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

• College of Eastern Idaho
• College of Southern Idaho
• College of Western Idaho
• North Idaho College

Todd Schwarz, College of Southern Idaho, is a member of the Alliance executive committee. Denise Aberle-Canntana, College of Western Idaho, is a member of the Alliance executive committee.

WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP FORUM – 4-YEAR INSTITUTIONS

•   Boise State University
• Idaho State Board of Education
• Idaho State University
• Lewis-Clark State College
• University of Idaho

TJ Bliss, Idaho State Board of Education, is a member of the Forum executive committee.

WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY is a yearlong professional development program for academic leaders aspiring to become chief academic officers in the WICHE region. Fourteen cohort members from Idaho institutions have participated in the Academy since its inception in 2015.

Todd Schwarz, College of Southern Idaho, will 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 Idaho was $70,287. Learn more.

Idaho 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 two-year leadership development program for aspiring academic leaders with a background in the humanities. Greg Wilson, College of Western Idaho, is participating in the 2023-2025 cohort.

WICHE Behavioral Health Program (BHP) works with partner agencies to develop a broad and relevant training program to support the preparation and retention of doctoral-level psychologists through the IDAHO PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP CONSORTIUM (ID-PIC). BHP facilitates the program’s development, ensures it meets American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation standards, and assists in the accreditation process. In November 2023, the APA granted the ID-PIC full APA accreditation for three years. They currently have five interns in the program.

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 Idaho, the RCORP program supports one grantee.

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.

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.

CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICERS NETWORK Staff from the State Board of Education also participate in regular collaborative calls with colleagues around the region.

STATE PROJECTS In 2023, WICHE completed an analysis of the education and workforce pipeline in engineering and computer science, culminating in recommendations for how the state can approach growing its workforce in these two crucial areas.

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. WCET members include:

• Boise State University
• College of Eastern Idaho
• Idaho State University
• Lewis-Clark State College
• University of Idaho

Ryan Faulkner of the College of Eastern Idaho serves on the Steering Committee.

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

• Boise Bible College
• Boise State University
• Brigham Young University – Idaho
• College of Southern Idaho
• College of Eastern Idaho
• College of Western Idaho
• Idaho State Board of Education
• Idaho State University
• Lewis-Clark State College
• Mercy In Action College of Midwifery
• Northern Idaho College
• Northwest Nazarene University
• University of Idaho

WICHE has collaborated with the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to provide a CYBERSECURITY LEADERSHIP TABLETOP EXERCISE for postsecondary senior nontechnical leaders in Idaho to be held at Boise State University in February 2023.

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.