from state and local government officials, as well as business and nonprofit leaders, to align curriculum with workforce needs and to ensure that more Tennesseans have access to quality, affordable degrees.
It also provides students with oneon-one support from mentors from enrollment to commencement.
We are fortunate in Tennessee that our leadership saw the need for more accessible higher education and identified innovative, low-cost solutions – including Tennessee Promise and WGU Tennessee – to address the issue. We are just as fortunate that Tennesseans are tenacious in pursuing their educations.
During our time on WGU Tennessee’s board, we have met graduates who are single mothers, grandparents, cancer survivors, military veterans, and career-changers.
Almost all of them already worked full time, yet none of them made any excuses. Their mantra was “Head down, stay focused, and celebrate when the task is complete.” From our perspective, that is the Tennessee, and the WGU Tennessee, way.
John Ingram, chairman, Ingram Industries and Ingram Content Group
Tim Attebery, president, Holston Valley Medical Center
Mark Cate, president and principal, Stones River Group
Ralph Schulz, president and CEO, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
John Steele, senior vice president of human resources, HCA
Karen Ward, senior vice president and chief human resources officer, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
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