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

• Centralia College
• Clover Basin Technical College
•  Spokane Community College
•  Walla Walla Community College
•  Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

Valerie Sundby, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, serves as the meeting chair on the Alliance executive committee.

WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP FORUM – 4-YEAR INSTITUTIONS

• Central Washington University
•  The Evergreen State College
• Washington Council of Presidents
•  Washington State University Vancouver

Renny Christopher, Washington State University Vancouver, serves on the Forum executive committee. Julie Garver, Council of Presidents, serves on the Forum executive committee.

WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY is a year-long professional development program for academic leaders aspiring to become chief academic officers in the WICHE region. Seven cohort members from Washington institutions have participated in the Academy since its inception in 2015. Renny Christopher, Washington State University Vancouver, 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 Washington was $1,746,839. Learn more.

Washington 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.

The Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) contracted with the WICHE BHP to assist the HCA Division of Behavioral Health and Rehabilitation’s Prenatal-25 Program with implementing a budget proviso which seeks to identify DIGITAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS. Under Budget Proviso 134, the HCA must issue a Request for Information and establish an expert panel to identify appropriate “digital behavioral health prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support services” for youth and young adults. WICHE provides project management, administrative support, and subject matter expertise to support this project.

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 Washington, 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.

WICHE staff have presented to Washington’s House College and Workforce Development Committee on evidence-based policies to support student success in these challenging times. The presentation and information shared has been an important part of ongoing policy discussions within the state to improve student outcomes.

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 Washington Student Achievement Council also participate in regular collaborative calls with colleagues around the region.

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:

• Bellevue College
• Central Washington University
• Community Colleges of Spokane
• Eastern Washington University
• Olympic College
•  Pierce College
• Seattle Central College
• Seattle Pacific University
• Seattle University
• Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
• Washington State University

Chantae Recasner of Seattle Central College serves as the WCET Steering Committee chair and also serves on the Executive Council.

The State Authorization Network (SAN), helps guide institutions through state regulations around online courses and programs. Washington has 25 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.

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 Washington held at Highline College in 2024.