Online, Nonprofit WGU Texas Hosts Open House at New Austin-based Headquarters
Move to New Facility in North Austin Allows University to Better Serve Growing Contemporary Student Population
AUSTIN — WGU Texas, the state-based affiliate of online, nonprofit Western Governors University (WGU), today officially opened the doors to its new headquarters to the general public and provided an opportunity for guests to tour the space and hear from WGU leaders about the dynamic growth of the university’s innovative higher education model.
The 20,000 plus-square foot facility in the Research Park Place area of Northwest Austin houses the Office of the Chancellor and executive staff and includes a training room, conference and meeting rooms, and space for enrollment counselors. The move from its downtown location to a larger space in the community reflects WGU’s focus on expanding its services while further serving its growing student population.
“WGU Texas has grown exponentially since it was formed 7 years ago, and we attribute this success to the WGU model — not only competency-based online learning but mentorship as well,” said WGU Texas Chancellor Dr. Steven Johnson. “The cost and convenience is attractive, especially to adult learners, but many might not know that WGU’s model also includes personalized, one-on-one support throughout the student’s academic career. Just because someone is learning online does not mean they are learning alone.”
In 2017, WGU Texas awarded degrees to 1,995 students from 129 counties across the Lone Star State. Since the University’s launch in Texas in 2011, more than 7,660 graduates have earned their undergraduate or graduate degrees through a variety of academic offerings, helping to address the state’s critical workforce needs in high-demand fields such as IT, healthcare, business, and education, and WGU Texas recently reached another milestone: a total student enrollment of 10,000. And later this year, WGU Texas expects to award its 10,000th degree.
“The move from WGU Texas’ downtown Austin office offers a location that is more accessible,” said Johnson. “It’s exciting to consider the university’s potential as we continue to add thousands of new students and graduates every year.”
Online, and nonprofit, WGU was established 21 years ago by 19 U.S. governors to expand access to affordable, high-quality higher education, and today it is one of the nation’s largest universities. Since its launch in 2011, WGU Texas has been helping to increase the number of college graduates across the Lone Star State.
