Neighbor News
O’Fallon Resident Recognized at WGU Missouri Commencement
New York Times best-selling author and TED Talk Speaker Bill Donius delivered the keynote at the ceremony, which celebrated 512 graduates.
O’Fallon resident Donald Courtois was recognized for receiving a Master of Business Administration at WGU Missouri’s commencement ceremony, held June 24 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center in St. Louis. Courtois was one of 512 students in this year’s graduating class.
WGU Missouri, the only online, nonprofit university endorsed by the state of Missouri, provides an affordable and accessible path to college completion for Missouri’s working adults. The university, created in 2013 by former Governor Jay Nixon in partnership with Western Governors University, now has more than 1,500 alumni. With a current enrolled student body of 2,565 – a nearly 23 percent increase from the same time last year – WGU Missouri is proving that its model works and appeals to those working adults who need an affordable, flexible option to earn a degree and enhance their lives.
Bill Donius, the author of “Thought Revolution: How to Unlock Your Inner Genius” and 2014 TED Talk speaker delivered the commencement keynote at the ceremony, addressing a crowd of more than 800. He was joined by four graduating students who spoke about their educational journeys at WGU Missouri. Student speakers included: Rebecca Balfanz, Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, from Elsberry, Mo.; Lana Borden, Master of Science in Nursing Education, from Lee’s Summit, Mo.; Tara Lavelle, Bachelor of Science in Business Human Resource Management, from Blue Springs, Mo.; and Joe Mobley, MBA in Healthcare Management, from Kansas City.