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Who We Are

Truly a university without boundaries, Western Governors University is a non-profit university founded and supported by 19 state governors to serve the needs of today's citizens. At no other time in the history of higher education have the governors of several states joined together to create a university. In addition, WGU is supported by over 20 leading U.S. corporations and foundations.

With students throughout the United States, WGU continues to open doors for individuals who need flexibility to achieve their education and career goals.

WGU's founding governors understood the importance of continuing education to meet the challenges of a changing economy and society. WGU was built from the ground up based upon two essential criteria. The first is a commitment to producing highly competent graduates. The second is to use flexible distance education techniques to expand access. Both are critical to enriching the lives of WGU students.

Promise Statement
Mission Statement

Governance of WGU

WGU is governed by a Board of Trustees consisting of educators, industry leaders, and state governors. In addition, WGU continues to draw support (although no state funding) from the Governors of the Member States that were instrumental in the founding of WGU.

Board of Trustees
Governors of Member States

National Advisory Board

The WGU National Advisory Board consists of major corporations and private foundations that provide ongoing support and advice to the university.

AT&T
BearingPoint
Consonus
Dell Computer
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Google
Hewlett-Packard
Hospital Corporation of America
J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott
Foundation

Microsoft
Oracle
Qwest
Simmons Media Group
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Sun Microsystems
SunGard Higher Education
Wasatch Property
Management
Zions Bank

More about the National Advisory Board

Academic Program Governance

Academic programs are developed and guided by WGU administrators working through several councils, which are comprised of academicians and industry experts in the various fields of knowledge.

Academic Leadership
Assessment Council
Health Professions Program Council
Liberal Arts Program Council
Business Program Council
Information Technology Program Council
Education Program Council

WGU Mentors

WGU students interact with their mentors throughout their degree programs. WGU mentors are committed to work one-on-one with their students.

Meet the Mentors

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	WGU Student Experience
	See videos of past graduation ceremonies

"Competency-based�"
"I like the idea of a competency-based program. In some areas I already had expertise and skills so I could take an independent study class and build the portfolio and take the exams. In other areas I needed more instruction."

—Gretchen Burr, WGU graduate, high school teacher

"I am an expert�"
"Western Governors has raised the bar for online courses. Instead of graduating from their courses and saying, "I have passed all of the requirements," they want their students to say, "I graduated from WGU and I am an expert in the field of..."

—Jeffrey Cravy, WGU graduate student

"Competency-based�"
"Google has pioneered the idea of access to information. The reason Google thinks WGU is such a good idea is because WGU has pioneered the concept of competency-based education whenever you want it."

—Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google Inc.

more testimonials >

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