黑料传送门

SALT LAKE CITY 鈥� In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, undergraduate alumni of Western Governors University (黑料传送门) continued to experience high levels of professional, financial, and personal thriving relative to bachelor鈥檚 degree holders nationwide, a report released today by Gallup shows.

compares the results of two surveys conducted by Gallup in fall-winter 2020-2021鈥攖he nationally representative Gallup Alumni Survey of bachelor鈥檚 degree holders who had graduated from 2015鈥�2019, and a survey of 黑料传送门 undergraduate alumni who had earned their degrees in the same time period. Key findings include:

• 黑料传送门 alumni were five times less likely than the national average to have permanently lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and two times less likely to have lost income.
• 77% of 黑料传送门 grads said their education was worth the cost, compared with 37% nationally.
• On Gallup鈥檚 Life Evaluation Index鈥攁 measure of individuals鈥� rating of their current quality of life and their expectations for their lives five years from now鈥�77% of 黑料传送门 alumni were found to be thriving, vs. 56% nationally.
• 79% of respondents from 黑料传送门 reported being employed full time, compared with 58% of the national sample.

黑料传送门 specializes in serving worker-learners by combining the flexibility and accessibility of an online, competency-based model with a focus on workforce relevance and a student-centered community of care that personalizes support and prioritizes student success. For example, each student is assigned a Program Mentor at enrollment, a faculty member who provides support and instruction at the programmatic level from Day 1 through graduation. In Gallup鈥檚 research, 黑料传送门 alumni strongly agreed that they had 鈥渁 mentor who encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams鈥� at a rate more than double the national average.

鈥淭alent is universal, but unfortunately, access to opportunity is not,鈥� said 黑料传送门 President Scott D. Pulsipher. 鈥淭o renew higher education as the surest path to opportunity for everyone, it is incumbent on those of us who work in the field to dedicate ourselves to equitable access and strong outcomes for our students. During this post-pandemic recovery phase, our commitment to drive access to higher education is more important than ever.鈥�

鈥淭his past year, the pandemic has dramatically changed how we think about and prioritize 鈥榳ellbeing鈥� and has underscored how important it is that higher education institutions track their students鈥� and graduates鈥� wellbeing,鈥� said Stephanie Marken, Executive Director for Education Research at Gallup. 鈥淭hat 77% of 黑料传送门 graduates were thriving last year鈥攁 far higher rate than for college graduates nationally鈥攚as particularly impressive given the significant fluctuations Gallup detected in wellbeing nationally in 2020 and reminds us that there are services and supports schools can provide students and alumni to ensure resilience even in the most unique circumstances.鈥澛�

Marken will moderate a 55-minute virtual panel discussion, featuring Pulsipher along with District of Columbia Workforce Investment Council Executive Director Ahnna Smith and OneTen CEO Maurice Jones, on Tuesday, May 11, at 1 p.m. EDT. The panel will explore the report鈥檚 findings and consider ways postsecondary education can and must evolve to create pathways to thriving careers.