WGU Missouri was honored with the Arcus People’s Choice Award at the St. Louis Regional Chamber’s 4th Annual Arcus Awards ceremony, held Feb. 23, 2017 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch. The Arcus Awards recognize individuals and organizations that make the St. Louis region a more attractive place to live, work and invest. WGU Missouri was one of 56 finalists across 10 categories to be honored at the event.
This is the second year the St. Louis Regional Chamber has included the People’s Choice Award as part of its Arcus Awards ceremony. Leading up to the event, the public was encouraged to cast their votes online from the list of 56 finalists. Nearly 18,000 votes were submitted, and WGU Missouri was announced as the winner during last Thursday’s banquet.
WGU Missouri was also recognized for the third year in a row as a finalist in the Arcus Award category for Educational Attainment. The non-profit, fully online, competency-based university was selected as a finalist for its role in helping fulfill a great demand in the state’s higher education landscape since it was established in 2013. WGU Missouri has over 2,400 current students and more than 1,200 alumni, and 75 percent of its current students are considered underserved (first-generation college-goers, low-income, minority or from rural areas). Other finalists within this category included Anheuser-Busch Metal Container Corporation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, Maryville University, Riverview Gardens School District and the ultimate winner, Saint Louis University Prison Program.
“We are truly honored to be recognized as an Arcus Award finalist again this year and are thrilled to be chosen for the People’s Choice Award,” said WGU Missouri Chancellor Angie Besendorfer. “We have worked to expand access to higher education for adult learners around the state for four years, and being selected by the public for this award really shows our support is continuing to grow.”
For more information about the Arcus Awards or winners, visit www.stlregionalchamber.com/arcus/4. For more information about WGU Missouri, visit Missouri.wgu.edu.
About WGU Missouri
WGU Missouri is a competency-based, online university created to expand access to higher education for Missouri residents. The university offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. WGU Missouri faculty members serve as mentors, working one-on-one with students, offering guidance, support, and individualized instruction.
Established in 2013 through a partnership with nationally recognized Western Governors University, WGU Missouri is open to all qualified Missouri residents. The university is nonprofit and self-sustaining on flat-rate tuition of about $6,000 per year for most programs.
Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Nursing College programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE*), and the Health Informatics program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
More information is available at missouri.wgu.edu or by calling 855.948.8493.
*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington DC 20036, 202-877-6791).
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For more information, contact:
Pam Powell
(314) 436-9090