Podcasts about western interstate commission

The graduating class of 2025 is the largest the country has ever seen — around 3.9 million students. That's according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. And it'll likely be the largest group for a while. That's because starting next school year, the number of high school seniors is expected to drop sharply. That's partly due to low birth rates connected to the 2008 recession. We discuss how colleges and universities are grappling with declining enrollment. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Higher Education Enrollment Decline 2024-2040: You Can't Recruit Your Way Out of a Declining Market The enrollment cliff is no longer a distant threat—it's here, and institutions must act decisively to adapt. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton hosts Bill Conley and Bob Massa of Enrollment Intelligence Now to explore the demographic shifts, financial realities, and strategic imperatives reshaping higher education. With over 80 years of combined experience from institutions including Johns Hopkins, Bucknell, Dickinson College, and Columbia University, these enrollment experts provide insights into the demographic and enrollment decline. The latest Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE) report projects significant declines in high school graduates, signaling major challenges for higher education institutions. After peaking at 3.9 million graduates in 2025, numbers will decline to 3.6 million by 2030 and below 3.4 million by 2040—a 13% drop over 15 years. Five states (California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania) will account for over 75% of this nationwide decline. Key Demographic Shifts (2025-2040) White student population: 26% decrease (1.6M to 1.2M) Hispanic student population: 16% increase (940K to 1.1M) Black student population: 22% decrease Asian student population: 10% decrease Growing gender gap: 2025 projection shows 52% female vs. 42% male degree holders Market Segmentation Impact Elite/Selective Institutions (Minimal impact) Institutions with

About our guest … Vance Farrow is an industry specialist employed by the Governor's Office of Economic Development. He is in charge of growth, hiring, and retention in the development sector. Prior to assuming his current position with G.O.E.D., Mr. Farrow served as the head of the Bureau of Cancer and Chronic Illness for the Columbia Development of Health district. Mr. Farrow was named executive commissioner of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education when he was giving a speech about Nevada's Broadband Medical Education. Vance Farrow is a driven man who yet possesses compassion as a leader for public health professionals. Every demanding opportunity will find Vance Farrow ready.

The transition to remote instruction during the COVID19 pandemic resulted in dramatic learning losses. In this episode, Peace Bransberger joins us to discuss a report that analyzes the extent and persistence of these learning losses. She is the Interim Director, Programs and Evidence, Policy Analysis and Research, and Programs and Services at WICHE, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Episode 119: Nurse Practitioner WeekAmy Arreaza is a family nurse practitioner who explains what this career is all about. She tells the history and the future of this profession.  By Amy Arreaza, FNP. Comments by Hector Arreaza, MD.Hector: When I moved to Utah from my home country, I went to a clinic to investigate why I was so fatigued. I wasn't a practicing physician at that time. I got seen by a family physician who was very brief and somewhat cold. During my follow-up appointment, I was attended to by a very pleasant lady doctor. She made good eye contact, smiled, and explained the results in a simple and easy way. In summary, my second visit was very enjoyable. Later, I learned that this lady was a nurse practitioner. I had no idea what it meant, but after many positive interactions, I became a fan of nurse practitioners in general. Today, I want you to learn more about this profession, and I invited my favorite nurse practitioner in the whole world, my wife Amy. Welcome, Amy Arreaza.Tell us who you are.Amy: First of all, thank you for inviting me to your podcast to talk about this wonderful profession. And second, I must reciprocate in kind, you are my favorite family physician. So, as you said, I am a nurse practitioner, but more specifically, I am a family nurse practitioner, or FNP for short. I've been an FNP for 14 years and currently work in central CA in a federally qualified health center as a primary care provider for the medically vulnerable.  Caring for this patient population is where my passion truly lies. What is a Nurse Practitioner?A nurse practitioner is an advanced practice registered nurse. This means they are RNs who have completed either a master's degree or a doctorate degree in nursing practice. With their extra education and training, they have similar job duties as a physician, and there is actually a lot of overlap in the roles of nurse practitioners and physicians. NPs' serve as primary care providers or as specialty care providers. They examine and assess patients' needs, order and interpret labs and imaging tests, diagnose disease, and provide treatment, which includes prescribing medication. In the United States, the scope of practice of a nurse practitioner is regulated by state law. As of this year, NPs have full practice authority in 26 states, the District of Columbia, and 2 US territories. This means that NPs can work independently in those states without the supervision of a physician. In the remaining states, NPs need to have a collaborative agreement with a physician or work under the supervision of a physician. How was this career created?Well, in the 1960s, Loretta Ford, a public health nurse in Colorado, recognized a deficit in health care in rural communities. She believed nurses could fill the healthcare gaps in rural America, and through the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education in Nursing, she was given an opportunity to help develop a specialized clinical curriculum for community health nurses.  In 1965, Loretta Ford joined forces with Dr. Henry Silver, a pediatrician, to create the first pediatric nurse practitioner program at the University of Colorado.  So, 57 years ago, the NP profession was created to help alleviate the physician shortage at that time. And today, with a continued shortage of physicians, the NP profession has become essential in meeting primary care needs across the United States. Hector: There are 24 states that still do not offer full practice authority to NPs. Those states are more likely to have “geographic health care disparities, higher chronic disease burden, primary care shortages, higher costs of care and lower standings on national health rankings.”Amy: That's right, research shows that states with full practice authority for NPs' rank highest in the nation for best access to care, while 9 of the bottom 10 states ranked as the least healthy states in the US have not yet granted NPs full practice authority.How do you become an NP?The first step in becoming an NP is to become a registered nurse with either an Associate's Degree or Bachelor's Degree in Nursing Science. You can then enroll in an associate's-to-master's degree NP program or a bachelor's to master's  degree NP program.  At the minimum, you must complete a Master of Science in Nursing (or MSN) Degree. However, you may choose to advance your education with a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (or DNP) degree.  After graduation, NPs take a national certification exam to get certification from the specialty board that oversees their practice area. For example, I graduated from the University of Utah family nurse practitioner program and then took the national Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. This makes me a board-certified FNP. How many kinds of NPs are there?There are multiple kinds of NPs. I am a family nurse practitioner, meaning I can treat patients from infancy through their golden years to the end of life. Many FNPs work in family practice clinics; however, FNPs have a broad scope of practice which makes them very versatile, and they can work in different specialty care clinics as well. For example, as an FNP, besides working in family practice, I have worked in wound care and in urgent care. FNPs work in cardiology, pulmonology, dermatology, orthopedics, and various other specialty clinics. NP programs are generally patient-population focused, so besides the family nurse practitioner program, there are Adult, Emergency Care, Gerontology, Pediatric, Neonatal, Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Midwife, Psychiatric, and Women's Health nurse practitioner programs. How can IMG MDs become NPs?I understand that it can be very difficult for an international medical graduate to be able to practice as an MD in the United States. If an IMG is interested in becoming an NP, I would recommend that they look for a university nursing program that offers an accelerated RN option for those who already hold a bachelor's degree in another field, then find out if the program will accept their international bachelor's degree. They will most likely need to validate their international degree before applying to the accelerated RN program. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, they could apply to a nurse practitioner program. Another option for IMGs is to look into physician assistant programs. Current statistics about NPs': In 2020, there are about 210,00-270,000 practicing NPs in the United States. The number of nurse practitioners is expected to grow in the following years by about 52% between 202 and 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Currently, Americans make more than 1 billion visits to NPs'every year. The growth of NPs' is expected to address the current physician shortage.  Thank you, Nurse Practitioners.____________________________Conclusion: Now we conclude episode number 119, “Nurse Practitioner Week.” Amy Arreaza, FNP, explained the basics about Nurse Practitioners and how they contribute to the health of our patients. This episode is a tribute to all the nurse practitioners who work shoulder to shoulder-as key members of the healthcare teams across the United States. We thank all of you and look forward to your continued support for healthier communities.This week we thank Hector Arreaza and Amy Arreaza. Audio edition by Adrianne Silva.Even without trying, you go to bed a little wiser every night. Thanks for listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast. We want to hear from you. Send us an email at RioBravoqWeek@clinicasierravista.org, or visit our website riobravofmrp.org/qweek. See you next week!_____________________References:Royalty-free music used for this episode: Simon Pettersson – good vibes_ Fashionista, downloaded on October 1, 2022, from https://www.videvo.net

