WICHE Publications, Papers, and Reports

Headcount of students sent and received through WICHE's Western Undergraduate Exchange with summaries by state, institution, and program. In 2012-13, WUE helped more than 31,000 students and their families save $235.8 million in tuition by paying 150% of resident intuition, instead of the full nonresident rate, at some 150 participating WUE institutions.

2013 ~ 171pp. ~ Pub #2A374D ~ PDF ~ 1.5 MB~ DOWNLOAD

This report highlights three interrelated workforce issues of importance to physicians and medical schools that prepare individuals for a career in medicine: the shortage of physicians and the planned expansion of medical school enrollment, medical student indebtedness, and primary care physician service with emphasis on care delivery in rural areas. The West’s demographics present unique challenges in educating our future healthcare professionals, and this analysis suggests strategies for how Western states can link their resources to respond, particularly in higher education.

2008 ~ 16pp. ~ PDF ~ 289 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Pharmacy, with more than 230,000 practitioners today, is the third-largest health profession in the United States. Research on the national pharmacist workforce points to a continuing shortage of pharmacists, related to growth in medication use, the aging of the baby boomer generation, and the emergence of more clinical activities within pharmacies. Surveys that track shortage levels showed that there was a slow downward trend in the severity of shortages up until fall 2005, followed by higher shortage levels during the past year. Changes in shortage levels appear to parallel growth in prescription medication usage. WICHE’s Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) allows students from states that do not have a public school of pharmacy to pay reduced tuition to a cooperating institution in the West. Sending states determine the number of new students to be supported each year. In 2006-07, 40 students from Alaska, Hawaii, and Nevada attended 16 cooperating pharmacy schools.

2008 ~ 4pp. ~ PDF ~ 180 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This history of the first 40 years of the organization, compiled and written by Dr. Frank Abbott, describes its origins and takes us from those early developmental years into its impressive growth and success under the leadership of Harold Enarson and Robert Kroepsch. It reports on the tumultuous and nearly devastating times at the end of the Kroepsch era, then describes the substantial accomplishments of Phil Sirotkin in restoring both focus and credibility to the organization in the late 1970s and 1980s.

2004 ~ 292pp. ~ Pub #2A348B ~ PDF ~ Printed copies available ~ 1.3 MB~ DOWNLOAD

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  Additional appendices

2006 ~ 6pp. ~ PDF ~ 195 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This publication provides straightforward advice and nontechnical information to help college and university administrators respond to calls for greater accountability and students’ increasing expectations for technology-supported services. The book draws upon WCET's more than 15 years of work on the effective use of technology to increase quality and efficiency in higher education.  Authored by WCET staff and recognized leaders among its membership, Advancing Campus Efficiencies is a pragmatic and practical tool for deans, vice presidents, and presidents of private and public colleges and universities. The book is available for $40 through Anker Publishing. To order, follow the link below.

2007 ~ 236pp. ~ Pub #ISBN: 978-1-933371-13-9 ~ Printed copies available ~ LINK

The Comparison Tool is an aid for reviewing curricula or other competency sets to determine the extent to which they cover the Alaskan Core Competencies for Direct Care Workers in Health & Human Services. Based on the comparisons, those curricula or competencies can then be updated to incorporate the core competencies.

2010 ~ 8pp. ~ PDF ~ 175 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This publication is designed to guide skill development with direct care workers, who are at times referred to as direct support workers, direct support professionals, paraprofessionals, or technicians. The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, in collaboration with the University of Alaska and the State of Alaska Department of Health & Social Services, sponsored the project, which was designed and staffed by the WICHE Mental Health Program and the Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce.

2010 ~ 32pp. ~ PDF ~ 360 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Colorado is the only state in the nation that distributes taxpayer dollars to its public higher education institutions principally (though not exclusively) through a voucher program, known as the College Opportunity Fund (COF). WICHE’s Policy Analysis and Research unit was commissioned by the Colorado Department of Higher Education to conduct an evaluation of the COF and related policies, which was required by its enacting legislation.

2009 ~ 57pp. ~ PDF ~ DOWNLOAD

This is a WCET Briefing Paper on the pending federal legislation concerning the authentication of distance education students. The paper provides an overview of the proposed legislation and describes some strategies to promote academic integrity in distance education (e.g. prevention approaches, compliance approaches). It provides a general overview of ways to promote academic integrity.

