SEATTLE – Of the 1,700 graduates who earned degrees at WGU Washington this year, 16 are from Bremerton – part of 46 total graduates from Kitsap County. The 16 are named below:
Korene Calderwood, Master of Science, Educational Leadership; Joshua Crook, Master of Business Administration, Information Technology Management; Stacey Dixon, Master of Business Administration, Management and Strategy; Erick Wilson, Master of Business Administration, Management and Strategy; Colleen Cawley, Master of Science, Nursing — Education; Leanne Peterson, Master of Science, Nursing — Leadership and Management; H. Hawkins, Master of Science, Information Technology Network Management; Signe Hill, Bachelor of Science, Business Management; Wendy Carter, Bachelor of Science, Nursing; Mary Coughlin, Bachelor of Science, Nursing; Megan Shelton, Bachelor of Science, Nursing; Keith Sprague, Bachelor of Science, Nursing; Jason Stark, Bachelor of Science, Information Technology — Network Administration; Daniel Biadog, Bachelor of Science, Information Technology — Network Design and Management; Jeffrey Dimmock, Bachelor of Science, Information Technology — Security; Greg Grady, Bachelor of Science, Information Technology — Software.
The commencement ceremony honoring this year’s degree recipients was Saturday, May 2, at Everett’s Xfinity Arena.
WGU Washington offers career-focused degrees for a flat-rate of about $6,000 per year for most programs. Of the school’s roughly 7,500 full-time students, nearly half are enrolled in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) related programs. STEM fields are vital to our state’s economy. WGU is the largest educator of math and science teachers in the U.S., conferring 5 percent of the nation’s baccalaureate and 15 percent of the nation’s master’s degrees in STEM teaching.
The 2015 graduating class is roughly 70 percent larger than last year’s class of 1,055 graduates. In the four years since state lawmakers endorsed WGU Washington as an affordable, educational option for students, the university’s enrollment has grown rapidly. Up more than 750 percent since 2011, WGU Washington’s total enrollment now exceeds 7,500 students, making the online university one of the largest institutions of higher education in the state (comparable in size to Gonzaga and Seattle University).