Follow us on Insta   What we cover:   ✔️ Dating App Strategies and Making a Case for honesty. If you're going to beta test a version of you, pick the true one.  ✔️ September. Is. Hard. Transitioning back to real life, and the demands on moms. Here's what schools can do: stop needing so much from parents.  ✔️ Exploding real estate inventory in these 20 cities. ✔️ The Stock Market outlook for the next 10 years.      Links: The September Issue with Anna Wintour   Vengeance with B.J. Novak   Inventory of unsold houses is exploding across many US cities   Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Dr. Chris Bustamante serves as the Executive Director of the Arizona Community College Coordinating Council (AC4). In this position, he leads the statewide council of presidents/chancellors of the ten community college districts in their work to advance the mission and interests of Arizona's community colleges. He is also the former president of Rio Salado College (Rio) and the Maricopa Corporate College (MCOR), both located in Tempe, Arizona. The institutions are part of the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) which serves approximately 200,000 students annually. Rio is the largest of the District's ten individually accredited colleges and serves nearly 50,000 students each year. Dr. Bustamante retired in August 2018 after forty years of public service in Arizona, including over twenty-six years in MCCCD.  Dr. Bustamante is a well-known advocate for increasing access to higher education and degree completion. In addition, he is highly regarded for forging transformational partnerships with business, government, and educational providers.  He was appointed President of Rio in June 2010 and President of MCOR in August 2016. Prior leadership roles at Rio include: Vice President of Community Development and Student Services and Dean of Academic Affairs. Previously he served in senior level government affairs positions for MCCCD and as Assistant to the Superintendent for Community and Government Relations for the Phoenix Union High School District, and as a Legislative Assistant in the Arizona House of Representatives.  A native to Arizona, he holds both a doctorate and master's degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Arizona and attended Pima Community College as a transfer student.  Dr. Bustamante's commitment to higher education is noted by his leadership roles nationally and locally. He currently serves as the Board Chair for Higher Learning Advocates (HLA), a Lumina funded advocacy organization, and served as Chair of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) Board of Trustees (2016-17), and as a CAEL Senior Fellow (2020-21); currently serves as a CAEL Advisory Board member (2018-Present) and ED2Work Advisory Council member (2021-). In addition, he served as a board member for the American Council on Education (ACE) (2016-2018) and Chair of ACE's Commission on Education, Attainment, and Innovation (2014-15). He served on the Board for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) (2015-2017) and its Executive Committee (2017), and as President of the National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC) (2014-15). In 2018, he completed service as a member of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), the Presidents' Forum Advisory Board, Credential Engine Board, and the Advisory Board for the Higher Education Research and Development Institute (HERDI). In addition, Dr. Bustamante served as President of the Continuous Quality Improvement Network (CQIN/AFIT) and member of its Executive Committee (2012-2018). He currently serves on the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and its Executive Committee. Locally, he was co-chair of the Arizona-Mexico Commission's Education Committee (2016-2018), Friends of Public Radio Arizona Board Member (2010-2018), and currently serves on the local boards of the Boy Scouts of America and the Be A Leader Foundation in Phoenix.  Chris and his wife, Mary, live in Tempe, Arizona, where they are raising their three daughters.

Episode 8: Ray Burgman began serving as the Vice President, Programs and Services at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, a 501c3 regional postsecondary compact, on October 1, 2021. Burgman is a non-profit professional, serving in roles that elevate postsecondary education to its highest ideals. At WICHE, Burgman leads the Programs and Services team, which manages a dozen programs. The programs annually account for millions of dollars of student and college and university savings and range from student access and support services to campus leader development to risk management. Previously, Burgman served as director of programs and research at HERS (Higher Education Resource Services), a non-profit leadership development organization focused on women who work in postsecondary settings, for eight years. In addition, she served as an administrator at DePauw University, located in Greencastle, IN, in Academic Affairs and the Office of the President and at New College of Florida, located in Sarasota, FL, in Academic Affairs. Burgman was a tenured professor in economics and management at DePauw University. In addition, she taught at two other institutions in Florida, Santa Fe College and the University of South Florida-St. Peterburg. She completed the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Institute for Educational Management (IEM) program and the Higher Education Resource Services Leadership Institute to prepare for senior leadership. Burgman received a B.A. from New College of Florida and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, FL. Interstate Passport program. Book a call HERE to see if it's a good fit for us to work together - it's a free call!

