WICHE Publications, Papers, and Reports

Articulation and transfer mechanisms have become important in moving students through postsecondary education, beginning with freshman year and continuing through graduation. This report is an examination of how state policies enhance student articulation and transfer and, ultimately, student success. This study was part of WICHE’s project Changing Direction: Integrating Higher Education Financial Aid and Financing Policy, which examined how to structure financial aid and financing policies and practices in order to maximize participation, access, and success for all students and to promote more informed decision making on financial aid and financing issues in higher education.

2005 ~ 20pp. ~ Pub #8A25 ~ PDF ~ 1.4 MB~ DOWNLOAD

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  See all publications for the Changing Direction project.

WICHE commissioned this paper to help policy leaders and decision makers understand the impact of selected state financial aid programs on students’ choices – choices of which college to attend, where to attend college, and even whether to attend college at all. As the paper shows, states have created grant-aid programs for a variety of reasons and through a variety of funding sources. Among the most popular and growing forms of state grant-aid programs are those that blend financial need with certain academic benchmarks for students’ high school course of study (to aid academic preparation for college) and benchmarks for continued academic progress in college (to aid in persistence to degree). Through an examination of grant-aid programs in 11 states, this analysis identifies the start date for the programs and describes the qualifications for eligibility, the legislation that established the programs, and the policies and political environments involved in creating them. In addition, the authors discuss programmatic impacts on students’ choices and make several recommendations to states that are considering creating grant-aid programs.

2007 ~ 40pp. ~ Pub #2A363 ~ Printed copies available ~ PDF ~ 472 KB~ DOWNLOAD

The Western Policy Exchange (WPE) project began in 1996, partially funded by a three-year grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, carrying out a coordinated approach of multistate forums in the 15 state WICHE region as well as individual state specific “state roundtables” in a quest to foster partnerships of educators, policymakers, and state decision makers to advance systemic change/reforms in higher education. In an effort to understand the role, dynamics, and perceived consequences of the state roundtable process, WICHE commissioned case studies of Idaho and South Dakota, since they represent some of the comparative differences among the participants.

1999 ~ 29pp. ~ Pub #2A324 ~ PDF ~ 213 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This issue of EXCHANGES addresses the policy roundtable experiences of Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Washington during 1997 and 1998.

1999 ~ Web page ~ LINK

An accounting of enrollment in and financing of WICHE’s student exchanges at undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels for academic year 2004-05.

2005 ~ 20pp. ~ Pub #0102005400:KENDALL:4C:2A339A ~ PDF ~ 428 KB

An accounting of enrollment in and financing of WICHE’s student exchanges at undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels for academic year 2006-07.

2007 ~ 19pp. ~ Pub #0122006400:KENDALL:5C:2A339A ~ 1.6 MB~ DOWNLOAD

An annual accounting of enrollment in and financing of WICHE’s student exchanges at undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels for academic year 2008-09.

2009 ~ 24pp. ~ Pub #01-02-00-5400:KENDALL:1M:2A371 ~ PDF ~ 1.8 MB~ DOWNLOAD

This report covers Fall 2010 enrollments for WUE, WRGP and PSEP and details the funds that flow between students’ home states and enrolling institutions in the Professional Student Exchange Program that receive them.

2011 ~ 24pp. ~ Pub #01-02-00-5400:PP:1.2M:2A371B ~ PDF ~ 1.42 MB~ DOWNLOAD

This report covers Fall 2012 enrollments for WUE, WRGP and PSEP and details the funds that flow between students’ home states and enrolling institutions in the Professional Student Exchange Program that receive them.

2013 ~ 24pp. ~ Pub #01-02-00-5400:PP:1.2M:2A371E ~ PDF ~ 1 MB~ DOWNLOAD

This Web-based Toolkit contains information and tools to implement state of the art suicide prevention practices and overcome the significant hurdles this life-saving work faces in primary care practices. The Toolkit is a collaborative project of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and the Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education (WICHE), Mental Health Program. Although the tools are designed with the rural practice in mind, most are quite suitable for use in non-rural settings, as well.

order a toolkit online now

Hard copies of the toolkit are available for $25.00 (includes shipping) through WICHE Mental Health Program. A Pocket Guide for Primary Care Professionals is also available for $1 each. It reviews assessment and interventions with potentially suicidal patients and is also included in the toolkit.

