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Since 2021, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has partnered with and benefited from WICHE through regional collaboration, resource-sharing, sound public policy, and innovation.
Download the factsheet for the Federated States of Micronesia here.
WICHE has received three Technical Assistance Program grants from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs since fiscal year 2022. These funds cover the annual dues for the shared U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States membership, providing opportunities for capacity development and educational access in the Pacific region.
WICHE’s Student Access Programs
WICHE operates three Student Access Programs that together saved students $671 million in 2024-25. Each program supports students at each level of postsecondary education: undergraduate, graduate, and professional healthcare studies.
- Students gain from increased choice and savings.
- Schools gain by optimizing enrollments.
- States and Pacific Island members gain by growing the skills of those they serve and strengthening their workforce.
*Effective July 1, 2024, citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau may not be charged more than instate tuition at public higher education institutions, per the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 and U.S. Department of Education guidance, expanding opportunities for students who are residents of these Pacific jurisdictions.
Improving Lives in the Federated States of Micronesia
WICHE works 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. Learn more about our mission.
Regional Collaboration
WICHE’s Pacific Islands membership includes the CNMI, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and American Samoa.
WICHE brings together senior academic leaders to foster dialogue about issues facing individual institutions through its leadership and professional development networks.
WESTERN ALLIANCE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACADEMIC LEADERS
The Alliance is a consortium of leaders at community colleges, technical schools, and systems and state governing and coordinating boards associated with two-year institutions.
WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY is a yearlong professional development program for academic leaders aspiring to become chief academic officers in the WICHE region’s postsecondary sector.
COST-SAVINGS PARTNERSHIP Thanks to collaboration with the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC), one of four U.S. regional higher education compacts, WICHE-region educational institutions, nonprofits, and public education entities can benefit from three programs: MHECtech, which provides competitively bid purchasing contracts for an array of hardware, software, and technology services; MHECare, which provides a student health insurance plan and teletherapy services; and a MHEC Cyber Insurance Program, which offers risk transfer and advisory solutions. Learn more.
Optimal Behavioral Healthcare
For the past several years, WICHE’s Behavioral Health program has provided substantial benefits and TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE across the region. This includes the development of undergraduate and graduate opportunities and articulation agreements with other institutions and other innovative efforts that can help to meet critical workforce needs of the region.
WICHE is supporting the development of a partnership between the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and the Pacific Behavioral Health Collaborating Council (PBHCC). Through this partnership, PBHCC will become the certifying body for BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AIDES, a training program that will prepare Indigenous, community-based behavioral health workers.
Sound Public Policy
WICHE staff continue to work with federal partners to ensure federal policy recognizes and accounts for the unique nature of the Pacific region.
DATA RESOURCES AND POLICY EXPERTS
Knocking at the College Door is the leading U.S. resource for projections of high school graduates. Released in December 2024, the newest edition is essential for postsecondary policymakers, planning and workforce efforts, and economic development.
WICHE offers curated data and policy resources to support better-informed decision-making. WICHE’s research projects and collaborations cover postsecondary completion, health workforce development, behavioral health in postsecondary education, open educational resources (OER), state finance, prior learning assessment, and more:
- Tuition and Fees in the West includes tuition, fees, and enrollment data about 350+ public institutions in the West.
- Benchmarks: WICHE Region presents information on the West’s progress in improving access to, success in, and financing of higher education.
- Data on over 35 indicators in WICHE’s Regional Fact Book for Higher Education in the West.
Additionally, WICHE continues to advocate for more complete data collections that will help inform and guide policy in the Pacific and work with local institutions and agencies to incorporate Pacific data into WICHE’s reports.
Created by the WICHE Commission in 1995, the LEGISLATIVE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (LAC) works to strengthen state-level postsecondary policymaking across the West. Members are legislators appointed by each state, territory, or freely associated state in the WICHE region; they meet annually to explore emerging policy issues and develop strategies for interstate collaboration. Each U.S. Pacific Territory and Freely Associated State appoints one member to the LAC.
CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICERS NETWORK WICHE has convened staff from across the West in a collaborative network to identify challenges and promising practices to help address workforce shortages in the health sector. Through this effort, WICHE members are able to share innovative approaches and collaborate to solve the complex challenges in this sector. Recognizing the unique challenges and policy and practice issues in the Pacific, WICHE is offering an additional forum for key staff from the region’s institutions to discuss common challenges and policy issues.
Innovative Solutions
WCET – The WICHE Cooperative for Education Technologies is the leader in the practice, policy, and advocacy of digital learning in higher education. Its growing membership includes institutions, higher education agencies and systems, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and corporations in all U.S. states and several Canadian provinces. See a complete list here. Note: Membership in WCET requires a separate fee that is not covered by the WICHE annual dues.
STATE AUTHORIZATION NETWORK (SAN) helps guide institutions through state and federal statutory and regulatory compliance for out-of-state activities of the institutions. See a complete list of members here. Note: Membership in SAN requires a separate fee that is not covered by the by the WICHE annual dues or the WCET membership fee.
WICHE has convened the OERWEST NETWORK, which is part of a nationwide collaborative to scale the development and adoption of free course materials. Open educational resources (OER) have shown promise in improving student outcomes, particularly for students whom the high cost of textbooks can be a barrier to postsecondary success.
WICHE Commissioners
* Frankie Eliptico
Representing CNMI, Vice President, Administration and Advancement, Northern Marianas College
Rodney Jacob
Representing Guam, Attorney, Partner, Calvo Jacob & Pangelinan LLP
Kalani Kaneko
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senator, Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Legislative Advisory Committee
Kalani Kaneko
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senator, Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Tina Rose Muña Barnes
Senator, Guam Legislature