Notable alumni
This list of Western Governors University people includes notable alumni and honorary degree recipients affiliated with Western Governors University.
| Recipient | Year/degree [7] |
|---|---|
| Bob Bennett | 2002 honorary doctorate |
| Éric Benhamou | 2002 honorary doctorate |
| Jim Geringer | 2002 honorary doctorate |
| Eric Schmidt | 2002 honorary doctorate |
| Mike Leavitt | 2003 honorary degree |
| Rod Paige | 2005 honorary doctorate |
| Roy Romer | 2006 honorary degree |
| Michael Enzi | 2007 honorary degree |
| Dr. Clara Lovett | 2008 honorary degree |
| Scott McNealy | 2009 honorary degree |
| Jamie Merisotis | 2011 honorary degree |
| Robert Mendenhall | 2017 honorary degree |
Tennessee State University is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Tennessee State University offers 41 bachelor’s degrees, 23 master's degrees, and eight doctoral degrees. It is classified as "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universities, Gorham Normal School and Portland University. The two universities, later known as Gorham State College and the University of Maine at Portland, were combined in 1970 to help streamline the public university system in Maine and eventually expanded by adding the Lewiston campus in 1988.
Regis University is a private Jesuit university in Denver, Colorado.
Western Governors University (WGU) is a private, non-profit, online university based in Millcreek, Utah. The university uses an online competency-based learning model. Degrees awarded by WGU are accredited by the NWCCU, ACBSP, CAEP, CAHIIM, and CCNE. The university was founded by 19 U.S. governors in 1997 after the idea was formulated at a 1995 meeting of the Western Governors Association to expand education offerings to the internet.
Robert Winton Mendenhall is a pioneer of educational technology and entrepreneurship best known as the former president of Western Governors University (WGU).
William Quincy Davis is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 30th District since January 8, 2003. He is a member of the Illinois House Legislative Black Caucus.
Brian Nelson Calley is an American politician who served as the 63rd lieutenant governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was previously elected to the Michigan House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011.
Laura Jeanne Kelly is an American politician serving since 2019 as the 48th governor of Kansas. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented the 18th district in the Kansas Senate from 2005 to 2019. Kelly was elected governor in 2018, defeating Republican nominee Kris Kobach. She was reelected in 2022, narrowly defeating Republican nominee Derek Schmidt.
Eric Wayne Burlison is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Missouri's 7th congressional district since 2023. He previously served as the representative for District 133 in the Missouri House of Representatives. A Republican, Burlison was elected to the Missouri House in 2008 and left office at the end of 2016. In 2018, he was elected to the Missouri Senate, representing District 20. He was elected to Congress in 2022.
James Ward is a Democratic former member of the Kansas House of Representatives, who represented the 86th district from 2013 to 2021. He was first elected to seat 88 in 2003 and served as the House Minority Leader from 2017 to 2019, succeeded by Representative Tom Sawyer as of January 14, 2019. Ward ran for the 28th district of the Kansas Senate against incumbent Mike Petersen but was defeated.
Estelle B. Richman is a former American government official, who served as the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare from 2003 to 2009. She currently works as the chair for the Center for Health Care Strategies.
Raúl Rafael Labrador is an American lawyer and politician from Idaho, currently the state's attorney general. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. Representative for Idaho's 1st congressional district from 2011 to 2019 and chaired the Idaho Republican Party from 2019 to 2020. He also represented the 14B district in the state legislature from 2006 to 2010.
WGU Indiana is a private, non-profit online school established by the state of Indiana to expand access to higher education for Indiana residents, which is a branch campus of Western Governors University. Formed by a partnership between the state and Western Governors University, the university offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Business, Information Technology, Teacher Education, and Health Professions, including Nursing. As of May 31, 2016, it served roughly 4,500 students across the state of Indiana. WGU Indiana was established through an executive order on June 14, 2010 by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, as a partnership between the state and Western Governors University in an effort to expand access to higher education for Indiana residents and increase the percentage of the state's adult population with education beyond high school. The mission of WGU Indiana is to expand access to affordable higher education for Indiana residents through online degree programs that address key workforce needs. WGU Indiana is a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Governors University, which was founded in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors to expand access to higher education through online degree programs. Today, Western Governors University is a national university, with more than 70,000 students from all 50 U.S. states as of June 30, 2016. Non-profit but self-sustaining on tuition, WGU Indiana provides new educational opportunities for Indiana residents without ongoing state subsidy. WGU Indiana accepts applications only from residents in the state of Indiana. There is no minimum high school grade point average for admission, and no minimum score on the SAT or ACT. However, all applicants must pass an admissions examination administered by the university.
Ronald Gene Estes is an American politician who has been the U.S. representative for Kansas's 4th congressional district since April 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Kansas State Treasurer from 2011 to 2017.
Joshua Booth Green is an American politician and physician who has been the governor of Hawaii since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the state's ninth governor. He was the 15th lieutenant governor of Hawaii from 2018 to 2022, a member of the Hawaii Senate from 2008 to 2018, and as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2004 to 2008.
Lynn Wayne Rogers is an American politician and businessman who served as the 41st Kansas State Treasurer from 2021 to 2023. He previously served as the 51st lieutenant governor of Kansas from 2019 to 2021. A Democrat, he had previously served on the board of Wichita Public Schools from 2001 to 2017, and in the Kansas Senate representing the 25th district in west Wichita from 2017 to 2019.
Lauren Ashley Underwood is an American politician and registered nurse who is a U.S. representative from Illinois's 14th congressional district as a member of the Democratic Party. Her district, once represented by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, includes the outer western suburbs of Chicago, including Crystal Lake, Geneva, Oswego, Woodstock, and Yorkville.
Connie Keogh is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 91st district. Elected in November 2018, she assumed office on January 7, 2019.
Scott D. Pulsipher is the president of Western Governors University, the largest university by enrollment in the United States. He was appointed to this position in April 2016.
Located in: Millcreek, Utah | ||
| Campuses |  | |
| Accreditation | ||
| People |
| |
| ||