• Focus : New Mexico

    New Mexico joined the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), a 15-state commission working to boost access to and success in higher education for students in the West, in 1951. New Mexico and WICHE have shared a remarkably productive history. But more importantly the state and its citizens reap essential economic and educational benefits today, saving millions of dollars annually while ensuring the state’s “human capital” is educated and ready to participate in a highly competitive global economy.


    In 2008-09 New Mexico students and their families saved $4.2 million in tuition by participating in WICHE’s Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), one of three student access programs, plus another $241,000 through the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP). New Mexico also saved money by participating in the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP), sending students to programs in dentistry, optometry, and veterinary medicine.

     

    Doing the Math: New Mexico's Return on Investment

    In 2008-09 New Mexico, its institutions, and its students saved or brought in some $4.4 million through WICHE and spent $120,000 for membership in the commission, yielding a 36-fold return on investment.
     
    In the last 5 years, New Mexico students’ savings from WUE alone have topped $20 million, with membership dues of just $561,000, yielding a 35-fold return.

     


    How does New Mexico benefit as a WICHE state?

    WICHE’s programs save New Mexico money and enhance the use of its educational resources in several critical ways.

     

    > When funding is reduced, access to higher ed can be preserved because students have affordable out-of-state options via WICHE.

     

    > New Mexico’s public colleges and universities are able to increase enrollment in programs with extra capacity – and bring in much needed educational dollars – by enrolling students from other WICHE states.

     

    > New Mexico saves money by not having to establish and maintain costly programs in a number of essential or leading-edge areas because its students have access to out-of-state programs.

     

    > New Mexico vastly increases the resources it has for training its workforce: the majority of its professional students who train through WICHE’s PSEP return to the state to work and live.

    What student programs does WICHE offer?

    Some 800 students from New Mexico are attending undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in other Western states through WICHE’s three student exchange programs this year (Figure 1 breaks down tuition savings). State membership in WICHE is required for students to participate in these programs.
     
    Western Undergraduate Exchange. Nearly 6,700 New Mexico students have enrolled in out-of-state undergraduate programs through WUE in the last decade.
     
    > In 2008-09 668 New Mexico WUE students are enrolled through WUE in out-of-state programs, saving nearly $4.2 million by paying the WUE rate of 150       percent of resident tuition in the enrolling institution.
     
    > Some of the top majors of New Mexico’s students are: biology, business, kinesiology, mechanical engineering, and psychology.
     
    > New Mexico students saved an average of $6,249 each this year.
     
    New Mexico also benefits from WUE by receiving students from out of state. Its institutions choose how many out-of-state slots to offer and in which areas, allowing them to make the best use of their resources by accepting students in underenrolled programs. There’s a workforce benefit for the state, too, as students often stay in New Mexico after graduating. This year New Mexico received some 460 out-of-state students through WUE.
     
    Professional Student Exchange Program. New Mexico has sent students to professional programs through PSEP since 1953. It currently supports 88 students in dentistry, optometry, and veterinary medicine. Historically, 73 percent of outbound PSEP students have returned to New Mexico to pursue their professional careers.
     
    Western Regional Graduate Program. New Mexico’s postgraduates participate in graduate programs through WRGP, which offers access to over 200 high-quality, distinctive programs (“distinctive” meaning that they’re offered at only four or fewer institutions in the WICHE region as well as to a range of healthcare programs) at 39 institutions in 14 WICHE states. New Mexico sent 24 students to out-of-state institutions in 2008-09, while receiving 36.
    Internet Course Exchange (ICE). WICHE’s newest exchange, WICHE ICE, is an alliance of member institutions and systems that share policies, procedures, and support systems for sharing distance-delivered courses among two- and four-year institutions in the 15-state WICHE region. New Mexico institutions may participate.

    WICHE's Added Value

    New Mexico gains added value from WICHE's programs in policy, workforce development, technology, mental health, and other areas.

     

    New Mexico has been an active participant in projects to support better-informed decision making at the state level. WICHE initiatives have been sponsored by the Ford Foundation, Lumina Foundation for Education, the U.S. Department of Education, and others. In addition, teams of policymakers and educational leaders from New Mexico participate each year in regional policy forums and meetings hosted by WICHE.
     
    One such recent meeting was the Western Summit on Workforce Certification and Higher Education for policymakers in the West, held in response to the national demand for more highly skilled workers in a host of fields, from healthcare to high tech. Participants explored how states might use a workforce certification system – which would allow business and higher education to communicate with a common language about workforce demand and supply – to improve their ability to prepare individuals for productive careers and enhance the health of their economies.
     
    WICHE’s Lumina-funded project “Getting What You Pay For: Understanding Higher Education Appropriations, Tuition, and Financial Aid” focuses on promoting informed decision making and the alignment of higher education appropriations, tuition, and financial aid policy by state legislators. The project also works to inform news media, especially state house and higher education reporters, and others about these issues in an effort to increase student access and success.

     

    Our goal with both meetings and projects is to assist educational leaders and policymakers by advocating for good public policy in the West. A third way we accomplish this is via our publication series, including Policy Insights and Workforce Briefs, which explore a wide range of significant policy issues. We also publish in-depth works such as Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates by State and Race/Ethnicity and the Regional Fact Book for Higher Education in the West, which includes data and analyses on fiscal, demographic, economic, and social indicators, as well as a state report providing Alaska data on access, affordability, finance, faculty, technology, and workforce issues. These resources can be downloaded at no cost from the WlCHE website.

     

    New Mexico participates in other WICHE programs as well. Three New Mexico organizations and institutions are members of WCET (formerly the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications), an international leader in helping states and institutions use new technologies to improve education. WICHE’s Mental Health Program – a nucleus for researching mental health policy and a provider of technical assistance in such areas as service innovation, system reform, workforce development, program evaluation, and other areas – is another well-used resource.
     
    The New Mexico Higher Education Department is a member of Western Academic Leadership Forum (WALF) – formerly known as the Northwest Academic Forum – whose members address regional higher education issues and engage in cooperative resource sharing. Another initiative, the Master Property Program, helps institutions in the West reduce their insurance premiums and improve their coverage.
     
    WICHE’s Legislative Advisory Committee works to strengthen state policymaking in higher education, engaging legislators in the discussion of higher ed issues and seeking their input on strategies for interstate collaboration.