Through the Western Academic Leadership Forum (WALF), academic leaders at bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral institutions and chief executives and chief academic officers for systems and state governing boards exchange ideas and information, share resources and expertise, and collaborate on regional initiatives. Through this collaborative network, these academic leaders build a stronger future for higher education in the West.

Stay connected!

Message from the Chair

Sam Gingerich

This has been a very challenging year for higher education and these turbulent times are likely to continue. Budgets are down, enrollments are unpredictable, and demands to provide more services more efficiently are intensifying. To protect academic and other core programming, campuses are scrambling to stabilize budgets with stimulus money and other funds. In sum, this environment is the most challenging that most academic leaders have faced.

Membership in the Western Academic Leadership Forum (WALF) is a critical resource for you at this juncture. Through WALF, you have immediate access to your colleagues at peer institutions and agencies in the West. This network can provide quick and confidential advice and recommendations on a range of issues. If you are a chief academic officer at a master’s level or doctoral institution or a chief executive or chief academic officer for a system or state in the WICHE region and not already a member of WALF, please join today!

Sam Gingerich, Walf Chair
Chief Academic Officer, South Dakota Board of Regents

WALF 2010 Annual Meeting

Academic Leadership: Charting the Future in a Sea of National and International Initiatives

April 21-23, 2010 • Rapid City, South Dakota

Co-hosted by the South Dakota Board of Regents and the South Dakota School of Mines

• Hear nationally known speakers on timely topics
• Discuss higher education issues unique to the West
• Explore opportunities for regional initiatives
• Network with colleagues for solutions to common problems

Check out the presentations from the 2009 Annual meeting

Taking Stock: Strategic Leadership in Changing Times

April 22-24, 2009 | Anchorage, Alaska

NOTE: In 2008, WICHE changed the name of the Northwest Academic Forum to the Western Academic Leadership Forum as it broadened the consortium’s scope to include members in all WICHE states.