Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
| Formation | 1953 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Boulder, Colorado |
| Website | www |
The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education is a nonpartisan, regional interstate higher education compact and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Boulder, Colorado.
The WICHE region consists of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai’i, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.[1]
It is one of four regional interstate higher education compacts in the United States.
Mission
WICHE’s mission is to work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all residents of the West. By promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy, WICHE strengthens higher education’s contributions to the region’s social, economic, and civic life.[2]
History
In 1950, governors attending the Western Governors’ Conference came together to generate the Western Regional Education Compact to help the West address higher education and workforce issues distinct to the region. The following year, 14 commissioners from the five states that ratified the Western Regional Education Compact – Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah – began to organize. In 1953, the Western Regional Education Compact was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and officially establish the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. In 2023, WICHE celebrated its 70th year serving the West.
WICHE's Structure
WICHE’s 48 commissioners are appointed by the governors of the 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States. Commission activities are funded in part through annual dues paid by region members and in part through grants and sponsorships. The WICHE Commission meets twice a year in locations around the West and oversees the development of WICHE programs and assures that the Western Regional Educational Compact is carried out for the benefit of the residents of the West. They do so by developing and approvings the organization’s annual Workplan, which outlines the diverse set of activities, projects, and initiatives that the WICHE Commission has prioritized for the fiscal year beginning July 1, all of which are intended to advance WICHE’s mission.
Located in the State Higher Education Policy Center (SHEPC), WICHE administers its work across four units: Programs and Services, Policy Analysis and Research, WCET – the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies, and the WICHE Behavioral Health Program.
Student Access Programs
Western Undergraduate Exchange
The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is an agreement among WICHE’s 16 members, through which 160+ participating public colleges and universities provide steep nonresident tuition savings for Western students. Through WUE, eligible students can choose from hundreds of undergraduate programs outside their home state, and pay no more than 150 percent of that institution’s resident tuition rate.
Western Regional Graduate Program
The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) is an agreement among WICHE’s 16 members, through which participating Western public universities allow WICHE-region students to attend select out-of-state graduate certificate, master’s, and doctoral programs – and pay up to 150 percent of resident tuition.
Professional Student Exchange Program
The Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) provides affordable access to about 130 accredited professional health care programs at 60 institutions and in 10 fields – ranging from optometry to dentistry to veterinary medicine – for students in the WICHE region.
Academic Partnerships
WICHE manages many initiatives and networks that aim to foster collaboration throughout and beyond its 16 member states and territories.
Western Academic Leadership Forum
The Western Academic Leadership Forum serves WICHE-region chief academic leaders from four-year institutions and associated systems and state coordinating and governing boards.
Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders
The Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders serves academic leaders from two-year institutions and systems.
Western Academic Leadership Academy
The Western Academic Leadership Academy is designed to expand the pipeline of qualified chief academic leaders for institutions. Academy activities focus on understanding the context of academic leadership, setting academic goals and priorities, and developing specific skill sets required of chief academic officers. The Academy’s faculty consists of WICHE-region provosts and chief academic officers who are active in the Forum and Alliance.
Research and Policy Analysis
WICHE’s Policy Analysis and Research supports better-informed decision-making through numerous research projects and collaborations focused on postsecondary completion, closing attainment gaps, adult learners, and multistate data sharing to support educational planning and workforce development.
Knocking at the College Door
Every four years, WICHE publishes Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates. The report provides detailed data and projections more than 15 years forward on high school graduate populations for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and selected U.S. territories and outlying areas, including detail about the race/ethnicity of public school graduates, and the number of private school graduates. [3]
Higher Education Data in the West
WICHE collects, analyzes, and curates data in resources like Tuition and Fees in the West, Benchmarks: WICHE Region, and the Regional Fact Book for Higher Education in the West.
Legislative Advisory Committee
The WICHE Commission created the Legislative Advisory Committee in 1995 to inform the commission and staff about significant legislative issues related to higher education, provide input on WICHE initiatives, and advise staff on program considerations related to WICHE’s policy workshops.
WICHE State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (W-SARA)
Created in 2013, the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement aims to expand access to quality higher education through the establishment of standards for the regulation of distance education across state lines. The agreement is coordinated by NC-SARA.
Leadership in Digital Learning
WCET – the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies
WCET is a member-driven organization that brings together colleges, universities, higher education organizations, and companies to collectively improve the quality and reach of digital learning programs.
Every Learner Everywhere
Every Learner Everywhere is a network of partner organizations with expertise in evaluating, implementing, scaling, and measuring the efficacy of education technologies, curriculum and course design strategies, teaching practices, and support services that personalize instruction for students in blended and online learning environments.[4]
State Authorization Network (SAN)
Developed by WCET in 2011, SAN is a national membership organization that empowers 800+ participating institutions and agencies to resolve statutory and regulatory requirements to improve student protections in digital learning and other activities that occur across state lines.
Optimal Behavioral Healthcare
The WICHE Behavioral Health Program helps administer the following:
Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC)
The Mountain Plains MHTTC focuses on the skills and capacity of the behavioral health workforce in rural areas of Region 8, which includes Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, through free training, presentations, and technical assistance.
Together With Veterans
Together With Veterans is a rural Veteran suicide-prevention program funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Since the program’s inception in 2015, 31 sites have been launched across 25 states and territories, including 11 WICHE member states and territories.[5]
Psychology Internship Consortia
The WICHE Behavioral Health Program has helped establish and supports 10 rural psychology internship consortia in Alaska, Guam, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Utah. These consortia attract behavioral health trainees to underserved areas to provide high-quality and culturally competent services to residents and retain the trainees in state once their internships are completed.
See also
- Midwestern Higher Education Compact
- New England Board of Higher Education
- Southern Regional Education Board