Wayne Community College partners with Western Governors University to fill skills gap
By From staff reports
Published in News on July 6, 2018 5:50 AM
Wayne Community College and Western Governors University North Carolina, an online nonprofit university, have established a partnership that will increase access to affordable education.
The institutions recently signed an agreement that will provide WCC graduates and faculty with a 5 percent discount on WGU's tuition of around $3,500 per term for undergraduate programs.
The partnership also includes the establishment of a Wayne Community College Partnership scholarship program that will provide up to $2,000 in scholarships to students interested in transferring to WGU. The institution is an online, competency-based university established to expand access to higher education for state residents. It offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in such fields as business, teacher education, information technology and health professions.
"Our partnership with WGU North Carolina is a couple of steps beyond the typical articulation agreement," said Dr. Thomas A. Walker Jr., WCC president. "Not only does it enable WCC graduates to transfer coursework toward a bachelor's degree, but they may also receive a tuition discount and are eligible for scholarships.
"Its online platform puts dozens of degrees at students' fingertips, and this agreement will make it easier for them to take that next step and earn a bachelor's degree."
Through the agreement, WCC graduates can utilize WGU's Transfer Pathways program to ensure each transfer student's associate degree aligns with WGU's baccalaureate major and degree program offerings.
There is currently a workforce shortage in the state, especially in the fields of health care and education, so a partnership like this will potentially help close the gap, said WGU chancellor Catherine Truitt.