A Past Response to Future Conditions--Western Governors University

Western Governors University (WGU) was created as a proof of concept. The Governors wanted to prove that something different could work and could be accredited by the same agencies that certify mainstream higher education institutions. Just as charter schools were designed to try things that the public schools could not, it was hoped that other institutions could learn from the success of new models like WGU. WGU now enrolls over 100,000 students in all 50 states and has graduated over 100,000. Over 70% of its students come from underserved populations. It serves almost exclusively students who have some college experience but have not completed a program of study, an audience that colleges in every state are struggling to reach. Their focus on workforce needs has resulted in 87% of graduates being employed in their fields of study. WGU graduates are almost twice as likely as graduates from other U.S. universities to be thriving on all their elements of well-being (purpose, social, financial, community, and physical). The total annual tuition is about $6,000 a year and has not been raised in eight years. The Governors' vision works. Even though WGU works, no one should underestimate how hard innovation and change are for higher education. Admittedly, it is easier to innovate by creating a new enterprise than by changing existing institutions, but change is not only inevitable, it is absolutely necessary. In a world where the old higher education model is becoming less sustainable, universities and colleges will be forced to look at new models. That means state policies and practices, accrediting requirements, federal regulations, development of academic and student support staff, and higher education leadership will have to support innovation driven by emerging learning science and technological advances.