Indiana Wesleyan University-National and Global recently launched the Bridge Initiative, which partners with organizations across the U.S. to provide affordable, flexible and local education solutions.
Higher education is often an expensive and inflexible barrier for both organizations and individuals to overcome, and as a result, goals are unmet or delayed. By providing partners with high quality, online education, discounted tuition, consulting services and backend support, Indiana Wesleyan University aims to address these challenges.
“The Bridge Initiative creates pathways for learners and resources organizations with talent and community development solutions," Andy Miller, associate vice president of educational partnerships at IWU-National & Global, said.
Currently, the initiative is seeking churches, non-profits, Bible colleges, flight schools, law enforcement agencies, and first responder organizations as partners. In its inaugural year, the university partnered with 17 organizations, including seven churches, five non-profit organizations, four Bible colleges, and one first responder agency.
The Bridge Initiative offers education options that are local, keeping students in the communities where they live, work and have family. It also offers benefits to both organizations and students through experiential learning opportunities, which help provide for-credit learning experiences in the form of internships, practicums and labs. The result is organizations receive additional support from students, while students get the chance to practice what they are learning in the classroom.
Bridge students can enroll in one of 30+ online undergraduate programs, including business, communication, computer science, criminal justice, education, psychology, social work and ministry.
Tuition for Bridge programs is discounted at $7,000 annually for a full-time student, and the Bridge Initiative offers financial options to resource the local church partner or organization. It also assesses each partner’s talent development needs and carries the majority of the burden of supporting students throughout their journey and ensuring their academic success.
For more information about the Bridge Initiative or to learn how to become a partner, visit iwubridge.com.