For the Reporter
WGU Washington awarded nearly 1,900 bachelor’s and master’s degrees to students throughout the state at its fifth annual commencement ceremony Saturday.
Graduates, family members, faculty and supporters packed KeyArena in Seattle to celebrate the online university’s largest class of graduates yet. The 2016 graduating class is 17 percent larger than last year’s class of graduates.
In the five years since state lawmakers established WGU Washington, the university’s enrollment has grown to more than 9,200 fulltime students – making it the sixth-largest university in the state. Additionally, more than 5,600 Washingtonians, including this year’s class, have earned degrees from WGU Washington.
This year’s commencement ceremony kicks off what Gov. Jay Inslee has dedicated as WGU Washington Week. In recognition of the university’s fifth anniversary, as well as its impact on the state and the hard work of its students, graduates, faculty and staff, Inslee signed a proclamation declaring April 16-23 WGU Washington Week. That period of celebration also includes April 22, the anniversary of the day in 2011 Gov. Christine Gregoire signed into law the bill creating WGU Washington.
“We are incredibly proud of the academic accomplishments of this year’s graduating class,” said WGU Washington Chancellor Jean Floten. “This commencement ceremony – and all the graduates we are celebrating today – is the manifestation of the mission laid out when WGU Washington was created five years ago. Today’s event embodies what the university is all about and is the perfect start to WGU Washington Week.”
Saturday, more than 400 graduates from communities throughout the state participated in the ceremony. Others tuned in to watch it on the university’s YouTube page. Graduates, friends and families throughout the state celebrated commencement on social media with the hashtag #WGUWA16.
Executive Director of the Washington Student Achievement Council Dr. Gene Sharratt delivered the keynote address at the ceremony.
To learn more about the university, visit washington.wgu.edu.
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