2008 ~ 3pp. ~ PDF ~ 30 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Presents information on the West’s progress in improving access to, success in, and financing of higher education. The information is updated annually to monitor change over time and encourage its use as a current tool for informed discussion in policy and education communities.

2005 ~ 4pp. ~ PDF ~ 225 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This report presents information on the West’s progress in improving access to, success in, and financing of higher education. The information is updated annually to monitor change over time and encourage its use as a current tool for informed discussion in policy and education communities, focusing demographics related to Access, Success, and Finance in the West. Figures 1-15 available in Excel file format, below.

2009 ~ 4pp. ~ PDF ~ DOWNLOAD

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  Figure 1	The Education Pipeline
  Figure 2	Undergraduate Enrollment Among 25-49 Year Olds as a Percent of Population
  Figure 3	Percentage of Public High School Completers as a Proportion of the Number of 9th Graders Four Years Earlier
  Figure 4	Share of Full-Time Undergraduate Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity vs. Share of Population by Race/Ethnicity, 1997-98 and 2007-08
  Figure 5	Share of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded by Race/Ethnicity vs. Share of Population by Race/Ethnicity, 1996-97 and 2006-07
  Figure 6	College Participation and Impoverishment, 2007
  Figure 7	Average Resident Undergraduate Tuition and Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions
  Figure 8	Ratio of Tuition and Fees to Median Household Income, Public Institutions, 2009-10, 2004-05, and 1999-00
  Figure 9	Grant Aid per FTE in Public Institutions, 2003-04 to 2007-08
  Figure 10	Need-Based Grant Aid Awarded by State Grant Programs per FTE
  Figure 11	Percentage of First-Time Full-Time Degree/Certificate-Seeking Students Receiving Federal Grant Aid
  Figure 12	WUE Total Savings to Families and/or States
  Figure 13	Total State and Local Appropriations to Higher Education per FTE, Public Institutions, FY 2000 to FY 2008 (Adjusted)
  Figure 14	Revenues from State and Local Appropriations and Tuition and Fees per FTE, Public Institutions, FY 2000 to FY 2008 (Adjusted)
  Figure 15	State Tax Revenue Per Capita (Adjusted for Inflation)

This report presents information on the West’s progress in improving access to, success in, and financing of higher education. The information is updated annually to monitor change over time and encourage its use as a current tool for informed discussion in policy and education communities, focusing demographics related to Access, Success, and Finance in the West. State-by-state data for Figures 1-15 and three introductory tables are available in Excel file format below.

2011 ~ 4pp. ~ PDF ~ DOWNLOAD

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  Download Excel Tables Please note: These files are in .xlsx format
  Figure 1	The Education Pipeline
  Figure 2	Undergraduate Enrollment Among 25-49 Year Olds as a Percent of Population
  Figure 3	Percentage of Public High School Completers as a Proportion of the Number of 9th Graders Four Years Earlier
  Figure 4	Share of Full-Time Undergraduate Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity vs Share of Population by Race/Ethnicity, 2000-01 and 2010-11
  Figure 5	Share of Bachelor's Degrees Awarded by Race/Ethnicity vs Share of Population by Race/Ethnicity, 1999-2000 and 2009-10
  Figure 6	College Participation and Impoverishment, 2009-10
  Figure 7	Average Resident Undergraduate Tuition and Fees at Public Two-Year Institutions
  Figure 8	Ratio of Tuition and Fees to Median Household Income, Public Institutions, 2010-11, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Figure 9	Grant Aid per FTE in Public Institutions, 2004-05 to 2008-09
  Figure 10	Need-Based Grant Aid Awarded by State Grant Programs per FTE
  Figure 11	Percentage of First-Time Full-Time Degree/Certificate-Seeking Students Receiving Federal Grant Aid
  Figure 12	WUE Total Savings to Families and/or States
  Figure 13	Total State and Local Appropriations to Higher Education per FTE, Public Institutions, FY 2001 to FY 2009 (Adjusted)
  Figure 14	Revenues from State and Local Appropriations and Tuition and Fees per FTE, FY 2001 to FY 2010 (Adjusted)
  Figure 15	State Tax Revenue Per Capita (Adjusted for Inflation)

This literature review is intended to serve as an overview of the studies that are relevant to our research project, which has been supported by Lumina with the purpose of identifying and promulgating best practices in statewide transfer and articulation systems in public higher education

2009 ~ 20pp. ~ PDF ~ 206 KB~ DOWNLOAD

A ready adult (or reentry) concierge is a single-point of contact at a college or university who helps returning adult students navigate the application, enrollment, and registration processes and overcome barriers to college success. To better understand the barriers faced by students in the reenrollment process and how the Concierge Model can help potential students reengage and earn a degree, WICHE recently collaborated with the Nevada System of Higher Education to convene a meeting of staff from each of the seven public institutions who serve as the campus concierge. This brief highlights effective strategies of ready adult concierges and provides a framework for those interested in implementing this model.