Dr. Tanya Spilovoy, Director of Open Policy at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), joins the podcast to talk about institutional strategies for retaining our student mothers.

To be eligible for U.S. federal financial aid funding, colleges and universities offering distance learning programs must satisfy new federal regulations that went into effect in July 2020 and July 2021.  In this episode, Russell Poulin joins us to discuss how these requirements have changed and what these changes mean for faculty and institutions offering online classes. Russ is the Executive Director of the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET), and the Vice President for Technology Enhanced Education at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. A transcript of this episode and show notes may be found at http://teaforteaching.com.

Reported by Education Dive, new research from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education found that only 11% of adult students earn PLA credit. But for those who do, 49% earn their credential in the next 7.5 years, compared to only 27% of adult students who don’t take advantage of prior learning assessment credit.

The implementation of some of the latest higher education regulations is in limbo, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. However, higher education institutions need to keep an eye on how decisions to move to online or digital courses will be governed by other regulations that are still in place. In addition, leaders need to analyze how the hiatus of some regulations could lead to unexpected impacts for an institution. This podcast’s guest is Dr. Russ Poulin, the executive director of WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET). Substantive Interactions All NegReg guidance has been published, including the latest one on online education. This regulation includes the definition of distance education, which officially will go into effect July 2021 but can be implemented earlier by individual institutions. For years, there was not a clear definition that delineated the difference between distance education and correspondence education. Now the big difference is that some definitions, including regular substantive interaction, are being developed. These definitions must be general enough to cover the wide variety in higher education institutions. Substantive interactions previously were defined as having conversations that were relative to the subject. For example, if the content focused on Shakespeare, the conversations that went along with the content should not be about what happened in the basketball game. Now, the definition has changed to include a number of different activities, such as instruction, feedback on the instruction, assessments on instruction, etc. Higher education leaders need to start reviewing this new definition to ensure that their courses--whether distance education, correspondence education or other types of distance offerings--are in alignment. Otherwise, the institution’s federal financial aid could be placed at risk if an institution offers too many distance education courses that do not have regular substantive interactions. Competency-Based Education The definition also begins to bring in competency-based education, which includes regular predictable interactions and the ability for the faculty member to assist the student when the student needs it as opposed to a fixed schedule. The Department of Education is saying this should happen once a week for a standard course; however, this timeframe should be adjusted if an institution is offering a shorter course. The NegReg calls for regular interactions as part of a competency-based course, but this may cause issues for CBE institutions in figuring out how to do this. In competency-based education, the interaction is triggered by the student; however, the regulation puts the onus for this type of regular interaction on the faculty. This regulation also serves as an aid in starting to signal when interactions need to happen for computer-assisted, adaptive classes. COVID’s Influence Some of the NegReg implementation was thrown into turmoil as the COVID pandemic swept the nation. There has been a lot of forgiveness among federal officials, accreditors and most states in terms of these rules. However, not every rule has waivers. For example, institutions need to understand that the accessibility rules are now in effect and need to be followed. In addition, as more courses are digitized and offered online in some format, institutions need to know which rules are in place and which are not. The Department of Education set aside a number of regulations in spring term and then extended those until the end of the fall term (or end of the crisis). With that, there are serious challenges if institutions aren’t thinking about assessments. Institutions may have an extended gap in assessment data, which could prove to be a huge challenge. Online courses need to deepen from the original emergency conversions (which many institutions were forced to do in March) to become rich learning opportunities for students that include meaningful assessments. However, many institutions are struggling with assessments. Some institutions had to increase proctoring for high-stake tests in the wake of the pandemic. This led to pedagogical discussions about assessments and cheating. By spreading the assessments out and diversifying the types of assessments, there is better demonstration of learning while also cutting down student cheating. Additionally, online opens the door to using different artifacts--such as videos or simulations--that can help get the content across. However, the creation of these artifacts needs more thought and planning. WCET developed a policy playbook to help institutions convert courses to online or other modalities. This came out of the “Every Learner Everywhere” which was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As institutions transition traditional courses to become online courses, the rules change. Institutions need to be aware of these rules since they differ in a digital context as opposed to in a face-to-face course. The playbook has an important addendum noting that the time for forgiveness for waivers will not last forever. Accreditors soon will be asking hard questions that institutions need to be prepared to answer. Elections The presidential candidates have major differences in their platforms related to higher education. It’s important to consider these when voting. If reelected, President Trump and his administration may not have huge plans for traditional higher education. However, they are very interested in career-focused education and expanding federal financial aid beyond traditional institutions to include providers who offer short-term paths to careers. If Joe Biden is elected, some of the decisions made by the Trump Administration—such as Title IX, distance education and other NegReg regulations--probably will be reversed. There also could be a consumer-protection focus. Three Recommendations for Higher Education Leaders Dr. Poulin suggested several takeaways for higher education leaders: When an institution moves from face-to-face courses to digital courses, this transition also triggers other changes. Presidents need to make sure that someone on the university’s staff is paying attention to compliance. While there is some forgiveness now, that won’t go on forever. If Biden is elected, there will be changes in regulations so institutions need to remain flexible. Honor the campus heroes who helped institutions transition to a digital format. What started as a sprint around spring break has turned into a marathon. Bullet Points A new regulation that defines distance education officially will go into effect July 2021 but can be implemented earlier by individual institutions. This regulation broadens the area of substantive interactions to include a number of different activities, such as instruction, feedback on the instruction, assessments on instruction, etc. Higher education leaders need to review this new definition to ensure that their courses--whether distance education, correspondence education or other types of distance offerings--are in alignment. Otherwise, federal financial aid could be placed at risk. Increased substantive interactions also need to be part of competency-based education. This should include regular predictable interactions and the ability for the faculty member to assist the student when the student needs it as opposed to a fixed schedule. Some of the NegReg implementation was thrown into turmoil by the COVID pandemic, leading to a lot of forgiveness among federal officials, accreditors and most states in terms of these rules. Not every rule has waivers. As more courses are digitized and offered online in some format, institutions need to know which rules are in place and which are not. Assessments are deepening and broadening beyond a single exam. This conversation needs to continue since the implementation does have NegReg implications. WCET has developed a policy playbook to help institutions convert courses to online or other modalities and identify which regulations need to be addressed. The presidential election may have ramifications for higher education and the NegReg implementation. Links to Articles, Apps, or websites mentioned during the interview: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technology Guests Social Media Links: WICHE Twitter: @wicheEDU WCET Twitter: @wcet_info Russ Poulin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellpoulin/ The Change Leader’s Social Media Links: Website: https://thechangeleader.com Website: https://changinghighered.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com Keywords: #Education #HigherEducation #University #DistanceLearning

