Since 1953, 蜜桃视频 has promoted regional collaboration, resource-sharing, sound public policy, and innovation for the West.
As of December 6, 2023, the 蜜桃视频 region now includes all eligible states, territories, and freely associated states with the addition of American Samoa under the Pacific Islands membership. Learn more about this expansion of our partnership here.
Download the regional factsheet here.
2024-25 ACADEMIC YEAR
by students students through 蜜桃视频 Student Access Programs
through WUE
through WRGP
through PSEP
蜜桃视频’s Student Access Programs
蜜桃视频 operates three Student Access Programs that together saved students $671 million in 2024-25. Each program supports students at each level of postsecondary education: undergraduate, graduate, and professional healthcare studies.
- Students gain from increased choice and savings.
- Schools gain by optimizing enrollments.
- States and Pacific Island members gain by growing the skills of those they serve and strengthening their workforce.
Improving Lives in the West
蜜桃视频 works collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all residents of the West. By promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy, 蜜桃视频 strengthens higher education鈥檚 contributions to the region鈥檚 social, economic, and civic life. Learn more about our mission.
蜜桃视频 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 鈥 The Alliance is a consortium of leaders at community colleges, technical schools, and systems and state governing and coordinating boards associated with two-year institutions.
WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP FORUM 鈥 The Forum is a consortium of academic officers at four-year institutions, including those awarding bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚, and doctoral degrees, as well as chief executives and chief academic officers for systems and state governing boards.
WESTERN ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY is a yearlong professional development program for academic leaders aspiring to become chief academic officers in the 蜜桃视频 region鈥檚 postsecondary sector.
NO HOLDING BACK In 2022-23, 12 蜜桃视频 institutions analyzed data, policies, and practices to make improvements to how it used holds on registration or transcripts and contributed to the development of tools for other institutions to undertake this work.
Thanks to collaboration with the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC), one of four U.S. regional higher education compacts, 蜜桃视频-region educational institutions, nonprofits, and public education entities can benefit from programs like: MHECtech, which provides competitively bid purchasing contracts for an array of hardware, software, and technology services; and MHECare, which provides a student health insurance plan and teletherapy services.
STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT (SARA) is a voluntary agreement that provides reciprocity for the state authorization of distance education. 蜜桃视频 Commissioners have been strong advocates for protecting the state voice in important governance decisions affecting this agreement and staff continue to support participating states and improving student protections while bolstering access.
蜜桃视频 Behavioral Health Program鈥檚 (BHP) fastest-growing initiative is the PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP CONSORTIA, which helps build the behavioral health workforce pipeline, particularly in rural or remote areas. 蜜桃视频 contributes an administrative framework, American Psychological Association accreditation, and other support for consortia across the 蜜桃视频 region.
RURAL COMMUNITIES OPIOID RESPONSE PROGRAM (RCORP) is a multiyear initiative supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to identify treatment barriers and best practices for preventing and treating substance use disorder. BHP provides technical assistance to 57 grantees across the U.S., supporting 24 grantees in the 蜜桃视频 region.
TOGETHER WITH VETERANS (TWV) enlists rural Veterans and local partners to reduce Veteran suicide in their own community. Funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and administered by the 蜜桃视频 BHP, TWV provides individualized coaching, tools, training, technical assistance, and resources, supporting 38 rural communities with 16 communities in the 蜜桃视频 region, representing 11 Western states.
MOUNTAIN PLAINS RURAL OPIOID TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (MP ROTAC) develops and shares resources, training, and technical assistance focused on opioid and stimulant misuse in rural areas in Region 8. This is funded through a multiyear grant
from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
WESTERN STATES DECISION SUPPORT GROUP (WSDSG) Since 1985, the 蜜桃视频 BHP has hosted the WSDSG, which serves as an information-sharing network and collaboration group for state behavioral health data and evaluation staff from 蜜桃视频 states and territories. WSDSG members discuss emerging issues in behavioral health data collection, reporting, and system evaluation. The BHP also organizes an annual meeting with training and presentations for WSDSG members to stay apprised of developments and best practices in the field of behavioral health data and evaluation. WSDSG is available to 蜜桃视频 region members and is funded by annual membership fees.
Under contract with the AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ADDICTION PSYCHIATRY, 蜜桃视频 BHP provides training and technical assistance to reduce the impacts of opioid and stimulant misuse and other use disorders. This contract services Region 8 states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
is the leading U.S. resource for projections of high school graduates. Released in December 2024, the newest edition is essential for postsecondary policymakers, planning and workforce efforts, and economic development.
DATA EXPERTS 蜜桃视频 staff provide analysis on finance, financial aid, articulation and transfer, strategic planning, student demographics, and more, as well as host peer-to-peer calls of state, system, and institutional chief academic officers to identify areas of potential collaboration and resource sharing across the West.
DATA RESOURCES 蜜桃视频 offers curated data and policy resources to support better-informed decision-making. 奥滨颁贬贰鈥檚 research projects and collaborations cover postsecondary completion, health workforce development, behavioral health in postsecondary education, open educational resources (OER), state finance, prior learning assessment, and more:
- 鈥Tuition and Fees in the West聽includes tuition, fees, and enrollment data about 350+ public institutions in the West.
- Benchmarks: 蜜桃视频 Region聽presents information on the West鈥檚 progress in improving access to, success in, and financing of higher education.
- 鈥娾奃ata on over 35 indicators in 奥滨颁贬贰鈥檚聽Regional Fact Book for Higher Education in the West.
Created by the 蜜桃视频 Commission in 1995, the LEGISLATIVE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (LAC) works to strengthen state-level postsecondary policymaking across the West. Members are legislators appointed by each state, territory, or freely associated state in the 蜜桃视频 region; they meet annually to explore emerging policy issues and develop strategies for interstate collaboration.
CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICERS NETWORK 蜜桃视频 has convened staff from across the region in a collaborative network to identify challenges and promising practices to help address workforce shortages in the health sector. Through this effort, 蜜桃视频 members are able to share innovative approaches and collaborate to solve the complex challenges in this sector.
蜜桃视频 is identifying approaches for states to positively engage in high-quality SHORT-TERM CREDENTIALS through research and case-studies, with further work coming soon.
is the leader in the practice, policy, and advocacy of digital learning in higher education. Its growing membership includes institutions, higher education agencies and systems, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and corporations in all U.S. states and several Canadian provinces.
(SAN) helps guide institutions through state regulations around online courses and programs.
蜜桃视频 has convened the OERWest Network, which is part of a nationwide collaborative to scale the development and adoption of free course materials.聽Open educational resources聽(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.
蜜桃视频 Commissioners
The 蜜桃视频 Commission oversees the development of 蜜桃视频 programs and assures that the聽Western Regional Educational Compact聽is carried out for the benefit of the residents of the West. 奥滨颁贬贰鈥檚 48 commissioners are appointed by the governors of the 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States.