Record-breaking class of 2013 Graduates from WGU Washington Today at Benaroya

Seattle, Wash. May 18, 2013 – WGU Washington’s second annual commencement ceremony is today, Saturday, May 18^th, at Benaroya Hall.  More than 500 WGU Washington students will receive degrees this year from the state’s only accredited, online university, almost double last year’s class of 270. Graduates from around the state will gather to celebrate as Rep. Cyrus Habib delivers the keynote speech. Habib, who represents Washington’s 48^th district, lost his eyesight at the age of eight and is Washington State’s first blind lawmaker in more than 50 years and the first Iranian-American elected to state office in the United States.Habib, an accomplished pianist, will also perform Gershwin’s Summertime on the venue’s grand piano.

“Cyrus represents everything that WGU Washington stands for” said WGU Washington Chancellor Jean Floten. “Undaunted in achieving his dreams, Cyrus’ joyous, uplifting and inspiring message will resonate with every student celebrating his or her fantastic achievement today.”

The commencement ceremony begins at 3 p.m with the following program:

• Welcome and Opening Remarks: Chancellor Jean Floten
• Commencement Address: Rep. Cyrus Habib, 48^th Legislative District
• Graduate Speakers:
  1. Connie Summers, Bothell
  2. Cathy Johnson, Newport (Spokane area)
  3. Julius Giron, Auburn
• Conferral of Degrees
• Rep. Cyrus Habib to perform Gershwin’s Summertime on grand piano
• Closing Remarks: WGU President, Dr. Robert Mendenhall

For more information contact Jake Riddell at 206-512-0025,jake.riddell@wgu.edu, or Lee Keller at 206-799-3805,Lee@thekellergroup.com. Also, footage and sound from the ceremony and graduates will be available on Dropbox.

 

More About WGU Washington

WGU Washington was established by the Washington State Legislature on April 22, 2011. WGU Washington is state-endorsed and offers degree programs that are accredited through Western Governors University.

 

WGU Washington offers 50 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in Business, Information Technology, Teacher Education, and Health Professions, including Nursing. The university’s online, competency-based learning model is designed to meet the needs of working adults by providing an affordable, flexible option for earning an accredited, respected college degree. It’s non-profit and receives no money from the state.

 

Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is regionally accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and nationally accredited through the Distance Education and Training Commission (DETC). Teachers College programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and Nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

 

The university has earned the support of more than 20 leading corporations and foundations. They include institutions such as AT&T, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lilly Endowment, HCA, Hewlett-Packard, Lumina Foundation, Microsoft, Oracle, SunGard Higher Education, and Zions Bank.

 

Bothell resident to speak at WGU Washington’s second annual commencement Saturday at Benaroya Hall

MAY 16, 2013 · 10:55 AM

Bothell resident Connie Summers will receive her Bachelor of Science Business and Human Resources Management degree on Saturday and will make remarks as one of three commencement speakers for the Western Governor's University (WGU) Washington at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. Summers works in Boeing’s human resources department and recently overcame the loss of her daughter.

“We are so proud of Connie and all our students,” said WGU Washington Chancellor Jean Floten, who will give the welcome and opening remarks.

Summers will be joined by more than 500 other WGU graduates at WGU Washington’s second annual commencement ceremony. This year’s class of graduating students is almost double last year’s class of 270.

Graduates from around the state will gather to celebrate their degrees as Rep. Cyrus Habib delivers the keynote speech. Habib, who represents Washington’s 48th district, lost his eyesight at the age of eight and is Washington State’s first blind lawmaker in more than 50 years. He is also the first Iranian-American elected to state office in the United States.

Habib, an accomplished pianist, will also perform Gershwin’s Summertime on the venue’s grand piano.

The commencement ceremony begins at 3 p.m.

WGU Washington’s innovative model of higher education is producing graduates with the skills to meet the advanced demands of today’s market. A recent Harris Interactive study shows that 100 percent of employers would not hesitate to hire another WGU graduate, 98 percent agree that WGU grads meet or exceed their expectations, and 98 percent consider WGU graduates equal to or better prepared than graduates of other universities.

http://www.bothell-reporter.com/community/207740941.html

Good Morning Northwest: Interview with Jean Floten (WGU)

GeekWire Radio: How data, technology and analytics are reshaping education-WGU

March 9, 2013 at 4:33 am by Todd Bishop

Our topic this week on the GeekWire radio show: The future of education, and how technology is changing the experience of learning in the classroom and at home.

Joining me as guest host is Frank Catalano, the GeekWire columnist who works as aneducation technology consultant. He’s just back from a trip to SXSWedu in Austin, where he covered Bill Gates’ talk to the conference. Our opening news roundup covers some of the highlights from that talk, including the use of computerized “learning analytics” to understand a student’s progress and personalize their lessons, with an instructor as a guide.

Jean Floten, WGU Washington chancellor, joins us in the studio to talk about online learning. (Erynn Rose Photo.)

Our guest is Jean Floten, the chancellor of WGU Washington, the nonprofit online university that is part of the larger Western Governors University, recently named one of the most innovative companies of 2013 by Fast Company. Floten joins us starting in the second segment, explaining how WGU Washington applies many of these same principles, including learning analytics and personal mentoring, to its online courses, which are targeted in large part to mid-career adults.

“I just love this moment in time in higher education,” Floten says, describing this era as a renaissance for learning.

But is online learning for everyone? A recent New York Times opinion piece, the Trouble with Online College, highlighted the larger dropout rate for online courses for community college students, in particular.

Floten, who led Bellevue College before joining WGU Washington, has a unique perspective on the topic — informed in part by the analytics that WGU uses to track student progress.

“We have learned a lot about who is successful, and online learning is not for everyone,” she says. “For instance, we want to make sure a student has already had some college. We want to make sure that they’ve had experience with online learning. They need to be an incredibly self-motivated and independent achiever. Even though it is mentor-supported, you really need students that are disciplined enough to get through a curriculum."