In honor of National First Responders Day, which takes place annually on Oct. 28, WGU Missouri is launching a new scholarship to show appreciation for first responders – including EMTs, police officers, firefighters, corrections officers and others – who have demonstrated unprecedented selflessness and commitment in serving area communities as they carried out their duties throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The fully online, nonprofit university plans to award up to $80,000 in scholarships to area first responders – and their spouses – who are interested in furthering their education. Each “First Responder Appreciation Scholarship” is valued at up to $4,000 per student and will be applied at a rate of $1,000 per term for up to four terms. The scholarships are available for new students enrolled in any of WGU Missouri’s more than 60 degree programs in business, information technology, K-12 teacher education and health professions, including nursing. The scholarship application is available at www.wgu.edu/firstresponders and will be open through June 30, 2022.
“First responders make countless sacrifices on a daily basis to protect our communities, uphold the law and save lives,” said Dr. Angie Besendorfer, Chancellor of WGU Missouri. “While we can never fully repay the debt of gratitude we owe our first responders, we at WGU hope that this scholarship offering can help provide those first responders and their spouses who are considering going back to school an even more affordable path to earning their degrees.”
Designed to meet the needs of busy adult learners, WGU Missouri uses a competency-based education approach to learning, enabling students to take advantage of their knowledge and experience to move quickly through material they already know so they can focus on what they still need to learn. Students complete their programs by studying and taking tests on schedules that fit their lives, advancing as soon as they demonstrate that they have mastered subject matter. The flexible format is perfect for those in full-time, demanding fields, like first responders.
For more information about WGU Missouri or available scholarships, 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 60 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 $7,600 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 2issouri.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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