• Focus : Wyoming

    Wyoming 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 1953. Wyoming 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 Wyoming students and their families saved $4 million in tuition by participating in WICHE’s Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), one of three student access programs, plus another $231,000 through the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP). Wyoming also saved money by participating in the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP), sending its students to programs in dentistry, medicine, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant, podiatry, and veterinary medicine.

     

    Doing the Math: Wyoming's Return on Investment

    In 2008-09 Wyoming, its institutions, and its students saved or brought in some $4.2 million through WICHE and spent $120,000 for membership in the commission, yielding a 35-fold return on investment.
     
    In the last 5 years, Wyoming students’ savings from WUE alone have topped $31.8 million, with member-ship dues of just $561,000, yielding a 56-fold return.

     


    How does Wyoming benefit as a WICHE state?

    WICHE’s programs save Wyoming 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.

     

    > Wyoming’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.

     

    > Wyoming 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.

     

    > Wyoming 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?

    Some 1,300 students from Wyoming are attending undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in other Western states through WICHE’s three 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. Over 14,600 Wyoming students have enrolled in out-of-state undergraduate programs through WUE in the last decade.
     
    > In 2008-09 1,153 Wyoming students are enrolled through WUE in out-of-state programs, saving over $4 million by paying the WUE rate of 150 percent of resident tuition in the enrolling institution.
     
    > Some of the top majors of Wyoming’s students are: education, business, biology, psychology, and mechanical engineering.
     
    > Wyoming students saved an average of $3,472 each this year.
     
    Wyoming 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 Wyoming after graduating. This year Wyoming received 2,146 out-of-state students through WUE.
     
    Professional Student Exchange Program. Wyoming has sent students to professional programs through PSEP since 1953. It currently supports 133 students in dentistry, medicine, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant, podiatry, and veterinary medicine. Historically, 59 percent of PSEP students have returned to their home states to pursue their professional careers.

    Western Regional Graduate Program    . Wyoming’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. Wyoming sent 23 students to out-of-state institutions in 2008-09, while receiving 13.
     
    Internet Course Exchange (ICE). Wyoming participates in WICHE’s newest exchange, ICE. The University of Wyoming is a member of this alliance, whose 30 institutions and systems work towards sharing distance-delivered courses among two- and four-year institutions in the region. Other Wyoming institutions also may join.

    WICHE's Added Value

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

     

    Wyoming has been an active participant in projects to support better-informed decision making at the state level. It was chosen to participate in the WICHE-managed State Scholars Initiative (SSI), a national business/education partnership effort working to increase the number of students who take a rigorous curriculum in high school; its program is funded by a grant of up to $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education. Last year, Wyoming sent a team to the National Summit on Rigor and Relevance in Boston, sponsored by SSI. Other 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 Wyoming 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.

     

    Wyoming participates in other WICHE programs as well. Seven Wyoming organizations and institutions, including the University of Wyoming, 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.
     
    Another initiative, the Master Property Program, helps institutions in the West reduce their insurance premiums and improve their coverage. Additionally, the University of Wyoming 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.