U.S. Under Secretary Ted Mitchell will give the keynote address at Western Governors University's (WGU) commencement ceremony at 10:30 a.m. MT on Saturday, July 12, in Salt Lake City, Utah. In his remarks to some 5,000 graduates and their guests, Mitchell will herald the graduates as pioneers, challenge them to build on their achievements, and highlight the online university's unique approach to offering accelerated, affordable, competency-based undergraduate and graduate programs.
He will also discuss the administration's higher education initiatives that promote college access, affordability, quality and completion.
WGU is a totally online institution with a current enrollment of 46,000 students, most who are full-time working adults, and 75 percent are from underserved populations. WGU offers programs in four key workforce areas: business, information technology, teacher education, and healthcare.