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

•     Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission

Donna Lewelling, Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission, serves on the Alliance executive committee.

WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP FORUM – 4-YEAR INSTITUTIONS

•     Eastern Oregon University
•   Oregon Institute of Technology
•   Oregon State University
•   Portland State University
•   Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission
•   Western Oregon University

Veronica Dujon, Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission, 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. Seven cohort members from Oregon institutions have participated in the Academy since its inception in 2015.

NO HOLDING BACK Eastern Oregon University and Portland State University are two 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.

Oregon 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) continues to assist the Oregon State Hospital Psychology Internship Training Program by providing support for the internship website.

The BHP Together With Veterans Program, focused on reducing Veteran suicides, supports two communities in Oregon, Clatsop County and Deschutes County, and both have served nearly 1,500 rural veterans.

WICHE BHP also administers the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), a multiyear initiative supported by the Health Resources & Services Administration to identify treatment barriers and best practices for preventing and treating substance use disorder, including opioid use and psychostimulant use disorders. In Oregon, RCORP supports six grantees: Oregon Washington Health Network; Adapt Integrated Health Care; Northeast Oregon Network (NEON); Mid-Valley Healthcare; North Sound Behavioral Health; and Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital.

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 Higher Education Coordinating 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.  Central Oregon Community College, Chemeketa Community College, Eastern Oregon University, Lane Community College, Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Portland Community College, Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, and the  University of Oregon are WCET members.

Additionally,   Oregon State University and Portland Community College 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.