Our Alchemy series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, continues on with Erik and Dave speaking to Dr. Carrie Hauser, an academic leader in Colorado. Serving as President and CEO of Colorado Mountain College, a public two- and four-year degree-granting institution with eleven campuses serving 12,000 square miles of the central Rocky Mountains, Dr. Hauser explains how this pandemic has been affecting the academic sphere. Hauser’s background includes teaching assignments at UCLA, the University of Denver, and Colorado State University. She has held research and legislative staff roles as well as positions with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and the University of Arizona, her undergraduate alma mater. She earned her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from UCLA and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School of Business.She is currently a governor’s appointee to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, a member of the Great Outdoors Colorado and Glenwood Springs Chamber boards of directors, and a member of El Pomar Foundation’s Northwest Regional Council. At the national level, Hauser is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Society of Fellows, serves on the board of American Rivers, serves on the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Economic Advisory Council, and is past president of the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA).Resources:More information on CMC RespondsDr. Hauser's Statement Regarding COVID-19Inside Higher Ed Article by Jamie Merisotis and Carrie Besnette HauserFollow Dr. Hauser on Twitter: @CMCPresident 

Our Alchemy series, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Prudential, continues on with Erik and Dave speaking to Dr. Carrie Hauser, an academic leader in Colorado. Serving as President and CEO of Colorado Mountain College, a public two- and four-year degree-granting institution with eleven campuses serving 12,000 square miles of the central Rocky Mountains, Dr. Hauser explains how this pandemic has been affecting the academic sphere. Hauser’s background includes teaching assignments at UCLA, the University of Denver, and Colorado State University. She has held research and legislative staff roles as well as positions with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and the University of Arizona, her undergraduate alma mater. She earned her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from UCLA and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School of Business.She is currently a governor’s appointee to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, a member of the Great Outdoors Colorado and Glenwood Springs Chamber boards of directors, and a member of El Pomar Foundation’s Northwest Regional Council. At the national level, Hauser is a member of the Aspen Institute’s Society of Fellows, serves on the board of American Rivers, serves on the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Economic Advisory Council, and is past president of the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA).Resources:More information on CMC RespondsDr. Hauser's Statement Regarding COVID-19Inside Higher Ed Article by Jamie Merisotis and Carrie Besnette HauserFollow Dr. Hauser on Twitter: @CMCPresident

Pat Lane serves as Vice President for Policy, Analysis, and Research at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). This month, Pat joins Megan Schneider, senior director of government affairs at NACUBO, to educate us about his organization and share the latest results and trends from WICHE’s Knocking at the College Door project. That research is critical in assessing the supply for post-secondary education with projections of high school graduates 18 years into the future for every state in the country. The data offers a unique perspective with a broad scope sure to help leaders make informed decisions in challenging times.  Links & Notes WICHE Knocking at the College Door — Projections of College Graduates through 2032

