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Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders
Sharing ideas, best practices, and fresh perspectives
The Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders (Alliance) is a membership organization that serves as an incubator for collaborating and problem-solving among chief academic officers (or equivalent) at WICHE-region community colleges and technical schools, related systems, and state coordinating and governing boards.
How should community colleges retool in a fast-evolving economy? What strategies work for increasing student access and completion? How can colleges foster a seamless interrelationship between their programs and workforce opportunities?
These are just a few of countless issues of distinct concern to chief academic leaders, but common to peer two-year institutions across the Western United States. Together, this network’s participants seek solutions to these and other issues beyond the scope of a single institution, system, or state on behalf of Alliance-member institutions.
Alliance activities include:
| Professional Development | Team and Institutional Support | Leadership Network |
| Discounted member pricing for our flagship event, the Academic Partnerships Annual Meeting
Past speakers include Rick Torres, National Student Clearinghouse and President and CEO Deborah Santiago, Excelencia in Education |
Mentorship opportunities for your team/institution through the Western Academic Leadership Academy and the WICHE Academy for Leaders in the Humanities.
In AY 2024-25, 18 leaders from Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming invested time and energy into honing their skills and assuming the next level of campus leadership. |
Exclusive access to WICHE’s leadership network, designed for chief academic officers at institutional, system, and state agency levels. Grow, connect, and learn from a network of leaders like you serving two-year institutions in the West via a Listserv, monthly newsletter, and in-person convening. |
| Attend quarterly webinars covering relevant and important topics in postsecondary education.
Past webinar topics included the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, the discussion around administrative holds on student records, a leadership development fireside chat, and an update from the American Council on Education staff working on the new Carnegie Classifications. |
Participate in WICHE projects and initiatives and contribute to best practices in higher education.
WICHE has facilitated grant-funded community of practice projects around technology and transfer as well as administrative holds. |
Collaborate and problem solve with colleagues in the Western Academic Leadership Forum (Forum), a sister organization through WICHE for academic leaders at four-year institutions and their system office or state agencies. |