University of Â鶹´«Ã½ President Wendy Hensel has been selected to represent Â鶹´«Ã½ as a commissioner to the (WICHE). WICHE is a regional interstate compact serving the higher education and workforce needs of 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States.

“I am honored to represent Â鶹´«Ã½ on the WICHE Commission and contribute to the vital work of connecting education with workforce needs across the West and the Pacific,” said Hensel. “I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners to ensure our higher education systems collaborate where possible and effectively serve our students and communities.”

WICHE’s 48 commissioners are appointed by the state’s governors or, in the case of the freely associated states, the leader of those three sovereign nations. The commission guides WICHE’s direction and assures that the Western Regional Educational Compact is carried out since its establishment in 1953.

Hensel will represent Â鶹´«Ã½ on the WICHE Commission alongside UH President Emeritus David Lassner and Terrence George, CEO and president of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Community Foundation.

“Dr. Hensel brings a forward-thinking vision to aligning academic programs and modern technology with evolving workforce needs,” said WICHE President Demarée Michelau. “Her deep experience leading complex higher education systems will add to our work in building effective pathways between education and employment across the West, and I look forward to having her strategic and collaborative approach as the newest member of the WICHE Commission.”

UH is Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s sole provider of public higher education and includes 10 campuses and dozens of educational, training and research centers across the state. Hensel began serving as UH president on January 1.

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ hosted WICHE’s biannual meeting on November 14–15 at the East-West Center, convening leaders from 16 states and Pacific jurisdictions to tackle higher education and workforce challenges. Â鶹´«Ã½ students saved $27.7 million in the 2023–24 academic year through ’s (WICHE) tuition savings programs, which also brought more than 4,000 out-of-state students to study in Â鶹´«Ã½.

As a WICHE member, Â鶹´«Ã½ students can receive discounted tuition at many institutions and programs throughout the West. And through WICHE, UH offers discounted tuition for some out-of-state students, diversifying its student body while boosting Â鶹´«Ã½‘s economy. UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ welcomed the most out-of-state students through the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program (3,350), followed by UH Hilo (363) and UH West Oʻahu (11).

Meeting highlights

The commission meeting previewed WICHE’s 11th edition of its Knocking at the College Door analysis, set to be released December 11 (). The report and online dashboards include national-, regional- and state-level data and analyses about high school graduate projection numbers, offering critical insights for policymakers, educational leaders, and other decision-makers to address enrollment shifts and workforce needs.

Discussions focused on the growing enrollment pressures and funding challenges faced by higher education institutions, alongside strategic priorities such as expanding tuition savings programs, fostering cost-saving partnerships on technology contracts and mental health services, advancing digital learning, distance education impacts, supporting Indigenous student success, and mental health workforce needs.

Part of the commission meeting focused on the WICHE Behavioral Health Program’s workforce initiative supporting pre-doctoral psychology students. Since 2013, WICHE has been instrumental in establishing the , which earned a 10-year American Psychological Association accreditation and has graduated 90 psychologists, with over 50% retained one year post-graduation.

President Lassner commended for leadership

UH President David Lassner, a Â鶹´«Ã½ WICHE commissioner since 2015 and the WICHE Commission chair in 2022, was commended for his leadership in advancing equity-focused initiatives. Lassner, who will retire on December 31, reflected on his 40-year career at UH and his role in fostering collaboration across the region.

“The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ is proud to partner with WICHE to enhance educational opportunities for students from Â鶹´«Ã½ and the West,” Lassner said. “WICHE is also a valuable community for the exchange of ideas and sharing of solutions to the challenges facing higher education in our region including the Pacific.”

WICHE President Demarée Michelau praised UH’s dedication to expanding student access to higher education and credited Lassner’s leadership with advancing the commission’s mission.

“As a champion of affordable education and innovation, President Lassner has left a legacy that will inspire future generations,” Michelau said.

The meeting reaffirmed UH’s regional leadership in educational access and collaboration while highlighting the importance of data-driven strategies like the Knocking at the College Door report to shape a resilient future for higher education.

John Morton, vice president emeritus of the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Community Colleges, has been appointed by Gov. David Ige to the (WICHE), a compact of Western states and territories that work to expand educational access and excellence in the West.

WICHE’s 48 commissioners are appointed by the governors of the 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States. The commissioners are leaders in higher education and include state higher education executive officers, college and university presidents, legislators, business and community leaders and other key partners.

Morton will occupy the commission seat previously held by Carol Mon Lee, executive vice president and chief operating officer for nonprofit, .

“I’m excited to join the commission and look forward to working together to promote high-quality higher education, equitable student outcomes, vibrant economies, and strong leadership in Â鶹´«Ã½ and throughout the West,” said Morton.

A UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ alumnus, Morton retired after nearly 50 years with the UH Community Colleges, including 21 years as CEO of Kapiʻolani CC and 14 years as vice president for community colleges. As vice president, he oversaw the seven-community-college system; led the development of the that offers support to meet all unmet financial need for eligible students; oversaw the development of a unified UH student information system; and managed student success initiatives, especially for Native Hawaiian students.

