FROM HIGH SCHOOLERS TO RETIREES TO EDUCATION: Have It

Traditional students enter Virginia Wesleyan through the front door,” said Dr. Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson, professor of biology and dean of VWU Global Campus. “But there’s a huge community around us that also needs affordable learning options. So we put out the welcome mat for non-traditional students at our back door.”

Today, anyone who wants to learn can walk through whatever door to VWU fits their needs and schedule. Dr. Gonsalves-Jackson explained that the VWU Global Campus, which is fully integrated with Virginia Wesleyan’s academic program, serves the full spectrum of learners: online, evening, weekend, international, early enrollment and non-credit.

“We meet students wherever they are,” Dr. Gonsalves-Jackson said. “We want to be welcoming to everyone.”

Maybe the right VWU door is a career-related certificate program or a nocost professional development workshop. It might be attending VWU programs at the Westminster-Canterbury retirement community or completing University-level classes while in high school.

For working professionals, it could be earning an MBA online—choosing from 10 different concentrations—as Emily Amland did.

“When I started to research my further education options,” Amland said, “I was completely intimidated and worried I wouldn’t be able to manage school expectations on top of my full-time job.”

In exploring online MBA programs, she landed on the one at VWU. “I was excited to find a school that had detailed information online and clear expectations. I felt like the program was designed with me in mind: a full-time worker who’s been in her career for nearly 10 years and was ready to take her professional journey to the next level.”

VWU is also helping law enforcement professionals reach the next level through a unique partnership launched last year with the Virginia Beach Police Department. After University leaders evaluated the police academy’s rigorous curriculum, they determined its coursework equates to 28 credit hours at VWU. As a result, Virginia Beach police officers who enroll in VWU receive credit for what they’ve learned in the academy—and get a head start on their associate’s or bachelor’s degree.

“My job as a police officer has unique challenges with schedules and responsibilities that make it almost impossible to complete my degree in a conventional setting,” said Officer Matt Thompson, who has served with Virginia Beach