For more information, please contact Joanne Brothers at jbrothers@wiche.edu

2009 ~ Printed copies available ~ Web page ~ LINK

The Technology Costing Methodology (TCM) project, a collaboration between WCET and NCHEMS, is an authoritative tool for analyzing costs of instructional approaches that make heavy use of technology. This CD-ROM includes all of the procedures, spreadsheets, and tools to conduct your own analysis.

2004 ~ CD ~ LINK

This paper assesses the association between rural residence and the use, type, and quality of depression care

2009 ~ 24pp. ~ PDF ~ 96 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This issue of Western Policy Exchanges summarizes a policy forum hosted by WICHE, The Changing Nature of Accountability, held Nov 13-14, 2001, in Broomfield, Colorado. Ninety policymakers from 18 states and the District of Columbia examined complex issues, including evolution of accountability measures in different states, negotiation of accountability structures between legislatures and institutions, ways in which student performance is assessed, and the costs of accountability.

2002 ~ 6pp. ~ PDF ~ 152 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This policy brief describes promising practices and lessons learned in Alaska, Nevada, North Dakota, and Washington during the second year of the federal College Access Challenge Grant program.

2011 ~ 8pp. ~ PDF ~ 140 KB~ DOWNLOAD

A comprehensive guide introduces prospective students to distance education providers and options, strategies and tips to be a successful distance learner, and types of student services and online resources available. To purchase a copy of the book, go to: Prentice Hall or Amazon.com.

2005 ~ 176pp. ~ Pub #ISBN-10: 0131145401 / ISBN-13: 9780131145405 ~ Printed copies available

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  ---

  Companion Web site »»

  Chapter 1 -Distance Learning: College Comes to You

  Chapter 2 -Choosing a Distance Education Provider: Asking the Right Questions

  Chapter 3 -The Role of the Computer in Distance Learning: Succeeding Online

  Chapter 4 -The Distance Learner's Library: The Indispensable Guide to Finding Quality Resources

  Chapter 5 -Understanding Your Needs: Overcoming the Personal Barriers to Success in Distance Learning

  Chapter 6 -Becoming a Better Distance Learning Student: Steps to Success

This paper presents the results of a survey “Academic Collaborations,” which are defined as inter-institutional organizations that share resources to increase institutional capacity for, sharing of, and access to technology-mediated courses and programs. Findings focus on sources of revenue, amount of funding, and effective funding models. U.S., Canadian, and multi-state/province organizations were included in the study

2008 ~ 52pp. ~ Pub #2A366 ~ PDF ~ 1.6 MB~ DOWNLOAD

Too often, when one state engages in successful “outside-the-box” policymaking, other states simply adopt that solution wholesale – as if it were a one-size-fits-all “policy-in-a-box.” This publication describes a number of policy strategies – both inside-the-box and outside-the-box – and discusses how they address various possible policy purposes. Thinking Outside the Box provides a systematic discussion of policy alignment around readiness, access, and success and examines them in the light of four policy tools: finance, regulation, accountability, and governance. This latest publication is supported by Lumina Foundation for Education in WICHE’s Changing Direction project.

2007 ~ 60pp. ~ Pub #2A362 ~ Printed copies available ~ PDF ~ 354 KB~ DOWNLOAD

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  See all publications for the Changing Direction project.

Tuition and fees data in this report were provided by state higher education governing and coordinating boards, and in some cases, individual institutions. Averages are reported for the region and for each of the 15 WICHE states. Also included are comparisons of tuition and fees by Carnegie Classification. Tuition is defined as the total dollar amount charged to a full-time student for a full academic year, usually two semesters, three quarters, or two trimesters. Required fees include the institutional fees that a majority of full-time students are required to pay in addition to tuition.

2005 ~ Pub #2A346D ~ PDF ~ 2 MB~ DOWNLOAD

Since 1980, WICHE has collected tuition and fees data annually from public four-year and two-year institutions in its 15 member states. The data are provided by staff at system offices or at state higher education governing and coordinating board offices. Each year, the staff are asked to provide current tuition and fees data for resident and nonresident undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in public four-year colleges and universities, and for resident and nonresident students in public two-year colleges. In addition, staff are asked to verify and, if necessary, correct previously reported data.

