American Council on Education to use Passport Learning Outcomes as a workforce framework

BOULDER, Colo. – The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and the American Council on Education (ACE) announce a collaboration to help more students with prior learning attain high-quality postsecondary credentials. WICHE’s Interstate Passport Network®, with 46 members...

University of Alaska Fairbanks joins Interstate Passport Network

BOULDER, Colo. – The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) becomes the second higher education institution from the state of Alaska to join the Interstate Passport Network. With seven campuses across the state, UAF enrolls more than 8,500 students from all...

University of Alaska Southeast is newest member of Interstate Passport

BOULDER, Colo. – The University of Alaska Southeast is the 42nd higher education institution in the country to join the Interstate Passport Network. The third regional university of the University of Alaska system, the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) joins...

WICHE Commission approves resolution supporting flexibility in postsecondary education in the West due to COVID-19 outbreak

BOULDER, Colo.—The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on our nation’s education systems, including the nearly 400 public and private colleges and universities in 16 Western states and territories. Prospective students face uncertainty about their academic future in...

WICHE, WCET part of efforts to develop national network to support scaling, adoption of OER

BOULDER, Colo. – College and university leaders are working across state lines to reduce barriers faced by students and to empower faculty with access to a wide range of instructional materials. WICHE and its sister regional higher education compact organizations...

WICHE elects new officers for 2019-20

Camille Preus, of Oregon, named chair; Susan Anderson, of Alaska, named vice chair; Ray Holmberg, of North Dakota, to serve as immediate past chair Camille Preus, executive director of the Oregon Community College Association (OCCA), has been elected as...

NewsCap | December 2019

The newsletter from WICHE serving Western states, students, and institutions since 1953.

Jessica Rowland Williams named director of Every Learner Everywhere

BOULDER, Colo. – Jessica Rowland Williams has been named director of Every Learner Everywhere (Every Learner), a network of 12 partners strengthening digital learning in postsecondary institutions. WCET (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies) serves as the intermediary for Every Learner Everywhere....

NewsCap | September 2019

The newsletter from WICHE serving Western states, students, and institutions since 1953.

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology joins groundbreaking college transfer network

BOULDER, Colo. – The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) becomes the first institution in Illinois to join the Interstate Passport Network (IPN), a nationwide network of two- and four-year colleges and universities that allows students to transfer lower-division...

NewsCap | July 2019

The newsletter from WICHE serving Western states, students, and institutions since 1953.

Postsecondary, legislative, and other leaders attend the Western Interstate Commission’s semi-annual meeting in Bismarck

North Dakota State Sen. Ray Holmberg, chair of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), convened the interstate agency’s semi-annual meeting on May 20-21 at Bismarck State College. One of four regional higher education compacts in the U.S.,...

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education appoints seven new commissioners

Seven new commissioners were recently appointed to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), a federal interstate compact of 16 Western state and territorial members that work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all citizens of...

Russ Poulin will lead WCET as new WICHE VP of technology-enhanced education

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) today appointed Russ Poulin vice president of technology-enhanced education for WICHE and executive director of WCET (the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies), WICHE President Demarée Michelau announced at the agency’s biannual...

Univ. of Idaho program wins 2019 Colleagues’ Choice award at Forum meeting

A faculty-productivity reporting tool developed at the University of Idaho was honored by the Western Academic Leadership Forum (the Forum) Thursday at the group’s annual meeting in Boulder, Colo.

Williston State College program wins WICHE Bernice Joseph Award

An innovative first-term advising program at Williston State College in North Dakota was honored by the Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders (the Alliance) at its annual meeting last Thursday in Salt Lake City.

Behavioral Health VP Mohatt honored for community psychology contributions by APA division

Mohatt received the honor based on his career-long efforts helping to create, collaborate on, and advocate for mental health services in rural communities, optimizing their administrative and service strategies, and making important research and scholarship contributions to community psychology....

February 2019 NewsCap

This is the February 2019 edition of WICHE's bimonthly newsletter.

