• Focus : Alaska

    Alaska 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 1955. Alaska 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 Alaska students and their families saved $12.1 million in tuition by participating in WICHE’s Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), one of three student access programs, plus another $221,000 through the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP). Alaska also saved money by participating in the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP), sending its students to programs in six fields: dentistry, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, and physician assistant.

     

    Doing the Math: Alaska's Return on Investment

    In 2008-09 Alaska, its institutions, and its students saved or brought in over $12.3 million through WICHE and spent $120,000 for membership in the commission, yielding a 102-fold return on investment.

     

    In the last 5 years, Alaska students’ savings from WUE alone have topped $55 million, with cumulative membership dues of just $561,000, yielding a 97-fold return.

     


    How does Alaska benefit as a WICHE state?

    WICHE’s programs save Alaska 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.

     

    > Alaska’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.

     

    > Alaska 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.

     

    > Alaska 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?

    Over 1,700 students from Alaska 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. Over 15,000 Alaska students have enrolled in out-of-state undergraduate programs through WUE in the last decade.

     

    In 2008-09 1,680 Alaska students are enrolled through WUE in out-of-state programs, saving $12.1 million by paying the WUE rate of 150 percent of resident tuition in the enrolling institution.

     

    > Alaska students saved an average of $7,190 each this year.

     

    > Alaska 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 Alaska after graduating. This year Alaska received some 500 out-of-state students through WUE.

     

    Professional Student Exchange Program. Alaska has sent students to professional programs through PSEP since 1958. It currently supports 22 students in dentistry, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, and physician assistant. Historically, some 50 percent of PSEP students return to Alaska to pursue their professional careers.

     

    Western Regional Graduate Program. Alaska’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. Alaska sent 22 students to out-of-state institutions in 2008-09, while receiving 13.

     

    Internet Course Exchange (ICE). Alaska participates in WICHE’s newest exchange, ICE. The University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Alaska Fairbanks are founding members of this alliance, whose 30 institutions and systems work towards sharing distance-delivered courses among two- and four-year institutions in the region. Other Alaska institutions also may join.

    WICHE's Added Value

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

     

    Alaska participates in WICHE’s College Access Challenge Grant (CACG) Consortium: CACG is a federally funded formula grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students who enroll and succeed in college. The network provides a forum for developing, implementing, and maintaining state CACG efforts, with states sharing best practices and lessons learned and receiving current evidence-based research. WICHE-related services to the consortium states include grant development and management, program implementation and evaluation, and ongoing expert consultation and guidance.
     
    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.
     
    Alaska 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 Alaska 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.

     

    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.

     

    Alaska participates in other WICHE programs as well. The University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Southeast, and University of Alaska System are members of WCET, 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. Two recent programs that Alaska has benefited from are the Alaska Intermediate Care Initiative and the Systems of Care for Children.
     
    Additionally, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, University of Alaska Anchorage, and the University of Alaska Statewide System belong to the Western Academic Leadership Forum (WALF) – formerly know as the Northwest Academic Forum (NWAF) – whose members address regional higher education issues and engage in cooperative resource sharing. The forum held its 2009 annual meeting at the University of Alaska - Anchorage.