Episode Summary Dr. Russ Poulin served on the subcommittee on the recent federal Negotiated Rulemaking (Neg Reg) negotiations where he had the opportunity to provide input on recommendations that were voted on by the full committee. He was recently promoted to be the Executive Director of WCET. In this podcast, he discusses some of the decisions that came out of the Neg Reg and were published. Tying Federal Financial Aid to State Service Neg Reg 2019 solidified the state authorization that ties federal financial aid to the institution that has the approval of the state where it is serving students. Some institutions were hesitating in complying with state authorization and were waiting for this tie to federal financial aid. Now, these institutions need to get those approvals in the states where they serve students. One of the ways to get the necessary approval is through reciprocity provided by the National Council of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA). In addition, there is a new controversial definition of reciprocity. Previously, there was language that made it seem like a state could enforce any rule that it wanted to as part of reciprocity. However, it isn’t reciprocity if everyone is enforcing the previous rules.  An institution that is a member or participant in NC-SARA is now further down the road in being compliant in this area. This should bode well for institutions in most states. However, there currently is little protection offered California students who are taking classes at out-of-state non-profit or public institutions at a distance. California does have a complaint process, but provides little else in protection for these students. Changes in Accreditation The Neg Reg strengthened the triad of federal, state and accreditation bodies.  One of the changes lead removes any differentiation between regional and national accreditors. Instead, there will be just institutional accrediting bodies. The impact of this decision is still to be determined , but one outcome of this change could potentially remedy the situation in which a regional university will not accept transfer credits from a nationally accredited university. In addition, regionals can now accredit any institution in any state. It will be interesting to see how the accrediting bodies react to this change, as well as how the department will do as far as oversight or pushing this policy forward. Distance Education There is a slight change in the definition of student identity in distance education. The idea all along has been that the institution needed to ensure that the student who registers for a course is the one who is taking the assessments. Previously, institutions used specific passwords, face-to-face proctoring or other types of electronic monitoring. The change requires the accreditors to work with the institutions to see what is really working and what evidence shows that it’s working. While discussed in the Neg Reg negotiations, defining “substantial interaction” did not come out in the published package. However, this issue has led to additional discussions. The definition of distance education that was last updated in 1992 offered a specific definition of regular and substantive interaction. As time has passed, this definition has become outdated and needs to be redefined in a functional way for institutions to know what to do. Much of this was sparked because of competency-based education, which is based on when the student achieves a competency on their own timeline (instead of on a set schedule). Continued discussions agree that there should be interaction, but the initial definition only mentioned the faculty member; that is only one perspective so that doesn’t constitute interaction. There’s since been progress in updating and the proposed changes should come out for comment soon. This also will give accreditors the flexibility to allow for some innovation currently happening or that which will emerge in the future. Additionally, the accreditor gets leeway as long as student outcomes are being properly supported. In addition, there have been discussions about substantial interaction and correspondence courses as well as content-based education vs. credit hour as a measure for learning. Interaction is important; however, the interaction needs to be considered in multiple ways between faculty, students and content. For example, Western Governor’s University has an unbundled faculty model which uses a faculty member doing assessment that is different from the faculty member doing the teaching. Degrees with Licensure The state authorization recommendations also address degree programs that lead to state licensure, such as nursing, psychology and teaching. In the past, the regulation said if institutions were doing this at a distance, students who live in other states must be notified about whether the program fulfills the licensure requirements in their home state. That requirement has not been fully implemented until recently. The recent changes expanded this requirement to include face-to-face programs as well as distance programs. This is something that presidents will need to look at across their entire institution. Additionally, institutions are required to make three types of statements: The institution knows that that the degree program that is offered meets the requirements of a state. The institution knows that the degree program does not meet the requirements of a state. The institution was unable to make a determination. Accreditation bodies also will have to look at how new or current programs meet the requirements of other states. Still Needing Work Areas including TEACH Act, religious-affiliated institutions, distance education, competency-based education and federal financial aid are being reconsidered and rebundled into two packages. The packaging around these areas will be determined on languaging and whether the issue fits with other parts of law. These new packages will be released for comments soon. Three Takeaways: Poulin suggested three take-aways for higher education leaders: There are substantive changes around accreditation. Accreditors are going to have to figure these out and institutions should be watching. State authorization is tied to federal aid. The expansion of state licensure will have significant implications. Watch how this unfolds. Bullet Points Neg Reg 2019 solidified the state authorization that ties federal financial aid to the institution that has the approval of the state where it is serving students. Institutions can get the necessary approval through reciprocity provided by the National Council of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA). The Neg Reg, which strengthened the triad of federal, state and accreditation bodies, removes differentiation between regional and national accreditors. Instead, there will be just institutional accrediting bodies. A change in relation to distance learning requires the accreditors to work with the institutions to see what is really working and what evidence shows that it’s working in relation to ensuring that the students who take class are the ones who are being assessed for their work. Additionally, discussions about distance learning are ongoing in relation to regular and substantive interaction. These discussions are designed to bring the definition into alignment with current distance learning practice and where technology is allowing learning to go. Institutions that offer degree programs that lead to state licensure, such as nursing, psychology and teaching must let students who participate at a distance from another state know that the program is in alignment with their home state’s licensure requirements. Areas including TEACH Act, religious-affiliated institutions, distance education, competency-based education and federal financial aid are being reconsidered and rebundled into two packages that will be discussed in future Neg Reg discussions. Links to Articles, Apps, or websites mentioned during the interview: Negotiated Rulemaking 2019 Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technology Guest Social Media Links: WICHE Twitter: @wicheEDU WCET Twitter: @wcet_info Russ Poulin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellpoulin/ The Change Leader’s Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com

In this episode, our host Kristin Wolff talks with Jenna Leventoff, Senior Policy Analyst for the Workforce Data Quality Campaign (WDQC) in Washington DC, and long-time thought partner, data advocate, and master documentarian of all things workforce data. Jenna offers an insider’s view of major trends in past, present, and future in education and workforce data. She cites a treasure trove of resources for data champions seeking to make higher and better use of their data and even share a preview of resource under development at the National Skills Coalition and WDQC. For more information: · National Skills Coalition & Workforce Data Quality Campaign: https://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/national-initiatives/workforce-data-quality-campaign ·EMSI: https://www.economicmodeling.com/higher-education/ ·Burning Glass: https://www.burning-glass.com/research/ ·Monroe Community College: https://mccediws.com/ ·Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Data Exchange: https://www.wiche.edu/longitudinalDataExchange · New York University’s Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF): https://cusp.nyu.edu/news/administrative-data-facility-enables-cross-state-data-sharing/ · US Department of Education’s Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/ and US Department of Labor’s Workforce Data Quality Initiative: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20190722 · SWIS: https://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/news/blog/states-should-participate-in-swis-to-obtain-out-of-state-wage-data · Tennessee’s College and Career Success efforts: https://ccrscenter.org/ccrs-landscape/state-profile/tennessee · Registered Apprenticeship (US): https://www.apprenticeship.gov/become-apprentice · Minnesota Grad Employment Outcomes Tool: https://mn.gov/deed/data/data-tools/graduate-employment-outcomes/ · Michigan School Data (Report Card): https://www.mischooldata.org/ · Kentucky Center for Statistics: https://kystats.ky.gov/ Social: · Twitter: @SkillsCoalition · LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationalskillscoalition/ Post-Script: During the production of this podcast, Jenna accepted a new position with Public Knowledge, where she will no doubt expand her own expertise and enrich the organization’s technology and legal chops! We wish her continued success and happiness! You can find her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-leventoff-810b5b27/ _______ Disclaimer: This podcast was produced by Social Policy Research and Workforce 180 with support from the US Department of Labor. The views expressed are those of the speakers and should not be attributed to the US Department of Labor or other public agencies (state, federal, or local). Mentions of trade names, commercial products or organizations does not imply endorsement of same by the US Government or representatives.

