Under a new partnership agreement, graduates and staff of Stanly Community College will have access to flexible, personalized learning pathways to higher education and professional development through WGU North Carolina, an affiliate of Western Governors University.

The agreement was formalized during a signing ceremony March 8 at SCC’s campus.

As part of the agreement, WGU North Carolina will develop and maintain transfer articulation pathways to facilitate transfer of SCC graduates’ academic credits to WGU’s bachelor’s degree programs.

Additionally, SCC graduates, staff and faculty will have their application fees waived and be able to apply for the WGU Community College Partner Scholarships valued at up to $2,500 each.

In addition to in-person classes, SCC also offers more than 25 online degree, certificate and diploma programs, many of which have embedded certifications and directly align with WGU’s bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

Founded in 1997, WGU is a fully accredited, nonprofit online university offering more than 80 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in healthcare, IT, business, and K-12 education. The university has more than 144,000 students enrolled nationwide, including more than 4,200 in North Carolina. Tuition is around $4,000 per six-month term for most degree programs.

As a competency-based university, WGU offers students the option to take as many courses as they want per term with the consent of their assigned program mentor.

“We are excited to build new bridges with four-year institutions such as Western Governors University that provide our students with opportunities to take their education as far as they want to go,” said Dr. John Enamait, president of Stanly Community College. “WGU shares our commitment to student success, which made our decision easy when choosing to collaborate.”

WCU’s Tully Lale, senior regional manager of strategic partnerships, congratulates SCC President Dr. John Enamait on the new partnership. (Contributed)

“Since 1971, Stanly Community College has been a tremendous educational and economic resource for the surrounding community,” added WGU North Carolina Chancellor Ben Coulter, Ed.D. “WGU North Carolina is honored to partner with SCC to meet the demands of 21st-century learners preparing themselves for North Carolina’s evolving workforce needs.”