KANSAS CITY – WGU Missouri is pleased to announce that Dr. Angie Besendorfer, chancellor of WGU Missouri, will be joining the Executive Committee for Real World Learning. 

Besendorfer will help provide guidance and drive policy as it relates to the Real World Learning initiative. Key focus areas will be ensuring equitable access and quality of resources, educating and cultivating support for sustained employer-education engagement, onboard new education leaders to local landscape and practices, advocate for continuous learning, and share lessons learned to inform effective state and federal policymaking. 

The 2030 goal of the Kauffman-sponsored initiative, Real World Learning, is for all Kansas City-area graduates to earn at least one of these “market value assets”:

• Work experiences: internships and client-connected projects
• College credit: at least three classes 
• Industry recognized credentials 
• Entrepreneurial experiences: starting a business or launching an initiative 

“The Real World Learning initiative is providing invaluable resources and creating opportunity for thousands of students in the Greater Kansas City area, and I am honored to be on the executive committee,” said Besendorfer. “These efforts appropriately align with WGU Missouri’s mission on providing access to high-quality higher education and building a well-educated workforce. I am looking forward to helping the Real World Learning initiative fulfill its mission.”