Veronica Vargas Stidvent, chancellor of WGU Texas, My San Antonio
To meet our present and future workforce needs, Texas employers must look beyond the 18- to 21-year-old “traditional student” cohort. In the U.S. in 2011, only 29 percent of students enrolled in a four-year public or nonprofit college were full-time students of standard college age. We need a broader solution, one that provides ample opportunity for nontraditional students — Texans who work full time and cannot logistically or financially afford to leave careers to enroll in college full time. Many Texans may have started, but were unable to complete, their undergraduate or graduate degrees for a variety of personal or professional reasons. It isn’t feasible for many of these potential students to stop working to pursue additional education. They need flexibility. We’re hopeful that employers, state leaders and our colleagues in higher education will recognize the promise of online learning and competency-based education for a workforce that demands flexibility and affordability.
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