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Since 2012, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) has partnered with and benefited from WICHE through regional collaboration, resource-sharing, sound public policy, and innovation.
Download the factsheet for CNMI here.
0
TOTAL SAVED
by CNMI students through WICHE Student Access Programs
0
SAVED
through WUE
0
SAVED
through WRGP
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.
Improving Lives in CNMI
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
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.
NO HOLDING BACK In 2022-23, 12 WICHE institutions analyzed data, policies, and practices to make improvements to how it used holds on registration or transcripts and contributed to the development of tools for other institutions to undertake this work.
Optimal Behavioral Healthcare
In 2014, WICHE helped the CNMI identify a significant shortage of social workers as part of a needs assessment of its Child and Family System of Care Grant. The only degree option available at the time required students to leave the CNMI which, for many, was cost prohibitive. In response, WICHE established a partnership between Northern Marianas College (NMC) and the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF) to enable CNMI students to earn a Bachelor of Social Work degree. Through this program, students complete their first two years of study at NMC and then complete the upper-division study virtually through UAF, creating more local resouces to HELP OUR COMMUNITIES. Five students have graduated since 2022, and nine students are currently enrolled.
RURAL COMMUNITIES OPIOID RESPONSE PROGRAM (RCORP) is 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 the CNMI, RCORP supports one grantee.
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.
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.
DATA EXPERTS WICHE staff provide analysis on finance, financial aid, articulation and transfer, strategic planning, student demographics, and more, as well as host peer-to-peer calls of state, system, and institutional chief academic officers to identify areas of potential collaboration and resource sharing across the West.
DATA RESOURCES 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.
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. Northern Marianas College is a member.
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
*indicates Executive Committee member
* Frankie Eliptico
Representing CNMI, Vice President, Administration and Advancement, Northern Marianas College
Rodney Jacob
Representing Guam, Attorney, Partner, Calvo Fisher & Jacob LLP
Kalani Kaneko
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senator, Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Legislative Advisory Committee
Manny Gregory Castro
Senator, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Kalani Kaneko
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senator, Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Tina Rose Muña Barnes
Senator, Guam Legislature