Nevada Educators vs. Western Governors University
Recently in this space was a bit on how a number of states are looking to Western Governors University as a partner through which they can expand their official offerings. The non-profit university was originally established by a troupe of governors in the 1990s as a joint approach to distance learning, and has since become known both for its dedication to being accredited by as many organizations as possible as well as its competency-based approach to awarding credit — an approach that means that those coming into the institution with demonstrable skills can see their time to a degree be considerably shortened.
The more recent partnerships have been with Washington State, Nebraska, and Texas, whose state higher education systems have come together to offer a “private label” version of Western Governors University. In this way, WGU is afforded the same status as a state university in those jurisdictions, which not only means talking points for politicians running for reelection, but more practically means that certain scholarships are available to students from those states who attend WGU that may not have been available before.
So far so good. The problem is that those in state higher education systems dont necessarily want to be outsourced to Western Governors University, no matter how much sense it might make for students and state budgets. Now, educators in Nevada have risen up in opposition to a similar arrangement that would have led to a state-wide distance learning community college powered by WGU. From the article:
Nevada should create an online community college and outsource its operation to a vendor, such as a for-profit or Western Governors University, according to a new report from a task force convened by the Nevada System of Higher Educations chancellor, Daniel Klaich. Faculty groups from the states four community colleges are upset about the proposal for Nevada Virtual College, which was presented last week to the systems Board of Regents. They say the new college isnt needed, and that it would shortchange students and result in faculty layoffs. Several administrators have also publicly stepped away from the proposal.
If state policy makers were really cutting corners, then it would make sense for educators to stand up and point it out. But Western Governors University is a respected institution with a track record of doing distance learning well and cost effectively. Its one thing to feel honor bound to protect students, but its quite another when all one is doing is protecting ones turf. And in this case, its not like Nevada institutions are even doing all that well when it comes to adapting their curricula for distance learning. And thats especially unfortunate since outside the Las Vegas area its population is so spread out. The bottom line is that not everyone there lives close to a community college, and distance learning is a way to bridge that gap. If Western Governors University can be part of that solution, then true educators should embrace them, not reject them.
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