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

•  Chandler-Gilbert Community College
• Eastern Arizona College
•  Estrella Mountain Community College
•   Gateway Community College
•   Glendale Community College
•   Maricopa Community Colleges
• Mesa Community College
•   Paradise Valley Community College
•   Phoenix College
•   Rio Salado College
•   Scottsdale Community College
•   South Mountain Community College

Bettina Celias, Maricopa Community Colleges, is a member of the Alliance executive committee.

WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP FORUM – 4-YEAR INSTITUTIONS

•    University of Arizona
•  Northern Arizona University

John Georgas, Northern Arizona University, is a member of 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. Two cohort members from Arizona institutions have participated in the Academy since its inception in 2015.

NO HOLDING BACK The University of Arizona 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 2022-2023.

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.

Arizona participates in the STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT (SARA) through WICHE. This voluntary agreement provides reciprocity for the state authorization of distance education.

WICHE Behavioral Health Program (BHP) partners with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System to support fidelity reviews of four evidence-based practices in the Maricopa County Public Behavioral Health System.

BHP also collaborates with Mercy Care Arizona to provide training, education, and guidance concerning evidence-based practices (EBPs) and fidelity tools to ensure provider staff are offering high quality EBPs and are ensuringfidelity to identified EBPs protocols.

The BHP Together With Veterans Program, focused on reducing Veteran suicides, supports three communities in AZ: the Veterans Coalition of Central AZ in Yavapai County; the Cocopah Indian Tribe in Yuma County; and the Colorado River Indian Tribe in La Paz County. Between the three communities, the program has served nearly 750 veterans.

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.

CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICERS NETWORK Staff from the Arizona Board of Regents 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. WCET members include Arizona State University,  Coconino Community College,  Grand Canyon University,   Mesa Community College,   Northern Arizona University, Pima Community College, Prescott College, Rio Salado College, The University of Arizona, and the University of Phoenix.

Dale Johnson, Arizona State University, serves on the WCET Executive Council. Janelle Elias, Rio Salado Community College, serves on the WCET Steering Committee.

Additionally,  Grand Canyon University, Northern Arizona University, Prescott College, Rio Salado College, and the University of Phoenix are members 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.