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

•  Great Basin College
•  Truckee Meadows Community College
• Western Nevada College

Jeffrey Alexander, Truckee Meadows Community College, serves on the Alliance executive committee.

WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP FORUM – 4-YEAR INSTITUTIONS

•   Nevada State College
•   Nevada System of Higher Education
•   University of Nevada, Las Vegas
•   University of Nevada, Reno
• Western Nevada College

Kate Hausbeck-Korgan, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, serves on 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. Seven cohort members from Nevada institutions have participated in the Academy since its inception in 2015.

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 Nevada was $323,634. Learn more.

Nevada 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. Laura Decker, Nevada State University, is participating in the 2023-25 cohort.

WICHE Behavioral Health Program (BHP) continues to support the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health for the ongoing operations and accreditation of the NEVADA PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP CONSORTIUM (NV-PIC), which aims to increase the number of psychologists in Nevada and build the state’s behavioral health workforce.

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 Nevada, the RCORP program supports two grantees.

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 is an opportunity for state and system staff to participate in regular collaborative calls with colleagues around
the region.

STATE PROJECTS WICHE has provided technical assistance to the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents for efforts to examine postsecondary education governance.

WCET- The WICHE Cooperative for Education Technologies is the leader in the practice, policy, and advocacy of technology-enhanced 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:

• College of Southern Nevada
• Great Basin College
• Nevada State College University
• Nevada System of Higher Education
• Truckee Meadows Community College
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• University of Nevada, Reno
• Western Nevada College

Commissioner Fred Lokken serves on the WCET Executive Council.

STATE AUTHORIZATION NETWORK (SAN) helps guide institutions through state regulations around online courses and programs. SAN members include:

• Great Basin College
• Nevada State College
• Nevada System of Higher Education
• Roseman University of Health Sciences
•   Truckee Meadows Community College
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• University of Nevada, Reno.

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.