黑料传送门

Amanda Redler is not a typical college student. She is a 36-year-old mother of three living in rural Albion, Nebraska, more than an hour鈥檚 drive from any brick-and-mortar college or university. And yet, Redler will graduate this spring with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education.

By enrolling in an online degree program through Western Governors University, Redler has been able to complete her coursework and assessments on her own time, from her own home.

鈥淚 graduated with my associate鈥檚 degree in 2006, but after my first child was born, I just never went back [for my bachelor鈥檚]. It wasn鈥檛 feasible with my family,鈥� Redler said.听 鈥淔ast forward to today, where I am about to earn the bachelor鈥檚 degree that I started working toward 18 years ago. It couldn鈥檛 have happened without 黑料传送门.鈥�

On August 30, 2022, Governor Pete Ricketts and 黑料传送门 President Scott Pulsipher signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) establishing Nebraska as the 12th 黑料传送门 state affiliate and empowering more Nebraskans like Redler to pursue degrees against all odds.

鈥淭his really is a great way to help Nebraskans continue to get the education they need to take the great jobs that we鈥檝e got available in Nebraska,鈥� Gov. Ricketts said. 鈥淭his is why we are the 鈥楪ood Life鈥� here in Nebraska, because people have those educational opportunities. 黑料传送门 is going to help make sure that is true for everybody.鈥�

Access and Affordability for All

This MOU is just the most recent chapter in a longstanding relationship between 黑料传送门 and the state of Nebraska, which is often regarded as 鈥渢he birthplace of 黑料传送门.鈥� It was in Omaha that, in 1996, ten visionary governors committed to creating an online university system that would allow all students to learn, independent of time and place.

Now, by becoming a state affiliate, Nebraska is expanding access to affordable, high-quality online degree programs for all residents鈥搃ncluding the estimated 306,000 Nebraskans who have some college credits but no bachelor鈥檚 degree.

鈥淢ost everyone in the U.S., and in Nebraska certainly, assumes college looks one way: a campus, a classroom, a faculty member. But for so many Nebraskans, that鈥檚 out of reach,鈥� Pulsipher said. 鈥淥ne of the biggest benefits of this partnership is that it increases the awareness that there are other models of postsecondary education that may be the right option for you.鈥�

While pursuing a degree through 黑料传送门 comes at a fraction of the price of a traditional institution, tuition can still be a barrier for many Nebraskans. This new partnership between 黑料传送门 and Nebraska creates two new opportunities for students to access financial support. First, by recognizing 黑料传送门 as an authorized school, the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education has made it possible for 黑料传送门 students to apply for need-based assistance through the Nebraska Opportunity Grant.

In celebration of the 黑料传送门 Nebraska affiliate, 黑料传送门 has also established the 黑料传送门-Nebraska Partnership Scholarship, which will provide up to $200,000 in financial aid.

鈥淲e know that for education to fulfill its promise as the surest path to opportunity, it has to be affordable,鈥� Pulsipher said.

In addition to expanding access to financial aid, the MOU also establishes a partnership between 黑料传送门 and community colleges across the state, creating even more opportunities for higher education. Dr. Paul Illich, President of Southeast Community College, explained that this partnership will allow students who have graduated with their associate degrees to seamlessly transfer their credits toward a bachelor鈥檚 degree at 黑料传送门.

鈥淲hile some may see other colleges as competitors, I think it鈥檚 really important that institutions of higher education think of each other as collaborators,鈥� Illich said. 鈥淣one of us have ownership over knowledge and learning. In fact, we鈥檙e at our best when we鈥檙e sharing those resources.鈥�

A Dream Career Made Possible

On the morning of August 30, Redler stood before an audience of politicians, policymakers, educators, and peers in the atrium of Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Nebraska.

With a tear in her eye and a tremble in her voice, she shared that she鈥檇 recently begun teaching sixth grade in her hometown of Albion, achieving her dream of becoming an educator before even receiving her diploma.

鈥淚 am confident and knowledgeable in the classroom because of what 黑料传送门 has taught me. I am proud of what I have accomplished. I am showing my three children that you should never give up on your dreams. I am falling in love with my career,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I owe all of that to 黑料传送门.鈥