THE GORGE — Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC) has launched a partnership with Western Governors University, which means a streamlined transfer pathway and a new scholarship of $3,500 for transferring graduates and employees of CGCC.
It’s “a move to address the region’s critical workforce demands,” according to a CGCC press release. WGU is an unusual “competency-based” university, completely online, that trains students in various work fields.
“Keeping local talent right here in the Gorge is essential for the region’s future prosperity, and this partnership is a direct investment in that goal,” said Dr. Tonya Drake, vice president of WGU’s Northwest Region.
“CGCC provided me with the foundational skills to begin my nursing career, and WGU offered the flexibility I needed as a working parent to earn my bachelor’s degree,” said Deanne Saldivar-Witter, a graduate of both institutions and a CGCC nursing instructor. “This partnership formalizes the kind of pathway that made my own career advancement possible, and it opens the door for so many others in our community to pursue their goals without putting their lives on hold,”
CGCC is the seventh community college in Oregon to join WGU, which has just under 2,900 students in Oregon and over 9,000 alumni statewide. More than 150 WGU alumni are now working jobs on Wasco and Hood River counties.
Commented