Fulton, MO – Dr. Jahnae H. Barnett, President of William Woods University (WWU), today announced the university’s support for the workforce/higher education initiatives announced by Missouri Governor Mike Parson. Governor Parson outlined three programs involving higher education and workforce – Fast Track, Missouri One Start and Missouri Excels – during his State of the State address last month. The programs, if signed into law, would extend to private universities in Missouri as well as public four-year institutions and community colleges.
In a letter addressed to the Governor, President Barnett stated “Here at William Woods University, our mission is abundantly clear – to serve as a professions-based institution of higher learning dedicated to producing graduates who are the most in-demand by today’s employers. We take pride in being one of the first private universities in the state of Missouri to publicly express our support for the Fast Track scholarship program, as well as other workforce initiatives, you outlined in your State of the State address last month.”
An emphasis on professions-based degrees as been a commitment at William Woods for decades, and has been a key to the institution’s success. In just the past year and a half, WWU has demonstrated that commitment by seeking approval for a new Nursing program and adding new degree programs in in-demand disciplines like Cybersecurity. William Woods also became the first private institution in the state of Missouri to begin offering the Show-Me Guard Officer Leadership Development (GOLD) degree program, which trains young men and women to become commissioned officers in the Missouri National Guard.
In her letter to the Governor, President Barnett stated that William Woods agrees that “a strategy that aligns Missouri businesses, higher education system, and government is the best approach to ensuring that we are producing students possessing the skills needed by today’s businesses in the 21st Century economy.”
President Barnett’s complete letter to Governor Parson can be found here:
http://presidents-corner-blog.williamwoods.edu/2019/02/28/a-letter-to-missouri-governor-mike-parson/
