Since 1953, Wyoming has partnered with and benefited from WICHE through regional collaboration, resource-sharing, sound public policy, and innovation.
Download the factsheet for Wyoming here.
2022-23 ACADEMIC YEAR
by Wyoming students through WICHE Student Access Programs
through WUE
through WRGP
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.
PSEP has been a blessing to my family
and me. Thanks to PSEP, I can pursue my dream career while not overwhelming myself with substantial debt. I consider myself incredibly lucky to receive help from this wonderful program. Thank you to WICHE and to my great home state of Wyoming.
JAKE, Wyoming resident, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University
Improving Lives in Wyoming
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.
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
- Eastern Wyoming College
- Laramie County Community College
- Western Wyoming Community College
Kari Brown-Herbst, Laramie County Community College, serves on the Alliance executive committee.
WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP FORUM – 4-YEAR INSTITUTIONS
- University of Wyoming
Kevin Carman, University of Wyoming, 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. One cohort member from Wyoming institutions has participated in the Academy since its inception in 2015.
NO HOLDING BACK Laramie County Community College is one of 12 WICHE institutions that participated in a community of practice in which institutions analyzed data and revised policies related to transcript and student holds in 2022-23.
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.
Wyoming participates in the STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT (SARA) through WICHE. This voluntary agreement provides reciprocity for the state authorization of distance education.
WICHE ACADEMY FOR LEADERS IN THE HUMANITIES is a leadership development program for aspiring academic leaders with a background in the humanities. The two-year fellowship consists of campus-based and external mentoring, a three-day in-person seminar, and an extended project. J O’Brien, Laramie County Community College, is participating in the 2023-25 cohort.
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.
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.
WICHE is providing project management support through the Wyoming Community College Commission for the Wyoming Innovation Partnership. This ambitious statewide effort aims to modernize and develop a resilient state workforce and economy.
CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICERS NETWORK Staff from the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Community College Commission also participate in regular collaborative calls with colleagues around the region.
WCET- The WICHE Cooperative for Education Technologies is the leader in practice, policy, and advocacy of technology-enhanced learning in higher education. Casper College, Central Wyoming College, Eastern Wyoming College, Laramie County Community College, Northwest College, University of Wyoming, and Western Wyoming Community College are WCET members.
Additionally, the University of Wyoming is a member 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
* Fred Baldwin
Senator, Wyoming State Legislature
Fred Baldwin *
Senator, Wyoming State Legislature
Fred Baldwin, a physician assistant in Kemmerer, and is serving his second term in the Wyoming State Senate. He is the chairman of the select committee on behavioral health, the Senate’s labor, health and social services committee as well as on the revenue committee. Baldwin is active in his community as Chief of the South Lincoln fire district. He also works with Kemmerer’s suicide prevention group. He is a fourth-generation Wyomingite who graduated from the University of Utah School of Medicine in physician assistant studies and earlier was enrolled in the nursing program at Casper College and pursued studies at the University of Wyoming, the University of Wisconsin Washington County, and Western Oregon State University.
Joseph Schaffer
President, Laramie County Community College
Joseph Schaffer
President, Laramie County Community College
Dr. Joe Schaffer considers himself a community college evangelist. Far from a success in his early college pursuits, an associate’s degree changed his life for the better. In repayment, his professional commitment has been to strengthen the mission of the community college locally and nationally.
Dr. Schaffer currently serves as the President of Laramie County Community College (LCCC). LCCC is an aggressively innovative and comprehensive college with a main campus located in the state capital of Cheyenne, a branch campus in Laramie, and outreach sites located across Southeastern Wyoming. Since Dr. Schaffer’s arrival at LCCC, the College has completed more than $150 million in facilities improvements, celebrated multiple record-setting graduating classes, and has seen the College’s graduation rates increase by nearly 70%.
Dr. Schaffer is an avid outdoorsman with a deep passion for hunting, fishing, and the great outdoors. At home, women rule his world, or at least that is what his lovely wife Brooke and daughters Samantha and Lia tell him.
Mike Smith
Vice President for Government Affairs and Community Engagement, University of Wyoming
Mike Smith
Vice President for Government Affairs and Community Engagement, University of Wyoming
Mike Smith is the Vice President for Government Affairs and Community Engagement at the University of Wyoming. In addition to serving as the university’s chief liaison to local, state and federal governments through the Office of Governmental Relations, Smith oversees Institutional Marketing and Communications, and the Office of Engagement and Outreach.
Prior to joining the University of Wyoming in 2022, Smith was an attorney in several western regional law firms where his practice included representing clients before the Wyoming Legislature in addition to regulatory and litigation matters. He also spent twelve years in the oil and gas sector as the manager of regulatory affairs at QEP Resources, working mostly in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and North Dakota. He first worked in politics as a college intern with Wyoming’s U.S. Representative Craig Thomas in Washington, D.C. and then served on Representative and Senator Thomas’ staff for five years. His ties to the University of Wyoming run deep. Smith received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from UW in 1991 and his J.D. degree in 1999. Both his parents received degrees from UW, his father worked in the financial aid office for 25 years, and his youngest daughter is currently attending UW. His community service includes over twenty years as a volunteer with Cheyenne Frontier Days, the World’s Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration.
Legislative Advisory Committee
* Fred Baldwin
Senator, Wyoming State Legislature
Fred Baldwin *
Senator, Wyoming State Legislature
Fred Baldwin, a physician assistant in Kemmerer, and is serving his second term in the Wyoming State Senate. He is the chairman of the select committee on behavioral health, the Senate’s labor, health and social services committee as well as on the revenue committee. Baldwin is active in his community as Chief of the South Lincoln fire district. He also works with Kemmerer’s suicide prevention group. He is a fourth-generation Wyomingite who graduated from the University of Utah School of Medicine in physician assistant studies and earlier was enrolled in the nursing program at Casper College and pursued studies at the University of Wyoming, the University of Wisconsin Washington County, and Western Oregon State University.
Landon Brown
Representative, Wyoming State Legislature
Landon Brown
Representative, Wyoming State Legislature
Wendy Schuler
Senator, Wyoming State Legislature
Wendy Schuler
Senator, Wyoming State Legislature
Art Washut
Representative, Wyoming State Legislature
Art Washut
Representative, Wyoming State Legislature