Topic:Smart Growth and Livable Communities Series – emerging mobility trends Guest & Organization:Christopher Cabaldon was first elected Mayor of West Sacramento in 1998, and is serving his ninth term. He is the first mayor elected directly by the voters of the city, after serving three terms on the city council. The Sacramento Bee says that “under his leadership, the city has become one of the municipal stars of the region.” At the United States Conference of Mayors, he is Chair of the Jobs, Education, and the Workforce Committee and one of the nation’s leading mayors on innovation, ports and exports, civil rights, and education. An appointee in the administrations of four California governors spanning both political parties, Mr. Cabaldon currently serves as California’s commissioner on the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, where he is chair of the issues analysis & research committee. Mayor Cabaldon’s work on transportation, land use, water, air quality and climate change, housing, and economic development at the local, regional, and statewide scales has won numerous awards, and has become the model for effective regional collaborative action. Mr. Cabaldon earned his B.S. in environmental economics from UC Berkeley, and a Master of Public Policy & Administration degree from CSU Sacramento, where he received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Resources: https://www.cityofwestsacramento.org/government/departments/public-works/traffic-transportation/on-demand-rideshare-via/-fsiteid-1 (City of West Sacramento’s Via On-Demand Rideshare) – link to download the Via app, get information on the Pilot, and find links out to Via’s Support page and additional FAQs https://www.cityofwestsacramento.org/government/departments/public-works/traffic-transportation/bike-share/-fsiteid-1 (City of West Sacramento’s JUMP Bike Share) https://www.lgc.org/ (Local Government Commission )

In this episode we talk with Peace Bransberger, senior research analyst for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), about WICHE's “Knocking at the College Door” reports and their most recent update, suggesting that private school graduates will increase through 2018, then possibly decline up to 12% by 2025. Peace brings us up to speed on the data and what they may portend.

Suzanne Benally, the first Indigenous Executive Director of Cultural Survival, shared her personal spiritual journey as a Navajo and Santa Clara from New Mexico and how this shapes her understanding of the concept of the divine. Benally explored the meaning of the Navajo concept “Hozho,” which is centered on living responsibly in a web of relationships emphasizing reciprocity with and reverence for all beings. About the presenter: Suzanne Benally is the first Indigenous Executive Director of Cultural Survival, an organization that advocates for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures and political resilience since 1972. She is Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa from New Mexico. Benally was the Associate Provost for Institutional Planning and Assessment and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She was a core faculty member in environmental studies and a member of the president’s cabinet. Before starting at Naropa in 1999, she was Deputy Director and Director of Education Programs at the American Indian Science and Engineering Society and Director of the Institute on Ethnic Diversity at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. She has worked extensively with American Indian communities and her interests, teaching, and passions are focused on the relationship between land, spirituality, and people as reflected in stories, and in environmental issues and Indigenous rights. About the series: Concept of the Divine series provides a unique opportunity for speakers to share how their personal concept of the Divine has changed over time and shaped their lives, their service to the community, and views about their place in the cosmos. As an organization committed to interfaith dialogue and engagement, this series offers an excellent opportunity to hear from people representing diverse faith communities and other sectors of society about this important topic.

