TPRA client WGU Tennessee, a state-endorsed online university, and community leadership organization Leadership Memphis have announced the launch of the Graduate Memphis Scholarship. Through the program, the nonprofit university will award up to $300,000 in funds to 100 new students living in Shelby County and submitting applications between now and December 31, 2015.
“This partnership is an important step toward our goal of making college completion accessible and affordable for more Memphians,” said David Williams, president and CEO, Leadership Memphis. “Shelby County is home to tens of thousands of working adults who have completed some college, but lack a degree or certification. The Graduate Memphis Scholarship will help to close that gap.”
The Graduate Memphis Scholarship—named for Graduate Memphis, an action initiative of Leadership Memphis and the Memphis Talent Dividend with funding from the Plough Foundation—is for Shelby County residents who want to further their education with a degree from one of WGU Tennessee’s online programs. Scholarships of up to $3,000 in value will be applied at the rate of $600 per six-month term, renewable for up to five terms. Awardees may apply the scholarship to any of WGU Tennessee’s more than 50 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
“Through its Graduate Memphis and Memphis Talent Dividend action initiatives, as well as its unflagging commitment to developing strong leaders and passionate civic stakeholders, Leadership Memphis has long been a force for good in Memphis and Shelby County,” said Dr. Kim Estep, chancellor of WGU Tennessee. “We’re thrilled and honored to work with such an inspiring organization as we continue our mission of boosting college completion throughout the state.”
A video about the scholarship is available here: https://youtu.be/x1IfbaAh69w. For more information and to apply, visit:tennessee.wgu.edu/GraduateMemphis.
WGU Tennessee is an online, nonprofit, competency-based university established to expand Tennesseans’ access to higher education throughout the state. Formed through a partnership between the state of Tennessee and nationally recognized Western Governors University, WGU Tennessee is open to all qualified Tennessee residents. The university offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the high-demand career fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing.
Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Teachers College programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).*
In addition to WGU Tennessee, there are five other WGU state-based, state-endorsed universities: WGU Indiana, established in June 2010; WGU Washington, established in April 2011; WGU Texas, established in August 2011; WGU Missouri, established in February 2013; and WGU Nevada, established in June 2015.
For more information, visit the WGU Tennessee website, tennessee.wgu.edu, or call 855-948-8495.
*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington, DC 20036, 202-877-6791).
About Leadership Memphis
Leadership Memphis is a non-profit, community leadership development organization. Its mission is to prepare and mobilize leaders to work together for the good of the whole community. Founded in 1977 as The Memphis Institute of Public Responsibility, the organization has trained and graduated more than 2,800 leaders from its signature programs: Executive, FastTrack, Criminal/Juvenile Justice, and Grassroots. Its Action Initiatives are Memphis Talent Dividend/Graduate Memphis, and Volunteer Memphis and work to improve the post-secondary access and attainment rates as well as civic engagement across the greater Memphis area. Learn more at www.leadershipmemphis.org .