Texas creating a new spinoff of Western Governors

Article in the Chronicle today:

Western Governors University Gets a New Spinoff, in Texas - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

 

Humm.....Interesting

 

Lame..............

 

I meant interesting in a "well the THECB still will not let the distance with residency PhD in history at Sam Houston State University fly" but they will let this. The THECB, who for years outlawed the DETC until recently, is letting this fly. This is what I mean by interesting.

 

I hear ya! That's funny, I was just thinking about DETC and the Texas CB thing this morning. Boy, am I glad that's behind us now! Progress!

Abner :smile:

 

I mean the clothing thing is lame...

 

Texas strikes me as one of those states that can be stubborn and drag their feet on a given change, and once they decide to implement it happens like lightning then it's like the prior issues never existed.

As far as WGU Texas in general is concerned, it's possible residents might be able to qualify for state aid-- that's probably really the main benefit of the affiliation. (That, and WGU gets more positive publicity). My biggest surprise in all this is that it appears to have happened via executive order (at Rick Perry's desk) rather than via legislation as in the other two states.

 

But what of the schools in Texas that can deliver quality distance learning on their own merit? Schools like UT, A&M, Tech or the community colleges such as Houston Community College and Lone Star Community College?

 

They're already well-known and well-regarded, apparently!

WGU's advantage is that it fits the busy schedule of non-traditional adult learners. It's an additional option for them, not a replacement for any of the fine schools you mentioned above.

 

Oh yeah, once their spurs are dug in, it's hard to get them out!

Abner :smile:

 

I would expect more of this over the coming two years by WGU. Especially in states where the executive branch had signed off on their charter. You won't see WGU-Massachusetts, but Texas, California, Oregon, Washington etc. absolutely.

 

I hope this shakes up the status quo of traditional colleges a bit.

 

I read else were that the State WGU will tailor it classes to the state requirements.
For the situations were specific number of hours required by state boards in order to be eligible to enter professions, earn credentials etc.

I seen that different states have different at times requirements for teachers or nurses etc.

 

I'm surprised they got Texas at this relatively early stage, especially given how proud most Texans are of their schools (not to mention anything natively Texan!).

I was also surprised to see Washington go over without massive fights, but I think the current fiscal situation there pretty much made it a non-issue.

My bet is you're going to see huge fights put up in most coastal states, as they're more heavily invested in their respective educational systems than the inland states are. California would be an excellent place for a WGU offshoot, but the odds may be stacked against that right now given that the two large state universities and many well-known private schools are still significant political machines (not to mention the state colleges are huge state budget sinks). If the state slides further into an economic morass, this could change, but my guess is it would take at least a couple more years before it would be fertile ground for WGU.

 

Lerner, bring up good points, but then so do you.

I have found that the CSU system doesn't have the interests of the students or its workers in mind (observation from the inner sanctum).

"Just when I thought certain things I though were true, I found they were not not true, and certain things I thought were untrue were true".

Abner