The 2003 survey was mailed to state governing and coordinating board staff in June 2003. Staff were asked to provide tuition and fees data for 2003-2004, and to verify and revise, if necessary, the reported data for 2002-03, 1998-99, and 1993-94. All surveys were returned by October 2003. The survey data were reviewed for possible errors, and problems were discussed with the staff in the appropriate office.
This year's breakdown of institutions by Carnegie Classification used A Classification of Institutions of Higher Education: 2000 Edition (Carnegie Foundation, 2000).

2004 ~ 71pp. ~ Pub #2A346B ~ PDF ~ 416 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This report is the latest update of WICHE's annual report on tuition and mandatory fees at public institutions in WICHE's 15-state region, including an institution-by-institution historical review of tuition changes from year to year, as well as those from one, five, and ten years ago.

2009 ~ 71pp. ~ Pub #2A346H ~ PDF ~ 1.93~ DOWNLOAD

This report is the latest update of WICHE's annual report on tuition and mandatory fees at public institutions in WICHE's 15-state region, including an institution-by-institution historical review of tuition changes from year to year, as well as those from one, five, and ten years ago. Beginning with the 2010-11 and continuing this year, this report presents published tuition and fees amounts as averages both unweighted and weighted by full-time equivalent enrollments. Unlike unweighted averages, which treat each institution equally no matter how big or small it is, enrollment-weighted averages provide a truer estimate of the published price a typical student faces based on enrollment patterns. Appendix E provides more information regarding enrollment weighting. In addition to the full report, all tuition and fee data tables are available to download in Excel format below.

2011 ~ 64pp. ~ Pub #2A346H ~ 2.42 MB~ DOWNLOAD

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  Download Excel files:

  Table 1	Average Tuition and Fees at Public Institutions in the WICHE Region, 2011-12, 2010-11, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Table 2	Average Tuition and Fees in Constant (2011) Dollars at Public Institutions in the WICHE Region, 2011-12, 2010-11, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Table 3	Resident and Non-Resident Undergraduate Tuition and Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region: State Averages, 2011-12, 2011-12, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Table 4	Resident and Non-Resident Undergraduate Tuition and Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region, 2011-12, 2010-11, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Table 5	Resident and Non-Resident Graduate Tuition and Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region: State Averages, 2011-12, 2010-11, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Table 6	Resident and Non-Resident Graduate Tuition and Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region, 2011-12, 2010-11, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Table 7	Resident In-District/County and Non-Resident Tuition and Fees at Public Two-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region: State Averages, 2011-12, 2011-12, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Table 8	Resident In-District/County and Non-Resident Tuition and Fees at Public Two-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region, 2011-12, 2010-11, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Table 9	Resident Undergraduate Tuition and Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region by Carnegie Classification, 2011-12, 2011-12, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Table 10	Non-Resident Undergraduate Tuition and Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region by Carnegie Classification, 2011-12, 2010-11, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Table 11	Resident Graduate Tuition and Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region by Carnegie Classification, 2011-12, 2010-11, 2006-07, and 2001-02
  Table 12	Non-Resident Graduate Tuition and Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region by Carnegie Classification, 2011-12, 2010-11, 2006-07,and 2001-02
  Appendix G	Mandatory Fees at Public Two-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region
  Appendix H	Mandatory Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region
  Appendix I	Undergraduate FTE Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region
  Appendix J	Graduate FTE Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region
  Appendix K	Undergraduate FTE Two-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region

2003 ~ 4pp. ~ PDF ~ 193 KB~ DOWNLOAD

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

2007 ~ 4pp. ~ PDF ~ 138 KB~ DOWNLOAD

2010 ~ 6pp. ~ 315 KB~ DOWNLOAD

WICHE's Policy Analysis and Research unit has released a new Policy Insight covering our most recent survey of published tuition and fees prices in all public institutions in the West in 2011-12. The report summarizes those findings and also addresses related state finance policies including state budget levels and higher education appropriations and state financial aid programs.

