He said faculty members in participating states would be asked to evaluate both the quality of WGU courses and its assessment procedures. At some point, the Western Governors University must be accredited, if work done at WGU is to be transferable to other institutions and if students are to be eligible for federally-backed financial aid. This is likely to be tricky, since accrediting agencies usually deal with single campuses in one state, not with programs delivered electronically across state lines. The on-line university also faces a welter of laws and regulations governing higher education in each of the 13 states. The governors can waive some of these requirements but new legislation will be needed in other cases.
Money is another problem.
At this point, I don't know. Jones noted that higher education budgets are tight in most states and that many public colleges and universities see the western governors' proposal as competition for scarce dollars. He said some companies have shown interest in providing software at no cost and WGU also hopes to receive foundation support. Student tuition fees will provide a significant source of income once the university opens for business. Wherever the money comes from, the university must be self-supporting if it is to survive, all of the planners agree.