WGU Indiana Partners with Pacers Foundation to Fund Scholarships

INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- WGU Indiana and the Pacers Foundation are raising money to send Hoosiers to college during the holidays. As part of the "Good to Give" campaign, WGU is building its scholarship fund through the month of December to help current and future students during this season of giving. In partnership with WGU Indiana, the Pacers Foundation will match up to $5,000, dollar for dollar, in donations made through December 23^rd, 2016.

Good to Give was established to help make earning a degree even more affordable and accessible to future WGU students. There are two ways to give. By using the link alumni.wgu.edu/goodtogive between now and December 23^rd, donors can make a tax-deductible donation. In addition, donors can create or log in to a free Amazon Smile account and select Western Governors University as their charity of choice.

"Tuition costs should not prevent Hoosiers who want to finish their college degrees from doing so," said WGU Indiana Chancellor Allison Barber. "That's why WGU and the Pacers Foundation are raising money this holiday season. A college degree can be the greatest gift that individuals can give themselves."

WGU Indiana's student body is comprised mostly of working adults with their own families and careers. According to Indiana records, more than 50,000 Hoosiers have some college education but do not hold a post-secondary degree.

"The Pacers Foundation is proud to provide scholarships to hardworking Hoosiers who deserve an extra boost toward reaching their goals in higher education," added Rick Fuson, chairman of Pacers Foundation board and president and COO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment.

Cheryl Mabry of Ellettsville, Indiana, received a $2,000 WGU scholarship last year as part of the "You Can. Go Back" scholarship fund. She credits the scholarship with allowing her to obtain her BSN.

"Education has always been important to me because I don't want to be limited in life," said Mabry.

About WGU Indiana 
WGU Indiana is the state's nonprofit, online university. Using a competency-based model that allows students to accelerate at their own pace and curriculum developed with input from leading employers, WGU Indiana offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Business, Education, Information Technology and Healthcare Professions, including Nursing. WGU Indiana has awarded 3,900 degrees and has more than 4,900 students currently enrolled. In 2012, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education recognized WGU Indiana and its Reaching Higher, Achieving More agenda for its excellence in academic quality. The university was also recognized as one of Fast Company's 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2013. In 2014, WGU's secondary teacher preparation program ranked first among 2,400 schools for quality by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). According to a study conducted by Gallup in 2014, WGU graduates are more likely than those from other U.S. universities to have the jobs they want, feel engaged at work, and have an emotional attachment to their alma maters.

About Pacers Foundation, Inc.
Pacers Foundation, Inc., the public charity founded by Pacers Sports & Entertainment, is dedicated to improving the lives of Indiana's young people by building individual and corporate partnerships that will provide assistance for projects that benefit Indiana's youth.

Since its inception in 1993, the Pacers Foundation has awarded more than $7 million in cash and in-kind donations through grants to youth-serving organizations, scholarships and Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever tickets.

Contact for media inquiries:
Sharon Smith, Public Relations Manager 
385-428-3902, Ext. 3902, Cell 317-506-7982
sharon.smith@wgu.edu

Contact for enrollment information:
866-225-5948 
http://indiana.wgu.edu

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SOURCE WGU Indiana