2010 ~ 8pp. ~ PDF ~ 751 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This white paper is the result of the 2006 Lariat Summit, a forum that convened over 40 leaders from the fields of science, education, and cyberinfrastructure to develop strategies and recommendations for connecting minority-serving institutions in the West to national broadband networks. This document is a first step towards developing both the will and the resources to ensure that minority-serving institutions are among the “connected” institutions in the West.

2007 ~ 39pp. ~ PDF ~ 6.5 MB~ DOWNLOAD

WUE poster: College in the West for Less. Full color, 11x17 inches. **To request printed copies,call 303.541.0270.

2007 ~ PDF ~ 455 KB~ DOWNLOAD

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  Also available: full-color POSTCARDS (print four per page and trim) ~ 3.7 MB DOWNLOAD

Even while funding to our colleges and universities has declined, a college degree has retained its value. As a nation, and as individuals, we can’t afford to be poorly educated today. As President Obama said in his state of the union address, “In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education.” The opportunity, then, for the West is one that generations of Americans are familiar with: to do more with less. Dealing with scarcity – whether of institutions or programs or dollars – has been at the heart of WICHE’s mission since the beginning.

2010 ~ 20pp. ~ PDF ~ 563 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This policy brief summarizes the main findings from WICHE's recently released eighth edition of Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates publication. The brief places changes in the size and racial/ethnic composition of our nation's graduating classes in the context of the college completion agenda and the need for greater educational attainment. It also addresses how these demographic shifts, coupled with fiscal stress, are impacting the practice of enrollment management. It concludes by offering reflections on how policymakers and institutional leaders can respond to these challenges with policies and practices that align with society's rising needs and expectations for higher education.

2013 ~ 8pp. ~ Pub #2A385 ~ PDF ~ 151 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Working Paper

From the WICHE Center for Rural Mental Health Research, this study explores whether enhanced depression care has comparable impact on clinical outcomes over two years for patients treated in rural and urban primary care practices and whether differences are mediated by receiving evidence-based care (pharmacotherapy and specialty care counseling).

2005 ~ 14pp. ~ PDF ~ 84 KB~ DOWNLOAD

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  Executive Summary

  1p. ~ PDF ~ 9 KB ~ DOWNLOAD

Working Paper

The purpose of this project was to develop effective distance learning methods to train rural PCPs in integrated care models for depression using computer based training (“E-Learning”) and materials adapted from the MacArthur Initiative on Depression & Primary Care. Rural was generally defined as a county with a population less than 50,000 people.

2009 ~ 10pp. ~ PDF ~ 122 KB~ DOWNLOAD

2003 ~ 4pp. ~ PDF ~ 890 KB~ DOWNLOAD

On May 26-27, 1999, WICHE and the Arizona Board of Regents recently hosted a workshop addressing financial aid as part of the Western Policy Exchange project. The WPE Financial Aid Workshop explored state and institutional financial aid issues within the context of access and affordability. Thirty-eight participants from the 15 WICHE states, and Washington, D.C., came together in Phoenix, Arizona to address financial aid concerns.

1999 ~ Web page ~ LINK

From May 27-29, 1997 WICHE, with the Education Commission of the States and the State Higher Education Executive Officers, held a western policy forum on the theme, "Fostering Postsecondary Student Success: Transitions, Transfer, and Articulation" in Seattle, Washington. This issue of Western Policy Exchanges highlights part of the dialogue that emerged in the sessions.

1997 ~ Web page ~ LINK

From 2008 to 2011, WICHE worked with six states (Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, and South Dakota) to improve policies and practices to increase adult degree completion as a way to raise overall state educational attainment levels. With funding from Lumina Foundation, the project, known as Nontraditional No More: Policy Solutions for Adult Learners, identified and eliminated barriers that keep adults with prior college credit from returning to postsecondary education and completing their degrees. By bringing together state and institutional leaders, the project pursued two main objectives: identifying “ready adults,” or those who earned a significant number of prior college credits before leaving postsecondary education without earning a credential; and building a pathway to postsecondary success.