CORRECTIONS APPLIED: MARCH 21, 2012

2012 ~ PDF ~ 240 KB~ DOWNLOAD

This report briefly examines the circumstances in which community colleges function; broadly reviews the various types of state-level community college tuition and fees policies, and analyzes how those policies relate to the environment in which they are created, including their relationship to state financial aid policies. Finally, the report discusses several issues for policymakers to watch over the next several years as well as policy implications. States vary significantly in terms of the depth and breadth of community college tuition and fees policies, and as a result, this examination focuses on six key areas: (1) State Philosophies and Tuition and Fees Policies; (2) Authority to Set Tuition and Fees; (3) Tuition and Fee Waivers and Scholarships; (4) Residency Requirements; (5) Reciprocity Agreements; and (6) Fee-Specific Policies.

2003 ~ 22pp. ~ Pub #8A24 ~ Printed copies available ~ PDF ~ 1.4 MB~ DOWNLOAD

A white paper prepared by a national collaboration of higher education organizations, including WICHE, describing the need for a national broadband strategy that begins with America’s colleges, universities, schools, libraries and hospitals.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes $7.2 Billion to extend broadband network connectivity to unserved and underserved communities to be distributed by the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture.  The contributing authors/organizations propose a national broadband strategy and rationale that build on higher education’s success and experience with advanced networks and, in particular, their efforts to ensure that high quality educational programs reach the broadest audiences.

2009 ~ 9pp. ~ PDF ~ 98 KB~ DOWNLOAD

In 2001-2002, the Western Consortium provided a unique opportunity to build K-12 and higher education collaboration around accelerated-learning options such as Advanced Placement courses, dual enrollment, and concurrent enrollment. This project was supported through a federal grant from the Advanced Placement Incentive Program.

2002 ~ 6pp. ~ PDF ~ 63 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Article about the proposed student authentication provision in 2005 and institutional strategies to promote academic honesty.

2005 ~ 3pp. ~ PDF ~ 36 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Over 140 campuses in 15 states have opened programs to undergraduates from other Western states at significantly reduced tuition levels. Describes the program and lists the participating institutions and the programs available at the reduced tuition rate.

2011 ~ 4pp. ~ PDF ~ 420 kb~ DOWNLOAD

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  Also available in tabloid format.

Headcount of students sent and received through WICHE's Western Undergraduate Exchange with summaries by state, institution, and program. More than 20,000 students were enrolled in 132 WUE institutions for the 2005 academic year.

2006 ~ 133pp. ~ Pub #0102:1C:1204:AG:2A333A ~ PDF ~ 723 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Headcount of students sent and received through WICHE's Western Undergraduate Exchange with summaries by state, institution, and program. More than 22,000 students were enrolled in 143 WUE institutions for the 2007-08 academic year.

2008 ~ 144pp. ~ Pub #0102:1C:0208:AG:2A333A ~ PDF ~ 719 KB~ DOWNLOAD

Headcount of students sent and received through WICHE's Western Undergraduate Exchange with summaries by state, institution, and program. In 2009-10, WUE helped some 24,500 students and their families save $173.4 million dollars in tuition by paying 150% of resident tuition, instead of the full nonresident rate at 145 participating WUE institutions.

2010 ~ 155pp. ~ Pub #0102:1C:0208:AG:2A372B ~ PDF ~ 858 KB~ DOWNLOAD

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  Enrollment by State Excel file available

Headcount of students sent and received through WICHE's Western Undergraduate Exchange with summaries by state, institution, and program. In 2010-11, WUE helped some 29,000 students and their families save $223.8 million dollars in tuition by paying 150% of resident tuition, instead of the full nonresident rate at 145 participating WUE institutions

2012 ~ 167pp. ~ Pub #2A374C ~ PDF ~ 1.45 MB~ DOWNLOAD

2006 ~ 4pp. ~ PDF ~ 275 KB~ DOWNLOAD

May 16-17, 2011

San Francisco, California

(View presentations)