“We’re very grateful for the many contributions and years of service that Carol Mon Lee has provided while on the WICHE Commission, and feel very fortunate to have the wealth of knowledge and experience Commissioner Morton brings,” said WICHE President Demareé Michelau. “I know he’ll be a valuable addition to our board.”

The , , and in partnership with (WICHE) student access programs, have helped Â鶹´«Ã½ residents save $24.9 million in 2018–19 in interstate tuition, while benefiting from enrollment of students from other states.

Â鶹´«Ã½ sees a net gain of Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) students, with 2,683 students from other states coming to study at UH institutions and 2,467 Â鶹´«Ã½ residents choosing to participate in WUE programs in other states.

“The WUE program is one of the key tools we utilize to draw students from other states, which generates revenue while also diversifying our campuses and our local student experience,” said , UH president and a Â鶹´«Ã½ WICHE commissioner. “Our outgoing WUE students also benefit with the opportunity to leave home and enjoy a different educational opportunity than they might be otherwise able to afford.”

Overall, the program saw 40,487 students save $380.5 million this year on non-resident tuition at public associate’s or bachelor’s degree programs in the western U.S. Through WUE, students enroll in one of 162 participating colleges or universities outside their home state and pay no more than 150 percent of that institution’s resident rate.

Since non-resident tuition can cost 300 percent (or more) of resident rates, the WUE discount saves students more than $9,300 a year on average. Â鶹´«Ã½ residents have saved $271.3 million since 1988 through the WUE program.

These interstate tuition-savings programs serve Western states, students and institutions.

The Western population has quadrupled since WICHE’s founding, but many states still lack programs in key fields. Meanwhile, student debt, mobility and tuition costs keep increasing. Such factors have led to 20 percent growth in enrollment in student access programs such as WUE.

Read the full report.

A total of 2,600 out-of-state students attended four campuses via a tuition-discount exchange program that grew significantly in 2017–18. The bulk of them, 1,500, enrolled at from California. UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ also had 238 students from Washington State and 170 from Colorado, while had 172 students from California.

A report from the (WICHE) also said that 2,491 Â鶹´«Ã½ residents saved $23.4 million through the program across 15 Western states and one U.S. territory.

These programs also help our colleges and universities draw students from other states, which diversifies the educational experience for our local students while providing additional revenue for our campuses and communities.
—David Lassner

“WICHE’s discount-tuition programs broaden the affordable higher education options for our residents who want to study out of state,” said UH President and WICHE commissioner . The report says 357 Â鶹´«Ã½ residents chose the University of Nevada Las Vegas while 314 chose Northern Arizona University.

“These programs also help our colleges and universities draw students from other states, which diversifies the educational experience for our local students while providing additional revenue for our campuses and communities,” Lassner said.

WICHE, the country’s largest interstate higher education tuition-discount program said 423,240 students saved more than $403 million this school year—up 7 percent from the previous year—on three programs it manages.

WICHE said its most popular program, the (WUE), saw 40,094 students save $365.4 million this year on public associate’s or bachelor’s degree programs in the U.S. West. Through the WUE program, students enroll in one of 160 participant colleges or universities outside their home state and pay no more than 150 percent of that institution’s resident-tuition rate. Since nonresident tuition can cost 300 percent (or more) of resident rates, the WUE discount saves students $9,000 a year on average.

Editor’s note: Story updated Oct. 13, 2016 to include photo.

University of Â鶹´«Ã½ System will be recognized by the (WICHE) (WCET) for its advanced application of data and digital advising tools to help improve student retention in the state.

The WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) awards program is designed to recognize colleges, universities and organizations that are implementing exceptionally creative, technology-based solutions to address challenges in higher education. The UH System will be recognized as one of the three winners of the 2016 WOW awards during the annual WCET October meeting in Minneapolis.

“We are honored to be recognized by WCET, and believe this is a testament to our campuses and technology partners who have helped us make a significant impact on the academic outcomes and lives of UH students,” said Director of Academic Technologies Hae Okimoto.

Over the past four years, UH has transformed its institutional decision-making process by using data to surface timely insights to improve policies and direct student services. The system’s sophisticated use of data has informed system-wide initiatives that have already demonstrated a significant effect on student success.

Institutional partnerships

As a founding institutional partner of the , a division of , the system has leveraged its PAR membership to benchmark existing efforts, identify factors that have the biggest impact on student retention, and surface new effective practices to drive student success.

In 2011, UH launched a campaign as part of the to improve four-year graduation rates across UH campuses. Students were encouraged to take 15 credits per semester to graduate on time. Today, the percentage of first-time freshmen at the system’s four-year campuses taking 15 credits or more has increased from 36.1 to 59.2 percent, and the 15 to Finish campaign has been adopted by 20 other states.

“We are thrilled that an innovative organization like WCET is recognizing one of the PAR founding members for significant accomplishments in improving student success. The team at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ has repeatedly demonstrated its leadership through the practical application of analytics and effective use of technology to help students achieve their goals,” said Beth Davis, general manager of PAR Framework at Hobsons. “We’re learning alongside the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ System, as they have pushed our own thinking in the ways that thoughtful data analysis and proactive advising can make a real difference for students.”

Most recently, is piloting a program that integrates disparate data sources into Hobsons’ Starfish Early Alert in order to better retain under-represented students in STEM fields.