2012 ~ 58pp. ~ Pub #2A379 ~ Printed copies available ~ PDF ~ 979 KB~ DOWNLOAD

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  Executive Summary

   

American higher education has been on a collision course with financial reality for more than 25 years. This unprecedented economic downturn gives us a chance to finally find new models that will preserve quality and access, but within a less expensive paradigm. WICHE helps find solutions that will sustain higher education, not just through the current crisis but over the long haul.

2009 ~ 24pp. ~ PDF ~ 268 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Students need access to web-based resources where they can easily learn about the transfer options available to them—so they can save time and money as they strive to meet their educational goals. This study, conducted by WCET, is one component of the “Best Practices in Statewide Articulation and Transfer Systems” project, funded by Lumina Foundation for Education, and conducted by Hezel Associates and WICHE. This brief will help inform a companion project on college access portals being conducted by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and also funded by Lumina Foundation for Education. Together, the findings from both the WICHE and SREB research will help lay the groundwork for important discussions about the policy landscape around web portals, including their effectiveness and what the future may hold.

2010 ~ 12pp. ~ PDF ~ 588 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This document was developed to clarify how WICHE determines which applicants can be supported through its Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP).

2008 ~ 3pp. ~ PDF ~ 32 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Working Paper

From the WICHE Center for Rural Mental Health Research, this study investigates whether two of the multiple stakeholder groups (health plans and employer purchasers) in two delivery systems (rural and urban) economically benefit from improved depression treatment by testing whether depression care management results in: (1) a greater reduction of utilization costs in insured rural patients than their urban counterparts (health plan stakeholders), and (2) a greater reduction in work costs in employed urban patients than their rural counterparts (employer purchaser stakeholders).

2008 ~ 21pp. ~ PDF ~ 84 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This is one of a series of the Changing Direction documents produced to foster greater understanding of key issues related to establishing stronger alignment of financial aid and financing policies. The primary objective of this report is to shed light on the topic of institutionally and statefunded grants to students attending public higher education institutions. While there has been a fair amount of research conducted on state financial aid, much less is known about how institutional grants are used in public colleges and universities. This study uses data from a nationally representative survey of the U.S. Department of Education to analyze the characteristics of students receiving these grants and whether the awarding of these grants is related to persistence and degree attainment. A secondary objective is to familiarize state and institutional policymakers with the type of data available from the federal government that could be used for conducting their own analyses of student persistence.

2003 ~ 40pp. ~ Pub #8A21 ~ Printed copies available ~ PDF ~ 2.2 MB~ DOWNLOAD

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One of WICHE’s primary activities of the Changing Direction project (funded by Lumina Foundation for Education) was to provide direct technical assistance to states that were seriously considering higher education financing issues in new ways. WICHE chose 14 states for the project and worked closely with each for a two-year period to develop a more comprehensive state policymaking framework and process so that policies related to appropriations, tuition, and financial aid were better aligned, occurred in an environment of collaboration, and supported state goals for higher education. In an effort to chronicle the states’ progress and developments as well as share the lessons learned, this publication offers a compilation of case studies written about the Changing Direction technical assistance states.

2008 ~ 89pp. ~ Pub #2A357 ~ Printed copies available ~ PDF ~ 980 KB~ DOWNLOAD

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Ensuring that all students – including those we have not served well traditionally – learn what they need to know so that they can be successful members of their communities is a major priority for WICHE and its units: Policy Analysis and Research, Programs and Services, Mental Health Program, WCET, and the Technology and Innovation initiative. In fiscal 2012 we’ll strive to assist the West’s institutions to find ways to help students not only to graduate but also to hit their marks when it comes to learning. Our work will focus on five areas: finance, access and success, workforce and society, technology and innovation, and accountability.

2011 ~ PDF ~ 577 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This 8th edition of WICHE's Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates (click for website) includes data on enrollments and graduates by state and for major racial/ethnic groups covering the period from 2009-10 to 2027-28.

