A state legislator is calling for Washington State to form a partnership with Western Governors University to allow students to more easily sign up for courses from the nonprofit online institution.
Sen. Jim Kastama, a Democrat, plans to introduce a bill this week that would treat Western Governors as a Washington institution. Students could use state grants at the college, and they could transfer credits from the college to public institutions.
“We have a huge unmet need for higher education, and this would address it without costing the state a penny,” Mr. Kastama said in a statement.
The nonprofit university, which was opened by an association of Western governors in 1999, is becoming increasingly attractive to states that cannot meet the growing demand for higher education.
It offers states a way to offer popular online programs in teaching, business, technology, and health fields without having to build their own. The university is self-supported through tuition, and it operates on a competency-based model that credits students for what they’ve already learned as well as what courses they’ve taken.
Indiana began a partnership with the university last year that allows students to use state scholarships to pay for tuition. The university says its enrollment of Indiana students has since grown to about 800.
Lawmakers in other states, including California, are also considering partnerships with the university. Joan Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Western Governors, said in November that the college was talking seriously to representatives from three or four states. She declined to name them.
3 Responses to Washington Bill Would Expand Reach of Western Governors U.
drchu - January 11, 2011 at 9:54 am
“Without costing the state a penny” he says, but “Students could use state grants.” Uh????
rachelwebassign - January 12, 2011 at 9:22 am
I believe he’s saying that these are grants that students already received, so it doesn’t matter where they use them. Thus, it won’t cost any additional pennies.
mend4386 - December 7, 2011 at 11:06 pm
Amazing! It seems some of the financial decisions practiced in the United States are actually
international bad business practices implemented in several countries, such as
China. Over 1000 college and universities debts were paid and then forgiven,
estimating approximately 263.5 billion yuan (41.5 billion dollars). I share the
closing question of the author, did the colleges bask in the glory of the bank
loans, not considering the ability to pay; or were they brilliantly strategic,
knowing the government would pick up the bill? Either way, it seems the only
losers were the colleges and universities who chose not to take out a bank loans
to expand, being ethically modest.