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Annual Meeting, September 11-12, 2024
Limelight Hotel | Denver, CO
The Evolving Landscape of Western Higher Education
Wednesday, September 11
Today’s Students
This session offered insights on postsecondary enrollment trends in the West, what WICHE’s latest demographic projections suggest about future years, and how Western institutions are responding. A facilitated discussion around what these trends mean for higher education across participants’ contexts followed.
Facilitator:
Patrick Lane, Vice President, Policy Analysis and Research, WICHESpeakers:
Peace Bransberger, Director, Programs and Evidence, WICHE | PRESENTATION
Lisa Matye Edwards, Vice President, Student Affairs, Arapahoe Community College | PRESENTATION
Olivia Tufo, Manager, Community Engagement and Development, WICHE | PRESENTATION
Evolving Postsecondary Delivery Models
One thing is certain; today’s students are demanding a more flexible postsecondary education system. In response, providers are exploring new ways to offer postsecondary education. These sessions examined promising approaches to building a more adaptable and responsive system.
Part 1: Nondegree Credentials
As activity around federal financial aid for shorter-term postsecondary programs intensifies, states are paying increasing attention to nondegree credentials. This session examined how states across the West are both investing in and exercising oversight over short-term programs and highlight innovative examples of short-term offerings designed to meet critical workforce needs.
Moderator:
Christina Sedney, Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, WICHESpeakers:
Paul Gladen, Director, Accelerate MT and Associate Vice President for Research and Economic Development, University of Montana | PRESENTATION
Dennis Mohatt, Vice President, Behavioral Health, WICHE | PRESENTATIONPart 2: Stackable Credentials
The concept of breaking down lengthy degree pathways into shorter-term, “stackable” components has been around for years, but has been gaining momentum as students exhibit an ever-growing preference for postsecondary options that allow them to move in and out of postsecondary education over time. Several states have begun to explicitly invest in this concept. This session explored the evidence around stackable credentials’ impact and how one state’s legislature opted to invest in the approach.
Moderator:
Colleen Falkenstern, senior research analyst, Western Interstate Commission for Higher EducationSpeakers:
Lindsay Daugherty, Senior Policy Researcher; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School | PRESENTATION
Angie Paccione, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Higher Education
Chris Rasmussen, Senior Director of Academic Pathways and Innovation, Colorado Department of Higher EducationAccreditation – What are the Core Principles and What’s Changing?
Accreditation has unexpectedly moved into the national spotlight in the last few years, as an emerging area of interest for federal and state policymakers. This session provided an overview of the core functions of accreditation and how accreditors themselves are evolving in the face of a changing higher education ecosystem.
Moderator:
Ray Burgman Gallegos, vice president, programs and services, Western Interstate Commission for Higher EducationSpeakers:
Selena Grace, Executive Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Karen Solomon, Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer, Higher Learning CommissionApproaches & Considerations for Supporting Student Well-being
This session explored diverse strategies for supporting well-being, from considering evidence-based investments in digital mental health interventions to developing cross-sector statewide collaborations to comprehensively meet students’ needs.
Moderator:
Christina Sedney, Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, WICHESpeaker
Daniel Eisenberg, Professor of Health Policy of Management, Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA
Thursday, September 12
A Statewide Approach to Assessing and Meeting Postsecondary Students’ Basic Needs
Research—and students themselves—are increasingly revealing that basic needs and well-being are a critical component of student success in postsecondary education. As higher education’s understanding of what students need evolves, so too must the supports that are offered. Ensuring student basic needs such as housing and food security are met is a complex process involving the intersection of many funding streams, agencies, and levels of policymaking. How are legislators working to support their state’s students in these areas?
Moderator:
Patrick Lane, Vice President, Policy Analysis and Research, WICHESpeaker:
Ami Magisos, Associate Director, Strategy and Partnerships, Washington Student Achievement CouncilArtificial Intelligence and Higher Education
Higher education is interacting with artificial intelligence (AI) in a variety of ways, from workforce development to changing approaches to teaching and learning to operational innovations. What has AI already changed about the higher education sector and what might it change in the future?
Moderator:
Christina Sedney, Director of Policy & Strategic Initiatives, Western Interstate Commission for Higher EducationSpeaker:
Van Davis, Chief Strategy Officer, WCETThe Role of Legislators in an Evolving Higher Education Landscape – Looking Ahead to 2025 and Beyond
Facilitator:
Christina Sedney, Director of Policy & Strategic Initiatives, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education