2012 ~ 149pp. ~ Pub #2A366 ~ PDF ~ LINK ~ 3 MB (entire publication)~ DOWNLOAD

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  Foreword and Acknowledgments
  Executive Summary
  Chapter 1	Introduction
  Chapter 2	Projections of High School Graduates
  	National Trends
  	Elementary and Secondary Enrollments
  	High School Graduates
  	Regional and State Trends
  	Summary
  Chapter 3	Projections by Race/Ethnicity
  	Components of Change
  	National Trends
  	Regional and State Trends
  	Racial/Ethnic Groups
  	Summary
  Chapter 4	Sources and Methods
  	Factors Affecting CSRs and Projections
  	Data Sources and Adjustments
  	National, Regional, and Subgroup Projections
  References
  Appendices	Appendix A. Data Tables
  	Appendix B. Technical Information
  	Births Data
  	Public School Data Notes
  	Nonpublic School Data Notes
  Online Features
  	State Profiles
  	Download Data
  	Explore Data
  Supplements to Knocking at the College Door, 8th Edition
  	Demography as Destiny: Policy Considerations in Enrollment Management (WICHE Policy Insights, April 2013)
  	Methodology Review Report
  Previous editions of Knocking at the College Door
  	2008 Request
  	2003 Request

   

Letters to the Field are informational newsletters published periodically. Topics include recent developments in the field of rural mental health as they apply to isolated "frontier" rural areas.

~ LINK

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  Letter to the Field No. 1

  New Rural Mental Health Services Resource Center Being Established
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 2

  Focusing on "Frontier": Isolated Rural America
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 3

  Telemental Health Services In U.S. Frontier Areas
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 4

  Access to Mental Health Services in Frontier America
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 5

  The Role of Rural Primary Care Physicians in the Provision of Mental Health Services
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 6

  Frontier Mental Health Strategies: Integrating, Reaching Out, Building Up and Connecting
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 7

  Delivering Mental Health Services to the Seriously Mentally Ill in Frontier Areas: Evidence from Five States
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 8

  General Models for Delivering Mental Health Services to the Seriously Mentally Ill in Frontier Areas
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 9

  Managed Behavioral Health Care in the Frontier
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 10

  The Role of Rural Primary Care Providers in the Provision of Mental Health Services: Voices from the Plains
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 11

  The Availability of Health and Mental Health Providers by Population Density
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 12

  Cost Dynamics Of Frontier Mental Health Services
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 13

  Client Outcomes And Costs In Frontier Mental Health Organizations
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 14

  Effective Management Strategies For Frontier Mental Health Organizations
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 15

  Surveillance of Demand for Mental Health Services in Frontier Areas
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 16

  Organization and Delivery of Mental Health Services to Adolescents and Children in Frontier Areas
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 17

  Delivering Mental Health Services to Children and Adolescents in Frontier Areas: Parent and Provider Views
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 18

  Low Density Counties with Different Types of Sociodemographic, Economic and Health/Mental Health Characteristics
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 19

  Telemental Health Services in Frontier Areas: Provider and Consumer Perspectives
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 20

  Mental Health Service Utilization in Rural and Non-Rural Areas
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 21

  Aging, Mental Illness, and the Frontier
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 22

  Defining and Describing Frontier Areas in the United States: An Update
  December 2000 ~ LINK

  Letter to the Field No. 23

  Problems Faced By Consumers Of Mental Health Services Out In A Frontier Community
  December 2000 ~ LINK

This survey of governor’s education policy advisors was commissioned as part of Changing Direction and as a companion piece to a previously published survey, Linking Tuition and Financial Aid Policy: The State Legislative Perspective. These two publications collectively are designed to provide insight into the perspectives of key state policymakers, and this survey specifically is intended to contribute to the existing base of knowledge by examining the perceptions of governors and their advisors about critical decisions and their role in higher education financing policy. Exploring their viewpoint will hopefully lead to better, more informed decisions on these important issues.

2004 ~ 22pp. ~ Pub #2A351 ~ PDF ~ 3.6 MB~ DOWNLOAD

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The program is particularly relevant to risk managers as well as staff representing facilities, campus security, and environmental health and safety. Sessions will focus on a range of risk management, facilities, and emergency management issues.

2010 ~ 6pp. ~ PDF ~ LINK ~ 251 KB~ DOWNLOAD

The Campus Computing Project and WCET joined together to develop and conduct the first “Managing Online Education” survey in the Summer of 2009. Survey results were first presented at the WCET Annual Conference on October 22, 2009. Link to materials and presentations of the survey results.
 

2009 ~ LINK

WICHE partners with the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) to be the premier property insurance program for MHEC and WICHE institutions and to maintain a leadership position in underwriting, loss control, coverage, and costs.

