The U.S. Pacific territories and freely associated states  became WICHE’s 16th member in December. Three U.S. Pacific territories (American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, and Guam) and three freely associated states (Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau) will work with WICHE to boost access to and success in higher education for their students, and for all students in the West. They join as a single member, with each territory and state electing individually to participate actively in the commission when it sees fit.

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is the first of the group to participate. Its commissioners are: Sharon Hart, president, Northern Marianas College, Saipan; Jude Hofschneider, lieutenant governor, CNMI, Saipan; and Joshua Sasamoto, president, Pacific Development and Marianas HOME, Saipan. “CNMI will be fully engaged in WICHE,” says WICHE President David Longanecker. “Students from CNMI are eligible to participate in our Student Exchange Program. They’ll have vastly improved access to hundreds of higher education institutions in the West – and save money on tuition in the bargain.” Initially, CNMI will participate in the Western Undergraduate Exchange and the Western Regional Graduate Program, as well as benefitting from WICHE’s other programs.

April 2013  | Share this on Twitter | Post this on Facebook