August 28, 2012
08/29/12 Ancilla College and WGU Indiana formally signed an articulation agreement on Tuesday, August 28. This opens doors to Ancilla graduates who begin their education at a smaller college with technologically advanced classrooms and extensive tutorial services, and can then enter one of WGU Indiana’s online degree programs as a junior.
“It’s a perfect fit between two very different types of educational institutions,” said Ancilla President Ron May. “Ancilla is a two-year liberal arts college, founded 75 years ago by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, near Plymouth. We have a small, quiet campus with personal classes supporting 17 rigorous academic programs and a strong core curriculum. Students start with us in a friendly, small college atmosphere that prides itself on the success of its graduates at baccalaureate institutions and in the workplace,” May said.
“Despite having very different learning environments, our missions are almost identical. Ancilla and WGU Indiana want to provide access to educational opportunities to traditional students and hardworking adult learners to meet their educational goals and improve their career opportunities,” May said.
WGU Indiana was established by the State of Indiana as a nonprofit, online, competency-based university to expand access to higher education for 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.
“We are pleased to partner with Ancilla because its administration and faculty value going further in life through education,” WGU Indiana Chancellor Allison Barber said. “The Lumina Foundation recently released a report stating college graduates can earn an additional $1.3 million in their lifetime and are eligible for more jobs than those who never attended college. WGU Indiana offers an affordable, flexible path for Hoosier adults to move up in the workplace or realize a lifelong goal. Five Ancilla College graduates are currently doing just that and continuing their education with WGU Indiana, reaffirming the purpose of this partnership.”
“Ancilla has a strong connection to communities throughout the region,” Dean Joanna Blount said. “Over the past decade more than 700 students from Northern Indiana communities have graduated from Ancilla. They have learned, they earned associate degrees, but they have also moved into the workforce, built businesses, started families and taken on leadership roles throughout our region,” she said.
“Ancilla graduates can start here and transfer to WGU Indiana to continue their education in pre-professional and baccalaureate degree programs. WGU Indiana also offers master’s degree programs that we offer at the associate level, such as its programs in Education, Business, and Healthcare. It’s a very good fit for our students who need the flexibility of an online program,” Dean Blount said.
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 Ancilla College
Founded in 1937 by the Catholic religious congregation of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, Ancilla College is a two-year liberal arts college located on an idyllic campus among the lakes and cornfields of northern Indiana. With a 15:1 student faculty ratio and an average of 550 students, Ancilla provides seven competitive sports to promote physical health, an active campus ministry to support spiritual development, a commitment to creating sustainable environments, technologically advanced classrooms and labs, and extensive tutorial services.