Jennifer Reynolds, a resident of Florissant, was one of 60 collegiate students nominated and chosen to participate in the 37th Annual Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values, held in Jefferson City in late February. Reynolds is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Health Services Coordination from WGU Missouri and represented the fully online, nonprofit university at the forum.
The Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum challenges students’ character development by encouraging them to reflect on their own decision-making skills, values and belief systems. Through a series of collaborative small group sessions, speaker presentations, socials and more, students learn about how to reconcile relationships, stand for truth, and love others as they love themselves. The forum’s guiding principle is teaching students to embrace altruism rather than egotism.
Over the course of the three-day event, students heard from several speakers who lead by example, including Becca Chapman, Director of Women’s Philanthropy at Wheeler Mission, the largest rescue mission and homeless shelter in the state of Indiana; Taisir Yanis, owner of Yanis Coffee Shop in Jefferson City; Scott Crosley, Airborne Ranger, and Army Chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel and CEO of PIVOT, a national anti-sex trafficking agency; and William Bumphus, director of Men’s Emergency Shelter. Students spent a morning at the Capitol, touring the House Lounge and hearing from Bob Priddy, retired News Director of Missourinet; and visited the House Floor, led by Missouri State Representative Travis Fitzwater. They also visited the Governor’s office and concluded with a meet and greet and message from Gov. Mike Parson.
“WGU is proud to serve students who have the passion and drive to improve their lives and their careers by providing them with access to the tools they need to succeed,” said Dr. Angie Besendorfer, Chancellor of WGU Missouri. “We’re grateful to be able to grant our students the opportunity to attend enriching events like the Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum to help them take the lead in their personal lives and career fields.”
The Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum began in 1986 under the leadership of former Missouri Governor and 79th U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. Since then, the forum has convened every year, featuring Missouri’s Governor and other prominent community leaders, and inviting young people of diverse backgrounds and aspirations to put aside their differences and come together to learn how to better lead in their spheres of influence.
For more information on the Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum, visit missourigslf.com. To learn more about WGU Missouri, visit missouri.wgu.edu.
About WGU Missouri
WGU Missouri is a competency-based, online university created to expand access to higher education for Missouri residents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. WGU Missouri faculty members serve as mentors, working one-on-one with students, offering guidance, support, and individualized instruction.
Established in 2013 through a partnership with nationally recognized Western Governors University, WGU Missouri is open to all qualified Missouri residents. The university is nonprofit and self-sustaining on flat-rate tuition of about $7,600 per year for most programs.
Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Nursing College programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE*), and the Health Informatics program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). More information is available at issouri.wgu.edu or by calling 855.948.8493.
*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington DC 20036, 202-877-6791).
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For more information, contact:
Merisa Ashbaugh
(314)436-9090
merisa@hausergrouppr.com