2010 ~ 10pp. ~ PDF ~ LINK ~ 402 KB~ DOWNLOAD

While tax revenues in many Western states have improved since FY 2011, the 2012 legislative sessions still experienced what has become the familiar round of funding cuts to higher education, coupled with tuition increases for students. The good news is that the cuts and increases weren’t as severe as in previous years, despite continued aversion to spending by most state legislatures. The bad news is that the loss of stimulus funds and the rising cost of health care, K-12 education, and other public services mean that states still face a tremendous amount of economic pressure. This Policy Insights brief summarizes key themes from the 2012 legislative sessions and highlights some emerging issues to watch in the West.

2012 ~ 8pp. ~ Pub #2A382 ~ PDF ~ 296 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Published by the Association of Governing Boards in Trusteeship Magazine, Jan/Feb 2011, this article highlights new data from the fall 2010 Managing Online Education Survey, sponsored by The Campus Computing Project and the WICHE Consortium for Educational Technology (WCET).

Kenneth C. Green is founding director of the Campus Computing Project, the largest continuing study of the role of information technology in American higher education. Ellen Wagner is executive director of the WICHE Consortium for Educational Technology, a collaborative membership organization that works to advance excellence in technology-enhanced teaching and learning in higher education.

2011 ~ 5pp. ~ PDF ~ 853 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Powerpoint presentation by Louis Fox, Vice President of WICHE Technology and Innovation.

2009 ~ 12pp. ~ PDF ~ 845 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This compilation of four papers is Changing Direction’s initial look into a system comprised of integrated financial aid and financing policies and includes: (1) Financing in Sync: Aligning Fiscal Policy with State Objectives; (2) The Governance Context for State Policies on Appropriations, Tuition, and Financial Aid; (3) Informing the Integration of Tuition, Student Financial Aid, and State Appropriations Policies; and (4) Information Sources for Answering Key Financing and Financial Aid Policy Questions: Current Practice and Future Possibilities. Each paper examines a different aspect—a conceptual framework, governance, data as a tool to integrate policy, and what states need to know to design integrated policies—all of which are critical to this alignment.

2003 ~ 74pp. ~ Pub #8A20 ~ PDF ~ 1.1 MB~ DOWNLOAD

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On December 2-3, 1998, in Portland, Oregon, this Western Policy Exchange workshop drew over 150 policymakers from 21 states and the District of Columbia to discuss the growing cost of using information technology to address access, instructional, and operational needs in the states demands. This summary focuses on the major problems addressed and creative solutions offered during the forum.

1999 ~ Web page ~ LINK

WICHE’s electronic fact book presents regional as well as state-by- state data, with analyses on several fiscal, demographic, economic, and social indicators important to policymakers, educators, and researchers in the West. These indicators are updated periodically as new data become available. Downloadable PDF and Excel files are available from this site.

2008 ~ Web page ~ LINK

Policy Brief

From the WICHE Center for Rural Mental Health Research, this study examines whether depressed rural primary care patients are more likely than urban patients to be hospitalized; it investigates whether differences in hospitalization rates can be explained by differences in the utilization of specialty outpatient care; and it looks at whether rural patients face more “insurance barriers” to outpatient care. This study should be of interest to policy makers and administrators seeking to develop better delivery systems for rural mental health services. It should also be of interest to insurers, self-insured employers and other payers seeking the most effective use of health care expenditures.

2007 ~ 2pp. ~ PDF ~ 100 KB~ DOWNLOAD

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  Executive summary

  1p ~ PDF ~ 9 KB ~ DOWNLOAD

A joint publication by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and Hezel Associates, Promising Practices in Statewide Articulation and Transfer Systems highlights state efforts in statewide articulation and transfer. The publication offers promising practices and policy recommendations, which are the result of a research study that includes a literature review, scan of publicly available information, surveys, and interviews with key higher education officials.

2010 ~ 56pp. ~ Pub #2A373 ~ PDF ~ 670 KB~ DOWNLOAD

What does “protecting our priorities” mean in an era when economic realities require that our institutions of higher education trim their budgets while also providing critical education and training to more and more students – those “human resources” whose skills will be the key to any economic turnaround? This is a question WICHE addresses every day. For over 50 years, WICHE has helped states deal with scarcity ... At the core of all our efforts are three elements: efficiency, effectiveness, and innovation. The 2010 annual report details the ways WICHE has worked to protect our higher education priorities in the last fiscal year.

2010 ~ 19pp. ~ PDF ~ 279 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Working Paper

This working paper assesses the association between rurality and depression care.

2009 ~ 21pp. ~ PDF ~ 128 KB~ DOWNLOAD