WICHE awarded $900,000 for initiative exploring recognition of learning

This WICHE effort, launched in 12/18, incorporates a landscape analysis of postsecondary education recognition of learning policy and practice, and an evaluation of primary learning assessment methods and their impact on student and workforce outcomes.

Five new commissioners appointed to WICHE

Five new commissioners were recently appointed to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), a federal interstate compact of 16 Western states and territories that work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all citizens of the...

Western students saved $417+ million through WICHE tuition-savings programs in 2018-19

America’s largest interstate higher education tuition-savings programs set records in 2018-19 for students enrolled and dollars saved.

NewsCap: December 2018

This is the December 2018 edition of the biannual newsletter of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

California students find tuition discounts, less-crowded campuses out of state

This EdSource story comprehensively featured WICHE's Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program, and its value in serving California students.

Statewide Data on OER Savings

This Inside Higher Ed article features WCET Open Policy Director Tanya Spilovoy commenting on a North Dakota state audit that found significant cost savings to be had through use of open educational resources.

North Dakota’s Ray Holmberg elected chair of Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

North Dakota State Sen. Ray Holmberg of Grand Forks, N.D. was elected Nov. 9 as the new chair of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), at WICHE’s biannual commission meeting last week in Broomfield, Colo. WICHE, a...

Closing Attainment Gaps at Native-Serving Institutions

This ACT Center for Equity in Learning blog post is authored by Ken Pepion, who recently retired after 25 years of service to WICHE.

Demarée Michelau appointed president of Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has appointed Dr. Demarée Michelau president of the regional interstate higher education agency serving 16 Western members, including U.S. states, territories, and freely associated states and their 80 million residents.

NewsCap: October 2018

This is the October 2018 edition of the biannual newsletter of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

NewsCap: August 2018

This is the August 2018 edition of the newsletter of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

NSI Summit July 26-27 sparks progress toward budding alliance

The first annual Native American-Serving, Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) National Summit was held July 26-27 at the Westin Denver Downtown Hotel, attracting nearly 100 higher education leaders to discuss, debate, and problem-solve issues unique to 24 Native-Serving colleges and universities.

NewsCap: June 2018

This is the June 2018 edition of the newsletter of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

Ben Cannon appointed to WICHE commission

Ben Cannon, executive director of Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission since 2013, has been appointed by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) commission.

Arizona, Utah, Wyoming selected for WICHE Task Force to close postsecondary attainment gaps

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has selected three states—Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming—through a competitive RFP process to participate in its new Task Force on Closing Postsecondary Attainment Gaps.

David Longanecker appointed interim president of WICHE

The commissioners of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) unanimously appointed Dr. David A. Longanecker interim president of the primary interstate higher education agency serving 16 states and territories.

Cal State Long Beach data fellows program wins regional higher education honor

Data Fellows for Student Success, a California State University Long Beach program that deploys institutional data in innovative and collaborative ways to support student success, was honored by the Western Academic Leadership Forum.

Washington State program supporting minority faculty wins regional higher education award

A Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) program to aid retention and mentorship of underrepresented faculty throughout the system was honored by the Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders.

NewsCap: April 2018

This is the April 2018 edition of the newsletter of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. 

Rick Aman appointed to WICHE commission

Dr. Rick Aman, president of the newly created College of Eastern Idaho, has been appointed by Idaho Gov. C.L. (“Butch”) Otter to the governing body of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).

Student savings surpass $400 million for WICHE out-of-state tuition-discount programs in 2017-18

America’s largest interstate higher education tuition-discount programs set records in 2017-18 for students enrolled and dollars saved.

NewsCap: February 2018

This is the February 2018 edition of the newsletter of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

$400,000 Lumina Foundation grant to seed WICHE Task Force to close postsecondary attainment gaps

This month, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) will initiate a Task Force on Closing Postsecondary Attainment Gaps—thanks to a $400,000 Lumina Foundation grant.

$990,000 Lumina Foundation grant will help WICHE start new Native-Serving Institutions network

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education will soon launch a new consortium for colleges and universities that heavily serve Native American Indians and Alaska Natives.