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Since 1951, Utah has partnered with and benefited from WICHE through regional collaboration, resource-sharing, sound public policy, and innovation.
Download the factsheet for Utah here.
0
TOTAL SAVED
by Utah students through WICHE Student Access Programs
0
SAVED
through WUE
0
SAVED
through WRGP
0
SAVED
through PSEP
WICHE’s Student Access Programs
WICHE operates three Student Access Programs that together saved students $613 million in 2023-24. Each program supports students at each level of postsecondary education: undergraduate, graduate, and professional healthcare studies.
- Students gain from increased choice and savings.
- Schools gain by optimizing enrollments.
- States and Pacific Island members gain by growing the skills of those they serve and strengthening their workforce.
Students who come into our school through WICHE’s PSEP bring a perspective that aligns with our school’s mission, vision, and values. We are grateful for PSEP because it helps our program reach its enrollment goals and allows students to pursue their professional career goals while incurring less debt. We are proud to partner with WICHE and its PSEP program!
ALEX STEELE, Associate Director of Admissions, University of Utah School of Dentistry
Improving Lives in Utah
WICHE works collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all residents of the West. By promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy, WICHE strengthens higher education’s contributions to the region’s social, economic, and civic life. Learn more about our mission.
Regional Collaboration
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
- Salt Lake Community College
- Snow College
WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP FORUM – 4-YEAR INSTITUTIONS
- University of Utah
- Utah System of Higher Education
- Utah Technical University
- Utah Valley University
David Connelly, Utah Valley University, 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. Three cohort members from Utah institutions have participated in the Academy since its inception in 2015.
Thanks to collaboration with the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC), one of four U.S. regional higher education compacts, WICHE-region educational institutions, nonprofits, and public education entities can benefit from three programs: MHECtech, which provides competitively bid purchasing contracts for an array of hardware, software, and technology services; MHECare, which provides a student health insurance plan and teletherapy services; and a MHEC Cyber Insurance Program, which offers risk transfer and advisory solutions. Learn more.
Utah participates in the STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT (SARA) through WICHE. This voluntary agreement provides reciprocity for the state authorization of distance education.
Optimal Behavioral Healthcare
WICHE Behavioral Health Program (BHP) co-administers the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MP-MHTTC). The MP-MHTTC provides comprehensive training, resources, and technical assistance to mental health providers and other practitioners in the SAMHSA Region 8. Region 8 is comprised of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
In October 2022, WICHE BHP was awarded a multiyear grant from SAMHSA to establish the Mountain Plains Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Center of Excellence (MP ROTAC). The MP ROTAC develops and disseminates resources, training, and technical assistance that focuses on opioid and stimulant misuse in rural areas throughout SAMHSA’s Region 8.
WICHE Behavioral Health Program (BHP) administers the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), a multiyear initiative supported by the Health Resources & Services Administration to identify treatment barriers and best practices for preventing and treating substance use disorder. RCORP supports three grantees across five sites in Utah: University of Utah, Southern Utah University, and Intermountain Healthcare, Inc.
Sound Public Policy
Knocking at the College Door is the leading U.S. resource for projections of college-ready students. Knocking, which includes a quadrennial publication with additional analysis, is essential for postsecondary policymakers, planning and workforce efforts, and economic development.
WICHE offers curated data and policy resources to support better-informed decision-making:
- 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.
CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICERS NETWORK Staff from the Utah System of Higher Education also participate in regular collaborative calls with colleagues around the region.
Innovative Solutions
WCET- The WICHE Cooperative for Education Technologies is the leader in practice, policy, and advocacy of technology-enhanced learning in higher education. WCET members include:
- Brigham Young University
- Salt Lake Community College
- Southern Utah University
- University of Utah
- Utah State University
- Utah System of Higher Education
- Weber State University
- Western Governors University
Additionally, Brigham Young University-Utah, Broadview University, Dixie State University, Eagle Gate College, Ensign College, LDS Business College, Midwives College of Utah, Newmont University, Nightingale College, Provo College, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Salt Lake Community College, Snow College, Southern Utah University, Stevens-Henager College, University of Utah, Utah SARA Private institutions, Utah State University, Utah System of Higher Education, Utah Valley University, Weber State University, Western Governors University, and Westminster College are members of the State Authorization Network (SAN), which helps guide institutions through state regulations around online courses and programs.
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 Commissioners
*indicates Executive Committee member
Patricia Jones
CEO, Women's Leadership Institute
Geoffrey Landward
Commissioner of Higher Education, Utah System of Higher Education
* Ann Millner
WICHE Vice Chair, Senator, Utah State Legislature
Legislative Advisory Committee
Keith Grover
Senator, Utah State Legislature
Michael McKell
Senator, Utah State Legislature
* Ann Millner
WICHE Vice Chair, Senator, Utah State Legislature
Karen Peterson
Representative, Utah State Legislature