• Focus : California

    California joined the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), a 15-state commission working to boost access to and success in higher education for students in the West, in 1955. California and WICHE have shared a remarkably productive history. But more importantly the state and its citizens reap essential economic and educational benefits today, saving millions of dollars annually while ensuring the state’s “human capital” is educated and ready to participate in a highly competitive global economy.


    In 2008-09 California students and their families saved $36.2 million in tuition by participating in WICHE’s Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), one of three student access programs.

     

    Doing the Math: California's Return on Investment

    In 2008-09 California, its institutions, and its students saved some $36.2 million through WICHE and spent $120,000 for membership in the commission, yielding an 301-fold return on investment.

     
    In the last 5 years, California students’ savings from WUE have topped $95.2 million, with membership dues of just $561,000, yielding a 169-fold return.

     


    How does California benefit as a WICHE state?

    WICHE’s programs save California money and enhance the use of its educational resources in several critical ways.

     

    > When funding is reduced, access to higher ed can be preserved because students have affordable out-of-state options via WICHE.

     

    > California’s public colleges and universities are able to increase enrollment in programs with extra capacity – and bring in much needed educational dollars – by enrolling students from other WICHE states.

     

    > California saves money by not having to establish and maintain costly programs in a number of essential or leading-edge areas because its students have access to out-of-state programs.

     

    What student programs does WICHE offer?

    Western Undergraduate Exchange. Over 20,200 California students have enrolled in out-of-state undergraduate programs in other Western states through WUE in the last decade. In 2008-09 5,082 California students are enrolled through WUE. (Figure 1 breaks down tuition savings). State membership in WICHE is required for students to participate in this program.
     
    > In 2008-09 1,680 California students saved $36.2 million by paying the WUE rate of 150 percent of resident tuition in the enrolling institution.
     
    > Some of the top majors of California’s students are: business, biology, business, psychology, sociology, and kinesiology.
     
    > California students saved an average of $7,370 each this year.
     
    California also benefits from WUE by receiving students from out of state. Its institutions choose how many out-of-state slots to offer and in which areas, allowing them to make the best use of their resources by accepting students in underenrolled programs. There’s a workforce benefit for the state, too, as students often stay in California after graduating. This year California received some 500 out-of-state students through WUE.
     
    Professional Student Exchange Program and Western Regional Graduate Program. The Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) offers students access to professional programs in other states in 10 fields: dentistry, medicine, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, podiatry, and veterinary medicine. The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) offers access to over 200 high-quality, distinctive graduate programs (“distinctive” meaning that they’re offered at only four or fewer institutions in the WICHE region as well as to a range of healthcare programs) at 39 institutions in 14 WICHE states. California does not currently participate in these programs.
     
    Internet Course Exchange (ICE). ICE, WICHE’s newest exchange, is an alliance of 30 institutions and systems working towards sharing distance-delivered courses among two- and four-year institutions in the region. California institutions may join.

     

    WICHE's Added Value

    California gains added value from WICHE's programs in policy, workforce development, technology, mental health, and other areas.

     

    California has been an active participant in projects to support better-informed decision making at the state level. WICHE initiatives have been sponsored by the Ford Foundation, Lumina Foundation for Education, the U.S. Department of Education, and others.
    WICHE’s Lumina-funded project “Getting What You Pay For: Understanding Higher Education Appropriations, Tuition, and Financial Aid” focuses on promoting informed decision making and the alignment of higher education appropriations, tuition, and financial aid policy by state legislators. The project also works to inform news media, especially state house and higher education reporters, and others about these issues in an effort to increase student access and success.
     
    In addition, teams of policymakers and educational leaders from California participate each year in regional policy forums and meetings hosted by WICHE. One such recent meeting was the Western Summit on Workforce Certification and Higher Education for policymakers in the West, held in response to the national demand for more highly skilled workers in a host of fields, from healthcare to high tech. Participants explored how states might use a workforce certification system – which would allow business and higher education to communicate with a common language about workforce demand and supply – to improve their ability to prepare individuals for productive careers and enhance the health of their economies.
     

     

    Our goal with both meetings and projects is to assist educational leaders and policymakers by advocating for good public policy in the West. A third way we accomplish this is via our publication series, including Policy Insights and Workforce Briefs, which explore a wide range of significant policy issues. We also publish in-depth works such as Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates by State and Race/Ethnicity and the Regional Fact Book for Higher Education in the West, which includes data and analyses on fiscal, demographic, economic, and social indicators, as well as a state report providing Alaska data on access, affordability, finance, faculty, technology, and workforce issues. These resources can be downloaded at no cost from the WlCHE website.

     

    California participates in other WICHE programs as well. Thirteen California organizations and institutions – including California State University’s Office of the Chancellor and the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges – are members of WCET (formerly the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications), an international leader in helping states and institutions use new technologies to improve education. WICHE’s Mental Health Program – a nucleus for researching mental health policy and a provider of technical assistance in such areas as service innovation, system reform, workforce development, program evaluation, and other areas – is another well-used resource.
     
    Several WICHE states belong to the Master Property Program, which helps institutions in the West reduce their insurance premiums and improve their coverage. Additionally, the California State University System is a member of the Western Academic Leadership Forum (WALF) – formerly known as the Northwest Academic Forum – whose members address regional higher education issues and engage in cooperative resource sharing.   
     
    WICHE’s Legislative Advisory Committee works to strengthen state policymaking in higher education, engaging legislators in the discussion of higher ed issues and seeking their input on strategies for interstate collaboration.