• Focus : Oregon

    Oregon 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 1951. Oregon 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 Oregon students and their families saved $10.6 million in tuition by participating in WICHE’s Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), one of three student access programs, plus another $372,000 through the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP). Oregon also brought in an additional $1.9 million in support fees from students enrolling in its institutions through the Professional Student Exchange Program.

     

    Doing the Math: Oregon's Return on Investment

    In 2008-09 Oregon, its institutions, and its students saved or brought in some $12.8 million through WICHE and spent $120,000 for membership in the commission, yielding an 106-fold return on investment.
     
    In the last 5 years, Oregon students’ savings from WUE alone have topped $47.9 million, with membership dues of just $561,000, yielding an 84-fold return.

     


    How does Oregon benefit as a WICHE state?

    WICHE’s programs save Oregon 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.

     

    > Oregon’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.

     

    > Oregon 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.

     

    > Oregon vastly increases the resources it has for training its workforce: the majority of its professional students who train through WICHE’s PSEP return to the state to work and live.

    What student programs does WICHE offer?

    Over 1,500 students from Oregon are attending undergraduate and graduate programs in other Western states through WICHE’s student exchange programs this year (Figure 1 breaks down tuition savings). State membership in WICHE is required for students to participate in these programs.
     
    Western Undergraduate Exchange. Some 13,000 Oregon students have enrolled in out-of-state undergraduate programs through WUE in the last decade.
     
    > In 2008-09 1,506 Oregon students are enrolled through WUE in out-of-state programs, saving $10.5 million by paying the WUE rate of 150 percent  of resident tuition in the enrolling institution.
     
    > Some of the top majors of Oregon’s students are: biology, business, psychology, nursing, and marketing.
     
    > Oregon students saved an average of $7,017 each this year.

    Oregon 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 Oregon after graduating. This year Oregon received 1,939 out-of-state students through WUE.

     
    Professional Student Exchange Program. Oregon receives students annually from other WICHE states through the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP). This year 123 students are enrolled in professional programs in the state, bringing in nearly $1.9 million in revenue.
     
    Western Regional Graduate Program. Oregon’s postgraduates participate in graduate programs through WRGP, which offers access to over 200 high-quality, distinctive 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. Oregon sent 37 students to out-of-state institutions in 2008-09, while receiving 51.
    Internet Course Exchange (ICE). WICHE’s newest exchange, ICE, is an alliance of member institutions and systems that share policies, procedures, and support systems for sharing distance-delivered courses among two- four-year institutions in the 15-state WICHE region. Oregon institutions may join the exchange.

    WICHE's Added Value

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

     

    Oregon 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. In addition, teams of policymakers and educational leaders from Oregon 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.
     
    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.

     

    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.

     

    Oregon participates in other WICHE programs as well. Eight Oregon organizations and institutions 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.
     
    Lewis and Clark College, Reed College, and Willamette University all belong to the Master Property Program, which helps institutions in the West reduce their insurance premiums and improve their coverage. Additionally, six institutions are members 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.