WKU To Offer Online Degree
For Weyerhauser Employees
May 22, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University and Weyerhaeuser Corporation are thinking outside the box with a new online degree program for employees.
On June 2, 20 to 25 Weyerhaeuser employees will begin taking classes in an online associate's degree program in a partnership with Western's Bowling Green Community College and the University's new Division of Extended Learning and Outreach.
Weyerhaeuser, which has two box-manufacturing facilities and a technical education center in Bowling Green, was looking for a way to expand educational access for its employees, especially those in leadership positions. The company's packaging division has 104 plants that employ about 15,000 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"The Bowling Green Community College is pleased to provide the opportunity for Weyerhaeuser employees across the country to earn an associate degree in Manufacturing Management through distance learning," said BGCC Interim Dean Sherry Reid. "It matches the professional needs of the Weyerhaeuser employees with a customized online version of the Business Technology degree with a Manufacturing Management concentration."
BGCC has developed a 64-credit hour program to offer the associate degree with all courses—a core of business technology classes and electives—being offered online.
"This program is a good opportunity to develop the future leaders for our company," said Anthony Garcia, director at Weyerhaeuser's Technical Education Center. The company provides technical training at its Bowling Green center, but the agreement with Western will provide supervisors with a manufacturing management curriculum.
Program coordinator Dr. Dawn Bolton, associate professor in the community college's Business and Computer Studies Division, will serve as the adviser and primary contact for the employee-students and will assist faculty offering the online courses.
Weyerhaeuser employees will take three courses each semester and should complete the program in two years. The company launched a leadership program to identify students and already has 140 employees interested.
The company and Western hope the associate's program will grow to a bachelor's and master's program for employees. The program could expand to the 45,000 employees in Weyerhaeuser's other divisions.
"The accessibility of this program offers a good educational opportunity for employees and benefits Weyerhaeuser as well," Garcia said.
The company's Technical Education Center serves employees in the United States, Mexico and Canada. "This center, which opened in September 2001, was a new concept for Weyerhaeuser and it's working well," Garcia said. "Now we'll be able to train our employees technically and academically."
The company, which offers tuition and textbook reimbursements of 80 percent, will sponsor some of the student employees. Those students selected for company sponsorship will be provided with a laptop, Internet access and educational software.
WKU's partnership with Weyerhaeuser began with a non-credit Continuing Education program. The new Division of Extended Learning and Outreach should provide Western with additional corporate learning opportunities to partner with business and industry in the Bowling Green area.
Others instrumental in getting the program going are Provost Barbara Burch; Mark Staynings, business technology division chair; and Rob Wyatt, director of Distributed Learning.
For more information, contact Beth Laves at (270) 745-5308 or Anthony Garcia at (270) 745-9088. More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via E-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
