The 2012 annual meeting of the Legislative Advisory Committee (LAC) was held in Sacramento on September 11-12. Themed “A New Day in Higher Education: Access, Alignment, and Achievement,” the meeting drew LAC members from nine WICHE states and focused on a variety of topics, including state authorization, Common Core State Standards, outcomes-based funding, remedial education, career technical education and financial aid. David Longanecker and Jere Mock, WICHE’s vice president of Programs & Services, gave a presentation on the proposed State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement, which would create reciprocity among WICHE states for the state authorization of distance education programs operated by colleges and universities in each state where a student is enrolled. The agreement outlines review standards and processes to enable accredited institutions to be in compliance with their home state’s regulations regarding authorization and requirements for state reciprocity between the participating states. Staff is working with the three other regional higher education compacts to seek interregional agreements.

This summer WICHE staffers spoke at a number of meetings. Brian Prescott, WICHE’s director of policy research, presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Chief Admissions Officers at Public Universities in Boulder, discussing demographic trends facing selective public four-year institutions, based on WICHE’s projections of high school graduates, whose 8th edition will appear this winter. He also spoke at the annual Education Commission of the States National Forum on Education Policy in Atlanta on ways to reconstruct financial aid in order to boost college affordability and completion. In addition, Prescott addressed an Idaho financial aid task force, including legislators, financial aid officers, foundations, and members of the business community, on the purposes of state financial aid and promising programs in other states. Lastly, Prescott spoke on the multistate data exchange project at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Higher Education Policy (SHEEO) Conference in Chicago and moderated a discussion of state financial aid programs at the same meeting. Demarée Michelau, WICHE’s director of policy analysis, presented on state legislative activity related to prior-learning assessment to a group that’s helping the American Council on Education explore a national agenda for adult learners (she’s been invited to make a similar presentation in October to the leaders of several policy organizations, including the four regional higher education compacts, SHEEO, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Education Commission of the States, and others). Patrick Lane, WICHE’s project coordinator, presented important lessons and findings from the Non-traditional No More project and the Adult College Completion Network to key Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) staff and leaders in adult college completion from the South. The strategies and tools were presented to the panel guiding development of SREB's adult learner portal, which will eventually provide a nationwide access point for adults seeking information about adult degree completion programs.

The Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders (the Alliance) will hold its second annual meeting – themed “Readiness, Completion and Success – on Whose Terms?” – on April 2-3, 2013, in San Francisco. The Alliance's members are the chief academic officers of the community colleges and technical schools in the WICHE states, along with their associated system and state agencies. Part of the meeting will be held in conjunction with that of the California Community College Chief Instructional Officers.

September 2012  | Share this on Twitter | Post this on Facebook