2011 ~ PDF

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  AGENDA	Schedule at a Glance
  TAB 1	Executive Committee Meeting (Open and Closed Sessions)
  TAB 2	Committee of the Whole, Call to Order
  TAB 3	Plenary Session I: What’s Up in the West? The Complete Agenda
  TAB 4	Plenary Session II: Those Other Institutions
  TAB 5	Lunch and Presentation
  TAB 6	Plenary session III: The Vendors of Outsourced Education
  TAB 7	Plenary session IV: Nexus Policy Research Center
  TAB 8	Programs and Services Committee Meeting
  TAB 9	Issue Analysis and Research Committee Meeting
  TAB 10	Self-funded Units Committee Meeting
  TAB 11	Committee of the Whole -- Business Session
  TAB 12	Plenary Session V: Regulating the Other Institutions – State, Federal, and Accrediting Perspectives
  TAB 13	Reference
  COMPLETE AGENDA BOOK  (4.2 MB)

May 21-22, 2012

Fort Collins, Colorado

(View presentations)

2012 ~ PDF

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  AGENDA
  TAB 1	Executive Committee Meeting (Open and Closed Sessions)
  TAB 2	Committee of the Whole, Call to Order / Introductions
  TAB 3	Plenary Session I: NANSLO – Putting Science Labs Online
  TAB 4	Programs and Services Committee Meeting
  TAB 5	Issue Analysis and Research Committee Meeting
  TAB 6	Self-funded Units Committee Meeting
  TAB 7	Plenary Session II: What’s Up at WICHE? Integration of Student Health and Behavioral Health Services – Trends in Addressing Whole Health on College Campuses
  TAB 8	Lunch and Presentation: Excelencia’s Report on Equity Gaps in the West
  TAB 9	Tour of Veterinary Teaching Hospital
  TAB 10	Committee of the Whole – Business Session
  TAB 11	Plenary Session III: What’s Up in the West? Highlights from the 2012 Legislative Session | Facilitated Discussion on the 2012 Legislative Session
  TAB 12	Reference
  COMPLETE AGENDA BOOK  (469 KB)

November 8-9, 2010

Boulder, Colorado

(View presentations)

2010 ~ PDF

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  AGENDA
  TAB 1	Executive Committee Meeting (Open and Closed Sessions)
  TAB 2	Committee of the Whole, Call to Order
  TAB 3	Plenary Session I: What’s Up in the West? Applying Utah’s Tuning Process to a Broader Agenda: An Awesome Presentation
  TAB 4	Plenary Session II: What’s Up at WICHE? Common Core Standards and What They Mean for the West
  TAB 5	Lunch and Presentation
  TAB 6	Plenary Session III: Accountability Systems and Student Learning Outcomes
  TAB 7	Programs and Services Committee Meeting
  TAB 8	Issue Analysis and Research Committee Meeting
  TAB 9	Self-funded Units Committee Meeting
  TAB 10	Committee of the Whole – Business Session
  TAB 11	Plenary Session IV: The Collegiate Learning Assessment
  TAB 12	Plenary Session V: Building Next-Generation Accountability Frameworks and State Policies: Lessons from LEAP
  TAB 13	Reference
  COMPLETE AGENDA BOOK  (1.17 MB)

Online instructions to help faculty and administrators list their shared courses in the WICHE ICE online catalog.

2006 ~ Printed copies available ~ Web page ~ LINK

The goal of WICHE ICE is to benefit students through increased access to courses and programs in a variety of disciplines while they continue their interactions with the faculty and advisors of their home institution without interruption. The majority of this operations manual focuses on the exchange of individual courses, and this is also the mechanism by which the sharing of programs among institutions will be conducted. The appendices provide sample documents for WICHE ICE, such as the memorandum of agreement between WICHE ICE and institutions, procedures for joining WICHE ICE, a detailed course record form, and more information regarding student agreements and student services. They also include a growing repository of resources for those engaged in course or program exchanges.

2009 ~ 51pp. ~ PDF ~ 577 KB~ DOWNLOAD

An overview of expansion plans for schools of medicine in the West, highlighted by states, medical schools, first-year student enrollments, expansion activities, and contact information.

2008 ~ 11pp. ~ PDF ~ 73 KB~ DOWNLOAD

WICHE and its 16 member states and territories work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for their citizens. By promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy, WICHE strengthens higher education’s contributions to our social, economic, and civic life.

2013 ~ 16pp. ~ PDF ~ 363 KB~ DOWNLOAD

WICHE’s Western Policy Exchange, funded in part by the W.K. Kellogg and Ford foundations, supports roundtables and forums that bring policymakers and educational leaders together to discuss a wide range of higher ed topics.

2000 ~ LINK