FOLLOWING
FOLLOWING THE PATH THAT YOU THINK YOU SHOULD FOLLOW IS OTHER PEOPLE'S EXPECTATIONS
GREAT ADVICE.
NOW YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING WHAT
EXACTLY YOU IS HOW THEY CAN
HELP YOU?
WELL, WTU WASHINGTON IS A
NONPROFIT ONLINE UNIVERSITY.
IT'S AFFORDABLE, FLEXIBLE AND
LOCAL TO WHEREVER YOU ARE
BECAUSE THEY'RE ONLINE AND
BECAUSE OF ITS PERSONALIZED
APPROACH, STUDENTS CAN GO AT
THEIR OWN PACE OFTEN GRADUATING
EARLY NOW WTU WASHINGTON IS THE
LARGEST NONPROFIT UNIVERSITY IN
THE STATE AND MORE THAN FORTY
THOUSAND STUDENTS AND GRADS
CALL WASHINGTON HOME.
I'M JOINED NOW BY NEWS SENIOR
VICE PRESIDENT OF REGION
OPERATIONS JEAN HAYES.
HELLO JEAN.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
HELLO AMEDEE .
WHAT A PLEASURE TO BE HERE.
SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU THIS
MORNING.
SO HOW COVID TRANSFORMED THE
WORLD OF HIGHER EDUCATION?
WELL, IN SIGNIFICANT WAYS THE
ECONOMIC DOWNTURN BROUGHT ABOUT
BY BY THE PANDEMIC OBVIOUSLY
FORCING WORKERS TO CONSIDER
BEING READY TO UPSCALE, RESKILL
OR IN OTHER WORDS GETTING NEW
CREDENTIALS TO MEET NEW
WORKFORCE DEMANDS.
AND MANY PEOPLE ARE OBVIOUSLY
NOW CONSIDERING ONLINE
EDUCATION FOR THE FIRST TIME
SOMETIMES OF COURSE OUT OF NEED
AND WEB BASED LEARNING HAS BEEN
AROUND FOR DECADES.
HOWEVER, MANY PEOPLE ARE NOW
FORCED TO FIND THOSE OPTIONS
AND NOW WE'RE SEEING IT IN A
WAY THAT PEOPLE ARE LEARNING
THAT IT REALLY DOES WORK.
SO HOW IS YOU HOW IS THE MODEL
OF YOU LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
FOR THE NEXT AGE OF HIGHER ED?
WELL, WTU HAS BEEN AROUND FOR
ALMOST A QUARTER OF A CENTURY.
TWENTY THREE YEARS.
IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THAT A LOT
OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
ARE NOW IMPLEMENTING ONLINE
PROGRAMS THAT ALLOW STUDENTS TO
FIT EARNING A DEGREE INTO THEIR
BUSY LIVES.
OBVIOUSLY THE WTU MODEL AS YOU
MENTIONED HAS BEEN AROUND AND
IS LEADING THE WAY IN
EFFECTIVE, FLEXIBLE, AFFORDABLE
EDUCATION.
WE PIONEERED THE COMPETENCY
BASED EDUCATION IT CONSIDERS,
AS YOU SAID, PRIOR EXPERIENCE
AND MEASURES LEARNING RATHER
THAN SEEK TIME AND AS USE HEARD
EARLIER IN YOUR SHOW, MAYOR
RALPH ON FROM KENT SHE'S A
GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE POWER
OF ONLINE LEARNING SHE EARNED
THREE DEGREES FROM WTU
WASHINGTON INCLUDING COMPLETING
MASTER'S PROGRAMS IN LESS THAN
A YEAR AND
OF
OF OUR
OF OUR STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO DO THAT BECAUSE W.G. WHOSE TUITION IS A FLAT
RATE AND STUDENTS CAN TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF TAKING AS MANY
COURSES AS THEY ARE READY FOR,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE A PARENT
AND A FULL TIME WORKING PARENT
AT THAT FINDING THAT TIME IS SO
KEY.
WHY IS THIS MISSION SUCH A
PERSONAL ONE FOR YOU?
