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 – 2-YEAR INSTITUTIONS

•   Aims Community College
• Arapahoe Community College
•  Colorado Community College System
•  Colorado Northwestern Community College
•   Community College of Aurora
•   Community College of Denver
•   Front Range Community College
•  Lamar Community College
•  Morgan Community College
•  Northeastern Junior College
•  Otero Junior College
•  Pikes Peak Community College
•  Pueblo Community College
•   Red Rocks Community College
•   Trinidad State College

Sarah Heath, Colorado Community College System, serves on the Alliance executive committee.

WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP FORUM – 4-YEAR INSTITUTIONS

•   Metropolitan State University of Denver
•   Colorado State University
•   Colorado State University – Pueblo

Matthew Makley, Metropolitan State University of Denver, serves on the Forum executive committee. Laura Niesen de Abruña, Metropolitan State University of Denver, will serve as a primary faculty member for the Academy as of July 2024.

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. Twelve cohort members from Colorado institutions have participated in the Academy since its inception in 2015. Landon Pirius, Colorado Community College System, serves as a primary faculty member for the Academy.

WICHE offers student health and technology contracts through a COST-SAVINGS PROGRAM with the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) to colleges and universities, K-12 school districts, local and state municipalities, and nonprofit organizations with an education emphasis. Last year, entities that used these contracts saved 9% over what they otherwise would have outside this joint purchasing arrangement. The total savings in Colorado was $330,651. Learn more.

Colorado participates in the STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT (SARA) through WICHE. This voluntary agreement provides reciprocity for the state authorization of distance education. WICHE Commissioners have been strong advocates for protecting the state voice in important governance decisions affecting this agreement and staff continue to support participating states and improving student protections while bolstering access.

WICHE ACADEMY FOR LEADERS IN THE HUMANITIES is a leadership development program for aspiring academic leaders with a background in the humanities. The two-year fellowship consists of campus-based and external mentoring, a three-day in-person seminar, and an extended project. Tina Butterfield, Western Colorado University, and Thomas Dunn, Colorado State University, are participating in the 2023-25 cohort.

WICHE Behavioral Health Program (BHP) administers the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)—a multiyear initiative supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to identify treatment barriers and best practices for preventing and treating substance use disorder. In Colorado, the RCORP program supports two grantees.

The WICHE BHP received a contract from the State of Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) to support a large workforce development project to enhance skills and knowledge of crisis responders when working with individuals with behavioral health needs throughout the state. Phase 1 of the project, completed in 2024, involved supporting the development of a 24-module CRISIS PROFESSIONAL CURRICULUM. Phase 2 is intended to ENHANCE CRISIS RESPONSE for youth and young adults working as peers and first responders. With input from representatives from these learner groups, the WICHE BHP develops training and support materials targeting the needs of each group.

The Colorado BHA also contracted with the WICHE BHP to increase access to behavioral health support and services for older adults living in rural Colorado. The goal of this project is to increase touch points in which those who need services can be identified and linked to appropriate care. PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS have a unique capacity to increase engagement of individuals with severe and persistent behavioral health conditions. Currently, there is limited access to training for peer support specialists. This project will offer training opportunities for peer support specialists across the state.

MOUNTAIN PLAINS RURAL OPIOID TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER (MP ROTAC) develops and shares resources, training, and technical assistance focused on opioid and stimulant misuse in rural areas in Region 8. This is funded through a multiyear grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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.

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.

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. The University of Colorado System, Colorado Community College System, and 21 other institutions and organizations are WCET members.

Erika Swain, University of Colorado Boulder, serves on the WCET Steering Committee. Mordecai Ian Brownlee, Community College of Aurora, serves on the WCET Executive Council.

State Authorization Network (SAN), helps guide institutions through state regulations around online courses and programs. Colorado has 18 members.

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 poverty-affected students, for whom the high cost of textbooks can be a barrier to postsecondary success.

TECHNOLOGY AND PARTNERSHIPS FOR TRANSFER SUCCESS PROJECT offers two-year grants to partner institutions to create technology solutions to assist transfer students. The partnership is between University of Northern Colorado (CO) and Laramie County Community College (WY).

WICHE collaborated with the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide a CYBERSECURITY LEADERSHIP TABLETOP EXERCISE for postsecondary senior non-technical leaders in Colorado held at the Auraria Campus in 2018.