DURHAM — WGU North Carolina, an affiliate of the online nonprofit Western Governors University, will mark the National Education Association’s 2021 American Education Week Nov. 15-19 by promoting the WGU Loves Teachers and Become a Teacher scholarship programs. These scholarships, together totaling $6 million nationwide, are designed for current and future education professionals who wish to pursue bachelor’s or master’s degree programs with WGU’s Teachers College.
Each WGU Loves Teachers and Become a Teacher scholarship is valued up to $4,000 and is designed to help current teachers improve their skillset in the classroom or move into administration, or to assist professionals in obtaining the required credentials for a rewarding career as an educator.
In the last 20 years, WGU’s Teachers College has graduated more than 60,000 educators — more than any other institution of higher learning — and produced licensed teachers in all 50 states. The college is accredited by both the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation and offers 11 bachelor’s degree programs and 20 master’s degree programs for teachers and leaders in K-12 and higher education.
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics, all states and the District of Columbia collectively report an unmet need of approximately 410,000 teachers for the 2021-22 school year, including elementary, secondary, and special education. In North Carolina, the attrition among K-12 teachers is 7,000 to 8,000 every year due to teachers retiring, moving, or changing careers.
“WGU’s Teachers College is committed to preparing K-12 educators for the challenges of today and tomorrow, and these scholarships can help offset our already-low tuition costs,” said WGU North Carolina Chancellor Ben Coulter, Ed.D. “More than 1,000 Teachers College alumni reside in North Carolina, and more than 700 North Carolinians are currently pursuing education degrees through WGU.”
“At WGU, we educate teachers and leaders who are passionate about being engaging, caring, and difference-making educators for their students,” said Mark Milliron, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of WGU’s Teachers College. “We’re committing to these scholarships because we know our country and communities need energetic and empathetic educators.”
Designed for working adults, WGU offers an asynchronous, competency-based model that allows students to log in and access coursework at a time convenient for them, and to accelerate at their own pace. Tuition is around $4,000 per six-month term for most undergraduate degree programs, and students can take as many courses as they and their assigned mentors are comfortable with during the term.
New and enrolling students may apply for the WGU Loves Teachers scholarship now at wgu.edu/wgulovesteachers, and for the Become a Teacher scholarship through December 31, 2021 at wgu.edu/becomeateacher. For more information on WGU North Carolina, visit nc.wgu.edu.
