Western Governors University

Here at WGU, we believe that talent is universal—even if opportunity isn’t. Higher education is the best way to bridge that gap, but traditional higher ed wasn't built for the realities facing many of today’s students. So we created a university focused on expanding access to education around the country. We've innovated with students in mind, giving them the flexibility and freedom they need to succeed in today’s workplace.

We’re the first university where all bachelor’s and master’s degrees are competency-based, with online courses designed in partnership with leading employers. We’re nonprofit, driven entirely by a mission to serve students—in fact, it’s right there in our name. We’re called Western Governors University because we were created by a group of U.S. governors, an innovative solution to their states’ demand for high-quality, outcomes-oriented higher education.

What's in a name? Why are we called Western Governors University? Our name tells the story of our founding—a story that dates back to 1997, when a group of U.S. governors came up with an innovative answer to a question of growing concern: How can we ensure more of our residents have greater access to a college education that fits their schedule? That meeting of the Western Governors' Association marked the beginnings of a new national university.

From the beginning, we were designed to be different. The U.S. governors who founded WGU knew that the college student of the 21st century would be very different from students in the past. For millions of working adults, the dream of pursuing a college education could only become a reality once the boundaries of time and place could be removed. Overcoming this challenge was at the heart of the WGU idea.

It was the mid-1990s, and a new technology was quickly emerging: the internet. As more and more Americans were able to get online, the possibility of an “anywhere, anytime” education became a reality. And more than simply delivering traditional, lecture-based learning via modem and monitor, our founders recognized that technology could be used to fundamentally change the way college students learn. Harnessing the power of the internet and our new learning model—competency-based education—WGU revolutionized the way students learn, master concepts, and progress to a degree.

As a nonprofit, online university founded by governors, WGU is different. But even beyond the unique story of our founding and the foresight of our founders, WGU is different for a more fundamental reason: We do education differently.

Working together for our students.

WGU staff and students have a lot in common. We all have aspirations both personal and professional. We are ambitious and aim to be a part of something big. We all want to live our best lives and inspire others to do the same. Here's your opportunity to be a part of something truly special, to do meaningful work every day, to impact the lives of students who want to discover and develop their true potential. WGU has a powerful mission, an outstanding nationwide team, and major plans to share our comptency-based higher educational model far and wide - and we need your help to make it happen. Join us on our journey to guide every student in their journey to find the light in themselves - so they can shine it brightly for all their family, friends, and future to see.

Team Highlights

Staff and corporate positions:
Calling all number crunchers, creative types, and communicators extraordinaire. WGU is always on the lookout for new talent to join our diverse and exciting workforce, dedicated to helping thousands of students achieve their dream of earning a degree. Find the feel-good career you've been looking for among the following teams at WGU: Accounting & Finance, Student Services, Marketing, PR/Comm, People & Talent, Enrollment.

Faculty roles:
Students interact with three types of faculty at WGU: Program Mentors, Course Instructors, and Evaluators. Every faculty member is an expert in their field and their #1 job is empowering students toward success.

Educational technology/IT:
EdTech brings together individuals of different backgrounds, cultures, and professional talents, who work together to create an outstanding experience for WGU students. A place where learning and innovation thrive, they use modern development methodologies and tooling such as DevOps, CI/CD, Docker, and AWS to solve meaningful problems at scale.

Regions:
Our regional teams provide personal outreach to a variety of organizations, schools, businesses, and government entities. They also help build a sense of community for local employees as well as our network of over 200,000 alumni coast to coast.

WGU-Affiliated Entities:
WGU has launched new operating entities to provide direct-to-learner and indirect offerings through which we can serve many more people. WGU's "10x Vision" is our approach to transformative impact on how higher ed is accessed, delivered, experienced, and attained.

WGU is committed to expanding our reach and access for learners, providing innovative solutions leveraging educational technologies, and partnering with other businesses and organizations to accelerate their missions to better serve, not just for our students, but all students and learners in overcoming obstacles to success.

We invent - and prove - new models for learning and earning. We use our influence as a thought leader to effect transformation throughout the ecosystem. We believe in the inherent worth of every individual and that education is the greatest catalyst for changing lives. We believe that having a tenfold impact will result in changing millions of lives.

Realizing the promise of education and learning for all individuals - this is the mission of our WGU 10x Affiliated Entities. They include WGU Advancement, dedicated to advancing the mission, vision, and goals of WGU and its affiliates; WGU Academy, an alternative starting point for a WGU degree; WGU Labs, which invents, builds, and invests in innovative learning solutions; and Juvo Ventures, whose focus is elevating education, empowering entrepreneurs, and optimizing outcomes.

Celebrating and supporting the individual

At WGU, we believe in the inherent worth and ability of the individual. This is evident in the work we do - creating pathways to a better life by expanding access to education - and in how we do it - with an unwavering focus on our students.

This core belief in the worth of the individual and our vision to be the most student-centric university are woven into our culture, which is foundational to our success and the success of our students.

To ensure that our 7,500 faculty, staff, and leaders understand and embrace our culture, we have articulated seven Cultural Beliefs that support WGU's vision and mission as we work to achieve our goals. Every WGU team member participates in workshops that provide training in making our cultural beliefs integral to our work life.

WGU's Cultural Beliefs

-One-by-one. We solve for the individual student and advance outcomes one student at a time.

-Advance equity. We create an environment inclusive of diverse individuals and perspectives to enhance and harmonize our work with the communities we serve.

-Aim true. I know our key results and understand my contribution to achieve them.

-Own it. I take accountability for our key results and consider interdependencies as I think and act.

-Trust generously. I extend and earn trust, assume the best, and work for shared success.

-Engage respectfully. I invite inquiry, listen to understand, and contribute actively. I communicate at the right time and in the right way.

-Achieve together. I synchronize my work with the right roles and teams to drive progress and deliver the key results.

The WGU Community

With more than 130,000 students and 7,500 employees living and working throughout the country, it may be difficult to visualize just what the WGU community is. Building a sense of community and camaraderie among the workforce that is largely remote definitely relies on technology. But the real character and personality of our community is driven by the engagement of our employees.

While WGU doesn't have sports teams, we do have a mascot named Sage. Sage is a Night Owl like many of our students, who manage to fit their studies in early in the morning and late at night. WGU employees and students refer to themselves as Night Owls - our mascot is part of our identity.

WGU's senior leadership team hosts monthly Town Hall broadcasts that include interactive question-and-answer sessions as well updates on university initiatives and programs. These sessions always begin with a celebration of one of our students or graduates, and they include recognition of an employee or team as well.

WGU has also an active intranet, called the "Intranest" in a nod to our Night Owl mascot. The Intranest offers employees a wealth of information - from news to a directory to benefits information to links to applications like WorkDay and Sonic Boom, our employee well-being app.

WGU encourages our team members to find ways to contribute in their local communities and to share their volunteer stories. To enrich the lives of our workforce, we offer opportunities to volunteer with local and national organizations such as Just Serve, Feed America, and the Human Rights Campaign.

Supporting our workforce, one great benefit after the other.

WGU is committed to supporting the lives of our employees and offers a robust benefits program that encompasses health and wellness, compensation, financial protection, career development, and volunteering opportunities.

Here are a few of our top benefits:

-Comprehensive Healthcare
-Emotional Health
-Wellbeing
-Retirement Savings
-Paid Time Off
-Life and Disability
-Family Forming (Coming Soon!)
-WGU Tuition Discount