Today’s episode is going to be the final one of our Colleges in the Spotlight series because next week we are really getting down to the serious work of getting our rising high school seniors ready to apply to colleges. So, as we leave Colleges in the Spotlight, we want to take a look at a news story that might just be bringing good news to some of you. The story, which ran in The Hechinger Report and in The Washington Post at the end of June, was entitled “Universities and colleges struggle to stem big drops in enrollment.” Really, I said to myself. That could be great news for kids applying to colleges this fall. Today’s episode will look at the national facts and figures of this new trend. Plus we will look at Ohio Wesleyan University--in today’s spotlight--a good small liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. Ohio Wesleyan enrolls about 1,700 undergraduate students and boasts an attractive 10-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio. In the interest of full disclosure, my sister-in-law graduated from Ohio Wesleyan “some years ago” (that means more than 40 years ago) and, by all accounts, thoroughly enjoyed her time there. And one final reminder: Don’t forget to get a copy of our new book, How To Explore Your College Options: A Workbook for High School Students--available at amazon.com. Quick and cheap! Your teenager is going to need it this summer when he or she might have some time to kill. We will tell you more when we get serious next week, so stay tuned. 1. The Facts and Figures on Enrollment Decline Here are some of the facts and figures presented by Jon Marcus in The Hechinger Report article: According to the National Student Clearinghouse, college enrollment has declined for five years in a row. This year, there are 81,000 fewer U.S. high school graduates going off to college, which is a direct result of a decline in birth rate (particularly in the Northeast and Midwest). Just over 18 million students were enrolled in colleges nationwide last spring--2.4 million fewer students than were enrolled in the fall of 2011, which was the most recent high point for college enrollment. I am going to say that over 2 million students is a lot of students to lose. According to a survey by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, 58 percent of chief business officers said their institutions had seen a drop in undergraduate enrollment since 2013. (Although 58 percent is certainly the majority of colleges, it doesn’t mean that the statement is true for the most selective colleges--where it is likely not true, just to keep things in perspective.) According to the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, over 400 colleges still had fall semester spots for freshmen and transfer students as of May 1. (Again, that doesn’t mean those 400 included the most selective colleges, but 400 is still a lot of colleges and every U.S. high school graduate does not, of course, attend a most selective college.) What does the future hold? When will it all change? Not until 2023, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Here is what The Hechinger Report article says about what will then be a “slow recovery”: When it comes, [the recovery] will be [composed] largely of low-income, first-generation-in-college racial and ethnic minorities. These are the kinds of students institutions have generally proven poor at enrolling, and who will arrive with a far greater need for financial aid and expensive support. (quoted from the website) So, colleges might not have an easy time of it as they work to stem the decline and turn enrollment around--not that many high school seniors and their families are going to be overly sympathetic about that. Can this information work in favor of kids applying to colleges in the next few years? Before we consider what it all means, let’s look at the Ohio Wesleyan case study, presented in The Hechinger Report article. 2. The Story of Ohio Wesleyan Hit with a decline in Ohio high school graduates, a prime recruiting ground for Ohio Wesleyan, the University took and is taking a number of steps to boost its enrollment, based on data that it looked at both from admitted students who decided to enroll and admitted students who decided not to enroll. Here are some of those steps: Because the drop in male students was greater than the drop in female students, Ohio Wesleyan is adding two sports (and a marching band) to try to attract more male students. Because students said they wanted more internship and more study abroad opportunities, both internships and short-term study abroad programs are being expanded. Because new sources of students needed to be found, Ohio Wesleyan admissions staff members have been recruiting locally (in Cleveland), regionally (in Chicago), and much farther afield (in China, India, and Pakistan). In addition, the transfer process has been simplified so that students wanting to transfer into Ohio Wesleyan can do so more easily. Because some undergraduates are concerned about where they will be going next for graduate study (Ohio Wesleyan enrolls undergrads only), articulation agreements with Carnegie-Mellon University and with a medical school have just been drawn up to make the transition from undergraduate to graduate study more straightforward--in at least those cases. Because money is always an issue for students and their families, Ohio Wesleyan has budgeted more money for financial aid. In addition, “the University is considering freezing, lowering or slowing the rate of increase of its tuition and fees, which are now $44,690” (quoted from the article). Because students are concerned about their futures, Ohio Wesleyan has been studying labor data and creating new majors in fields of high demand, including majors in data analytics and computational neuroscience. Ohio Wesleyan president Rock Jones was quoted in The Hechinger Report article as saying this: “We live in a really consumer-driven society, and to be honest a college is an investment. Families are much more discerning, and they approach it as consumers. That’s a cultural shift to which the campus has to respond.” One of my favorite anecdotes from The Hechinger Report article is this one (and I think this will be particularly enjoyable for anyone who has friends who teach in colleges and who hear about the politics of higher education from those friends): One of the greatest challenges, as at other places, has been to get buy-in from the faculty, who have to approve new academic offerings. Ohio Wesleyan invited faculty on the curriculum committee to meet with the financial-aid committee, giving them a sense of how serious the problems were and asking them for help in coming up with majors that might attract more students. This doesn’t always work. One faculty member suggested a new major in sacred music, for example. “Some faculty have a very clear understanding of the issues,” [President] Jones said wryly. “Others, less so.” (quoted from the article) 3. More About Money For those of you particularly concerned about financing a college education for your teenager (and who isn’t), consider this new statistic: Small private, nonprofit colleges and universities this year gave back, in the form of financial aid, an average of 51 cents of every dollar they collected from tuition. That’s up from an average of 38 cents a decade ago. . . . (quoted from the article) I guess that is good news for students and their families, but perhaps bad news for colleges that continue to try to make ends meet. Of course, there also has to be a point here when most colleges cannot give back almost everything they take in and still remain viable. And while we could tell you stories of small private colleges cutting their tuition and, as a result, gaining additional students, here is one public flagship university story that could also prove valuable to some of you: The University of Maine, in a state whose number of high school grads has fallen 9 percent since 2011, offered admission to students from elsewhere at the same in-state price they would have paid to attend their home flagships; that has attracted more than 1,000 new students for the semester that begins this fall, from all of the other New England states plus California, Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. (quoted from the article) We have talked about these kinds of arrangements with public universities in previous USACollegeChat episodes and in our most recent book, where we mention that some public universities provide generous discounts to students from contiguous states or to students in the region. The University of Maine seems to have found a way to expand that idea nationwide and win more students as a result. 4. What’s It All Mean for You? So, what does all this mean for you and your own teenager? Well, let’s start with what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that your kid’s chances of getting into an Ivy League school or any other top-tier college are any better now than they were before you listened to this episode. Whatever happens to the number of high school students in the U.S. and no matter what the decline is in the number of high school graduates statewide in your state or nationwide, our nation’s most selective colleges are not going to feel the pinch. That is just our opinion, but it is probably right. It is also likely true that the top public flagship universities are not going to feel the pinch, either--like the University of Virginia, the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of California, Berkeley, and another five or 10 more. Why? Because those top flagships attract students from across the nation, and there will always be enough students with good enough grades to fill the best public universities. But here is the good news. Your teenager might have a better chance now of getting into a good small private college--and there are plenty of those. If you have a super-smart kid, such a college could serve as a great safety school. If you have a kid with good, but not outstanding, grades and test scores, such a college could become a likely match rather than a reach school. We have said for some time at USACollegeChat that our public flagship universities are the hidden jewels of our higher education system. And we are not taking that back. But now maybe we should add that good small private colleges might be the hidden jewels of our higher education system precisely because they will give you a better bang for your buck than you originally thought. Let’s keep that in mind next week as we move to the serious search for colleges for your teenager. Find our books on Amazon! How To Find the Right College: A Workbook for Parents of High School Students (available as a Kindle ebook and in paperback) How To Explore Your College Options: A Workbook for High School Students (available in paperback) Ask your questions or share your feedback by... Leaving a comment on the show notes for this episode at http://usacollegechat.org/episode128 Calling us at (516) 900-6922 to record a question on our USACollegeChat voicemail if you want us to answer your question live on our podcast Connect with us through... Subscribing to our podcast on Google Play Music, iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn Liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter Reviewing parent materials we have available at www.policystudies.org Inquiring about our consulting services if you need individualized help Reading Regina's blog, Parent Chat with Regina