WELL, AWG WE SAY THAT TALENT IS
UNIVERSAL EVEN THOUGH
OPPORTUNITY ISN'T AND OUR
MISSION IS TO CHANGE LIVES FOR
THE BETTER BY CREATING PATHWAYS
TO OPPORTUNITY.
I HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTE FROM
NAPOLEON THAT SAYS THAT ABILITY
IS OF LITTLE ACCOUNT WITHOUT
OPPORTUNITY AND YOU MAY ASK
WELL OPPORTUNITY FOR WHAT
EDUCATION I BELIEVE HELPS
INDIVIDUAL LIVED THEIR VISION.
IT BROADENS THEIR HORIZON AND
ITS STRENGTHENS THEIR ABILITY
TO BECOME SELF-RELIANT, TO
PROVIDE FOR THEIR FAMILIES.
AND W.G. WASHINGTON'S MISSION
IS PERFECT FOR TIMES LIKE THESE
TO GIVE PEOPLE IN THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST A PATHWAY TO THOSE
OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL CHANGE
THEIR LIVES SO WELL SAID
ACCESSIBILITIES SUCH A KEY.
LET'S TALK ABOUT MICRO
CREDENTIALS AND CERTIFICATIONS
.
WHY WILL THESE TAKE ON GREATER
SIGNIFICANCE IN THIS EVOLVING
ECONOMY?
WELL MYCAR CREDENTIALS AND
CERTIFICATION OFTEN TAKE LESS
TIME TO EARN THAN A BACHELOR'S
DEGREE OR A MASTER'S DEGREE.
SO OF COURSE THOSE SKILLS
BECOME VALUABLE RIGHT AWAY AND
THEY ARE VALUABLE IN MANY
INDUSTRIES BUSINESS I.T.
TEACHING AND SINCE THE PANDEMIC
HAS CHANGED THINGS SO MUCH,
MICRO CREDENTIALS ARE MORE
IMPORTANT THAN EVER BECAUSE
THEY ARE AN EFFECTIVE EFFICIENT
WAY TO RESKILL AS I MENTIONED
EARLIER OR APS SKILL IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH FEDEX FOR
EXAMPLE, WTU OFFERS A MICRO
CREDENTIAL IN I.T. WHICH TECH
JOBS IN HIGH DEMAND ARE
EVERYWHERE TO BE FOUND
ESPECIALLY IN THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST AND IT GIVES YOU THAT
EXTRA EDGE IF YOU ARE LOOKING
FOR THAT TO GET A BETTER LOOK
FROM A POTENTIAL EMPLOYER.
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO A
STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE WHO IS
STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW TO
SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE THIS NEW
VIRTUAL ECONOMY?
WELL, I BELIEVE THAT
PERSISTENCE AND HAVING A GOAL
IN MIND EDUCATION IS AN
INVESTMENT AND SOMETIMES IS NOT
EASY.
BUT I DO BELIEVE I PERSONALLY
BELIEVE THAT EDUCATION
TRANSFORMS LIVES.
IT HAS POWER AND IT IS THE
CATALYST FOR A BETTER LIFE.
I BELIEVE ALSO THAT IT'S AN
ENABLER AND EQUALIZER.
AS I SAY SOMETIMES IT IS THE
GREAT UNIFIER.
SO OF COURSE KNOWING THAT I
BELIEVE THAT AN ADVICE FOR
SOMEONE WOULD BE TO KEEP AT IT
EVEN THOUGH IT IS HARD BECAUSE
IT WILL OPEN THE DOORS
OF OPPORTUNITY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS
MORNING AND THOSE INSPIRING
WORDS WE REALLY APPRECIATE.
YOU BET.
MY PLEASURE.
SO YOU HAS SO MANY DIFFERENT
OPTIONS THAT COULD BE A GREAT
FIT FOR WHERE YOU'RE AT RIGHT
NOW.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO GET MORE INFO
ABOUT W.G. YOU REAL SIMPLE JUST
TEXT THE LETTERS W.G. YOU