WICHE & OREGON Partnering for Over Six Decades ACCESS • COLLABORATION • INNOVATION The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) is a 16-member commission working to boost access to higher education for students in the West and, as importantly, to ensure their success. Oregon has been a member of WICHE since 1953. Western Undergraduate Exchange. Oregon students have Benefits to Oregon enrolled in undergraduate programs beyond Oregon’s borders through the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) since ffTens of thousands of students from Oregon have 1989. In 2017-18, 1,599 students from Oregon were enrolled attended undergraduate, graduate, and professional in out-of-state programs at reduced rates (150 percent of programs in other Western states through WICHE’s resident tuition), saving $15.8 million in tuition and fees – the Student Exchange Program, saving millions of dollars, average student savings amounted to $9,900. In the last 10 thanks to reduced tuition rates. In just one of the years, students have saved $126.4 million. programs, the Western Undergraduate Exchange, Oregon students and their families have saved $210.8 million Oregon benefits from WUE in another way: by receiving since 1989, when the state joined the program. students from out of state. Oregon’s institutions can choose ffOregon has received funding to be part of numerous how many out-of-state slots to offer and in which areas, WICHE policy initiatives, including those focused on allowing them to make the best use of their resources by financing and financial aid, workforce policy, and other accepting students in underenrolled programs. There’s a areas. workforce benefit for the state, too, as students often stay in ffOregon has participated in WICHE initiatives related Oregon after graduating. In 2017-18 Oregon received 3,389 to distance education, workforce development, and students through WUE. behavioral health. Professional Student Exchange Program. Oregon sent 1,258 Doing the Math: students to professional programs through the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) in past years. Currently, Oregon’s Return on Investment Oregon is a PSEP receiving state, with 83 students enrolled ffIn 2017-18 Oregon, its institutions, and its students in professional programs, bringing in over $1.86 million in saved or brought in some $19.3 million through WICHE revenue. and spent $149,000 for membership in the commission, Western Regional Graduate Program. Oregon’s postgraduates yielding a 117-fold return on investment. also enroll in graduate programs through the Western Regional ffIn the last five years, Oregon students’ savings from WUE Graduate Program (WRGP), which offers access to 435 high- alone have added up to $65.6 million, yielding a 93-fold quality programs at 60 institutions in all WICHE states. WRGP return on the state’s investment in WICHE. programs run the gamut, but emerging social, environmental, resource-management, and healthcare fields are particular WICHE’s Student Exchange & Related strengths, as are innovative interdisciplinary programs. In 2017- Programs 18 Oregon sent 98 students to out-of-state institutions, while receiving 95. Oregon is active in two of the three WICHEStudent Exchange Programs: the Western Undergraduate Exchange, the Interstate Passport is a program that facilitates block transfer Professional Student Exchange Program, and the Western of lower-division general education based on learning Regional Graduate Program. In 2017-18 Oregon’s students and outcomes and proficiency criteria. It includes learning families saved $17.4 million in tuition. Oregon saved money, outcomes for nine knowledge and skill areas developed by too, through not having to establish and maintain costly faculty at institutions in multiple states as well as an academic programs in a number of areas, including some in healthcare. progress tracking system for Passport transfer students ALASKA • ARIZONA • CALIFORNIA • COLORADO • HAWAI‘I • IDAHO • MONTANA • NEVADA • NEW MEXICO • NORTH DAKOTA OREGON • SOUTH DAKOTA • U.S. PACIFIC TERRITORIES AND FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES • UTAH • WASHINGTON • WYOMING designed by registrars and institutional researchers. The goal "Everyone can relate to the fact that college is of the Interstate Passport is to eliminate transfer students’ extremely expensive, especially if you're paying unnecessary repetition of learning previously achieved out-of-state tuition. I have always wanted to attend a college out of my hometown and WUE WICHE’s Added Value has made paying for college easier. Thanks for Oregon gains added value from WICHE’s programs in policy, this amazing opportunity to study at CSU East workforce development, technology, mental health, and other Bay. WUE is awesome!" areas. WICHE’s 9th edition of Knocking at the College Door high – Vivian, Oregon resident, school graduate projections, released in December 2016 (and California State University, East Bay, Sociology updated in September 2017 with additional data), describes how the nation and many states have entered a decade of Corporation of New York, Helmsley Charitable Trusts, the Ford stabilization in the number of high school graduates through Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and others. In about 2025—with substantial contraction in the number of addition, WICHE policy experts often visit the state to present White high school graduates and rapid increases of non-White or consult on a number of vital issues, including the state’s populations—before entering a period of fewer high school workforce needs and balancing the financial aid portfolio graduates related to a recent “baby bust.” The WICHE region between grants, loans, and scholarships, as well as between will generally track the national trend, but less so based on merit- and need-based aid. In August 2017, WICHE President, trends with White youth and more due to a projected 20 Joe Garcia, presented to the Oregon Higher Education percent increase of Hispanic high school graduates through Coordinating Commission about Oregon higher education in 2024 and then decrease by about the same amount between the Western context and offered strategies for success moving 2025 and 2032. forward. Oregon is one of four states participating in the Gates-funded There is an abundance of information on knocking.wiche.edu, Facilitating Development of a Multistate Longitudinal Data including projections of high school graduates for Alaska and a Exchange pilot project, which attempts to enable a more state profile, which indicates that: comprehensive regional view of the creation of human capital ffOregon is projected to produce 36,500 high school and its flow among multiple states by exchanging data across graduates per year, on average, between school years K-12 education, postsecondary education, and the workforce. 2012 and 2032. The number of high school graduates in The success of the pilot phase led Gates to fund program Oregon will increase by only about 3% by 2026 and then expansion, which will allow other states to participate. decline about 7% by 2032. Regional Academic Leadership Initiatives. The Oregon ffNon-White public high school graduates will increase Higher Education Coordinating Commission, Eastern Oregon only slightly, from 27% to 30% of the public school total University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State between 2012 and 2032, primarily because Hispanic and University, Pacific University, and Portland State University are Asian graduates are not projected to increase in number as members of the Western Academic Leadership Forum (the robustly in Oregon as in other West states and the number Forum). Their official representatives are the chief academic of White high school graduates will remain about the same leaders of the four-year institutions and their related system throughout. and state agencies, who address regional higher education issues, and engage in resource-sharing. The Western Alliance Policy & Workforce Development. Oregon has participated in for Community College Academic Leaders (the Alliance) brings projects supporting better-informed decision-making at the academic leaders of community colleges and technical schools state level. WICHE initiatives have been sponsored by the Bill and systems together with state governing and coordinating & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Carnegie boards associated with two-year institutions to exchange ideas and information, share resources and expertise, and Figure 1. Oregon Savings and Revenues collaborate on regional initiatives. Chemeketa Community through WICHE Programs in 2017 College, Portland Community College, and Umpqua Community College are members. Student Savings Technology. Several Oregon colleges and universities are WUE $15,861,752 active participants in the WICHE Cooperative for Educational WRGP $1,538,992 Technologies (WCET), the leader in the practice, policy, and advocacy of technology-enhanced learning in higher education. Total Student Savings $17,400,744 WCET is widely recognized as one of the most informative, Revenue to OR reliable, and forward-thinking organizations regarding the Institutions (PSEP) $1,862,575 role of technology and innovation in higher education. Our TOTAL $19,263,319 growing membership includes more than 350 institutions, state and systemwide higher education agencies, nonprofit 2 “Before I was awarded the Western Undergraduate Exchange scholarship, I was limited to in-state study because of tuition prices, and none of the schools were the best fit