This is our final episode before the holiday break and before those of you with seniors are facing what is likely D-Day--Deadline-for-college-applications Day--at least, for many, many colleges anyway. We struggled to think of something hopeful to say, and we settled on one last look at a group of colleges your teenager and you might not have considered sufficiently, and that is public universities. They have long been a favorite topic of ours, as evidenced by our detailed coverage of them during our virtual nationwide college tour (Episodes 27 through 53) and our oft-repeated description of public flagship universities as the hidden jewels of our higher education system in the U.S. But recently, I read some new information that might make them even more attractive to you, and that information is about money. Our regular listeners know that I care relatively little about the cost of a college compared to the education and college life it provides and the quality of its match to a particular student. But even I was pleased to find out this information. Perhaps it is just in time for adding one or two more colleges to your teenager’s list (especially if the applications are relatively easy or the deadlines are a bit later than January 1, both of which can be true for large public universities). 1. Out-of-State Tuition Prices Dropping A few weeks ago, I read an Associated Press article, by Jeff Amy, which had a catchy headline: “Seeking students, public colleges reduce out-of-state prices.” It starts with an interesting story from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) in Hattiesburg, but doesn’t stop there. Here is the USM story: The 14,500-student school has cut annual out-of-state tuition and fees from $16,529 this year to $9,964 next fall, even as it increases the cost for Mississippi residents by 4 percent, to $7,963. The idea is to reverse a 2,000-student enrollment dip by pricing a USM education below some public universities in nearby states, and attract enough high-schoolers from Houston, Dallas and San Antonio to raise overall revenue. (quoted from the article) Of course, as our regular listeners might say, those high school seniors could also come from New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Why? Because kids need to get outside their geographic comfort zone! And now, USM and other public universities are making it even more attractive and cheaper to do just that. According to Mr. Amy’s article, “The Associated Press counted at least 50 public colleges and universities nationwide that have lowered nonresident tuition by more than 10 percent in recent years without making similar reductions for in-state students.” Is there any particular reason for that trend? Mr. Amy’s article offers this statistic: Many [colleges] are squeezed by falling numbers of traditional college-age students. High school graduates have fallen nationwide since 2011 and won't peak again until 2023, according to the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education. (quoted from the article) Well, that was something I didn’t know. So now, let’s head way north from Hattiesburg and take a look at the University of Maine’s flagship campus. Mr. Amy tells this story: One widely noticed move was made by the University of Maine in Orono, which charges high-achievers from nine other states the same tuition they’d pay at their home state’s flagship. This saves them $12,000 to $17,000 from Maine's out-of-state tuition of $29,498; applicants with lower grades and test scores get $9,000 off. "The state of Maine needs young people, and we're not producing enough of them," said University of Maine Provost Jeffrey Hecker…. It's working: Applications jumped, freshman enrollment rose 9 percent to 2,260 students this fall…. (quoted from the article) This arrangement at the University of Maine echoes some arrangements we talked about during our virtual nationwide college tour (Episodes 27 through 53) where groups of neighboring states in various parts of the country offered good financial deals to students to cross state lines and attend public universities. And, parents, don’t forget to check out about any regional exchanges your state belongs to (e.g., Western Undergraduate Exchange, Midwest Student Exchange Program), which offer tuition discounts to residents of member states. Of course, as we have said before, some public universities take some heat from state taxpayers for recruiting students from outside the state, especially when they believe that out-of-state students who can pay more are admitted instead of in-state students who deserve those places. But, as some states cut back on their funding of their own public universities, it is no surprise that those universities have to seek revenue elsewhere. Thus, at least in some states, out-of-state students are going to get a good deal. 2. Public Universities Recruiting Out-of-State Students Last month, The New York Times published an article by Laura Pappano entitled “How the University of Alabama Became a National Player.” The whole article is well worth reading and tells about many more universities than we are going to talk about in this episode. But here is the Alabama story in a nutshell: With state funding now just 12.5 percent of the university’s budget, campus leaders have mapped an offensive strategy to grow in size, prestige and, most important, revenue. The endgame is to become a national player known for more than championship football…. The university is spending $100.6 million in merit aid, up from $8.3 million a decade ago and more than twice what it allocates to students with financial need. It also has hired an army of recruiters to put Bama on college lists of full-paying students who, a few years ago, might not have looked its way. The University of Alabama is the fastest-growing flagship in the country. Enrollment hit 37,665 this fall, nearly a 58 percent increase over 2006. As critical as the student body jump: the kind of student the university is attracting. The average G.P.A. of entering freshmen is 3.66, up from 3.4 a decade ago, and the top quarter scored at least a 31 on the ACT, up from 27. (quoted from the article) While it is clear that there are Alabama taxpayers who are annoyed that its well-known and much-loved flagship university is spending its money on out-of-state recruiters and merit aid to bright kids, it is also clear that these strategies seem to be working for the University. And that is why the University of Alabama now has 45 recruiters, with 36 of them in out-of-state locations. According to Ms. Pappano’s article, Alabama is just one example of this trend. To take another example, the University of South Carolina (USC) has 20 recruiters, and now USC receives twice as many applications from out-of-state students as from state residents. Ms. Pappano sums it up this way: It is no accident that states with among the largest drops in state allocations since 2008--Arizona (down 56 percent), South Carolina (down 37 percent) and Alabama (down 36 percent), according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities--have entrepreneurial public campuses trained on growth. Those same states also had the greatest net gain in students: More entered the state to attend their four-year public institutions than left to study elsewhere, according to fall 2014 data, the most recent available. (quoted from the article) 3. What Does It All Mean? So, what does it all mean? First, giving great tuition breaks to out-of-state students likely means that some in-state kids will lose out on places at those public universities. Second, recruiting out-of-state kids who can afford to pay more likely means that some in-state kids will lose out on places at those public universities.   Third, giving merit scholarships to out-of-state bright kids likely means that some in-state kids will lose out on places at those public universities. All of these scenarios are understandably of concern to state taxpayers. These scenarios are also a concern to those of us who believe that public universities have a mission to make a college education accessible to a wide range of students, not just the best and the brightest and the most able to pay. On the other hand, if you are the parent of a teenager who is looking for another college to add to the list as we get down to the wire, we can say that this could be the time to look both to public flagship universities and to other public universities that are actively recruiting out-of-state students. Check out the articles we have been discussing for more information. Depending on your teenager’s grades and test scores, there might even be a substantial financial break for you. 4. Good Luck! We will be taking a short holiday break next week, and we will be back with you on January 5. At that point, those of you who have a senior with applications due in the first few days of January should be breathing a huge sigh of relief. Of course, some of you will still have deadlines to face in February and March and even later. And if you have a junior at home, your life is about to change. But, parents of seniors, let us say again what we have said before: There is not just one perfect college for each kid. There are many colleges that would make each kid happy and many colleges that would give each kid a great education. Your kid will find one or more than one. Until then, we are keeping our fingers crossed for you. Happy 2017! The Kindle ebook version of our book, How To Find the Right College, is on sale for $0.99 through 2016! Read it on your Kindle device or download the free Kindle app for any tablet or smartphone. The book is also available as a paperback workbook. Ask your questions or share your feedback by... Leaving a comment on the show notes for this episode at http://usacollegechat.org/episode104 Calling us at (516) 900-6922 to record a question on our USACollegeChat voicemail if you want us to answer your question live on our podcast Connect with us through... Subscribing to our podcast on Google Play Music, iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn Liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter Reviewing parent materials we have available at www.policystudies.org Inquiring about our consulting services if you need individualized help Reading Regina's blog, Parent Chat with Regina

Ellen Wagner of Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) discusses the Gartner Hype Cycle, data and how it is being used for outcomes-based funding and more. She discusses the issue of balancing where we want to go with what we are held accountable to.

Ellen Wagner of Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) discusses the Gartner Hype Cycle, data and how it is being used for outcomes-based funding and more. She discusses the issue of balancing where we want to go with what we are held accountable to.