WGU, Steel Dynamics Announce Partnership
Inside Indiana Business
WGU, Steel Dynamics Announce Partnership
August 24, 2012
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS (August 24, 2012) – WGU Indiana has selected Steel Dynamics, Inc. as the first northern Indiana employer to promote bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the state’s nonprofit, online university. The announcement pairs Indiana’s eighth state university with the nation’s fifth-largest steel company.
“This partnership is a natural fit because both WGU Indiana and Steel Dynamics value education for 21st century jobs,” WGU Indiana Chancellor Allison Barber said. “WGU Indiana provides its students with the chance to move up in the workplace and achieve lifelong goals. There are 740,000 Hoosier adults with some college experience and no degree, and a partnership such as this helps Indiana residents access a quality higher education.”
Steel Dynamics president and CEO Mark Millett agrees. “Steel Dynamics is home to 6,500+ associates, many of whom will be served by our partnership with WGU Indiana,” Millett said. “We believe in encouraging and rewarding initiative and achievement. With this new partnership, our employees will have even greater opportunities to pursue their goals.”
WGU Indiana offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in four high-demand career fields – Business, Information Technology, Education and Health Professions, including Nursing. Its flat-rate tuition provides affordable access to a high-quality college education for approximately $6,000 per year. The partnership with Steel Dynamics will focus on curriculum in the Business and Information Technology fields.
Last June, WGU Indiana celebrated its two-year anniversary. Over the past year, student enrollment has doubled, and more than half of the counties in the state have seen at least 100 percent growth in the same timeframe. Earlier this year, WGU Indiana was recognized for its quality academic model by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
Visit indiana.wgu.edu/SDI or call 877-214-7014 for more details on the WGU Indiana/Steel Dynamics partnership. Those interested in all of WGU Indiana’s scholarship opportunities can visit indiana.wgu.edu/tuition_financial_aid/scholarships.
About WGU Indiana
WGU Indiana has been established by the State of Indiana as a nonprofit, online, competency-based university to expand access to higher education for Indiana residents. Formed through a partnership with Western Governors University, WGU Indiana is open to all qualified Indiana residents. The university offers over 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Business, Education, Information Technology and Healthcare Professions, including Nursing. In 2012, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education recognized WGU Indiana in its Reaching Higher, Achieving More agenda for the university’s excellence in academic quality.
Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is regionally accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and nationally accredited through the Distance Education and Training Commission (DETC). 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).
WGU Indiana is an approved education provider for Indiana state grants and scholarships offered through the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI). In addition, the university has partnered with Ivy Tech to offer graduates who have completed their associate degrees a seamless transfer to complete their bachelor’s degrees at WGU Indiana, including tuition discounts.
About Steel Dynamics, Inc.
Steel Dynamics, Inc. is a diversified, vertically integrated metals company. A Fortune 500 company, it is one of the largest domestic steel producers and metals recyclers in the United States based on estimated annual steelmaking and metals recycling capability, with annual sales of $8.0 billion in 2011. Its more than 6,500 associates are located in manufacturing facilities throughout the United States, including five steel mills, six steel processing facilities, two iron production facilities, more than 70 OmniSource metals recycling locations and six steel fabrication plants.
Source: WGU Indiana
