Kettering Health Network, WGU Ohio announce partnership to enhance employees’ education, career opportunities

Employees of Kettering Health Network have a new pathway to advance their education and careers, as part of an enhanced partnership between WGU Ohio and the Dayton-based nonprofit healthcare system.

As part of the partnership, employees will be eligible to apply for the $2,500 WGU Ohio Kettering Health Network Scholarship, reducing the expense of WGU Ohio’s already-low tuition. Annual costs for tuition and fees are about $7,000 for undergrads and about $7,300 for graduate students. Kettering Health Network provides its employees generous tuition assistance benefits each year. With WGU’s flat-rate tuition, this benefit covers a significant portion of student costs.

“At Kettering Health Network, we strive to support our employees as they further their education,” says Tim Dutton, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Kettering Health Network. “This partnership with WGU Ohio will give employees a unique option for online education as our education and tuition assistance program grows.”

“WGU Ohio is proud to partner with Kettering Health Network to provide educational opportunities for their employees,” said Rebecca Watts, chancellor of WGU Ohio. “We are honored to serve Kettering and its employees as they continue their full-time employment while advancing their skills and knowledge to enhance patient care. We look forward to collaborating with Kettering Health Network on strategic initiatives to support its mission to improve the quality of life in the communities it serves through health care and education.”

The university offers more than 60 majors in the fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing.

WGU Ohio is a state affiliate of online, accredited and nonprofit Western Governors University. WGU’s model offers bachelor’s or master’s degrees through a unique, competency-based approach to education. Competency-based learning is a good fit for adult learners, who enroll in college with different levels of knowledge as well as a wide variety of learning styles, because it allows them to move quickly through material they already know so they can focus on what they need to learn – saving them time and money.

Kettering Health Network is a not-for-profit network of eight hospitals, 11 emergency departments, and 120 outpatient facilities serving southwest Ohio. The network’s hospitals include Kettering, Grandview, Sycamore, Southview, Greene Memorial, Soin, Fort Hamilton, and Kettering Behavioral Medicine. Kettering College, a division of Kettering Medical Center, is a fully accredited college that specializes in health science education. Kettering and Sycamore are recognized as IBM Watson Health™ 100 Top Hospitals. For more information, visit www.ketteringhealth.org.