Higher Education Finance Projects at WICHE

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Higher Education Finance Projects at WICHE

• David Longanecker
• Executive Director
• WICHE

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Two major initiatives

• Changing Direction Integrating Higher Education
  Financial Aid and Financing Policy

• Finding the Will and the Way Providing Higher
  Education Within Revenue and Expenditure
  Constraints

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WICHEs Policy Work

• Goal
• Better, more informed decision making on issues
  germane to higher education

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Changing Direction

• Focus Financial aid and financing
• Purpose To examine how to structure financial
  aid and financing policies and practices to
  maximize participation, access, and success for
  students.
• Partners ACE SHEEO
• Funding The Lumina Foundation for Education

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Changing Direction

• Financial aid and financing policies are usually
  dealt with as discreet issues rather than
  reflecting the interrelated nature of financial
  aid, tuition, and appropriations.

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Changing Direction

• Questions
• How can policymakers at all levels effectively
  integrate tuition, financial aid, and
  appropriations polices in ways that promote
  student participation and completion?
• What kind of information and research is needed
  to strengthen policies and ensure their
  continuing effectiveness?

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Changing Direction

• How well do the policies and practices of the
  student financing system serve the needs of
  different population groups?
• How do students currently pay for college?
• How do states establish an appropriate balance
  between direct support for high quality
  educational programs and a level of financial
  assistance that enables students to participate
  in those programs?

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Changing Direction

• Phase 1 Discovery and Development
• (November 2001 to May 2003)
  
• Conduct a state financial aid, tuition, and
  appropriations policy and data inventory (SHEEO)
  
• Survey state policymakers
• Establish a national advisory board on research
  issues
• Commission research papers
• Identify states for case studies AZ, OR, MO,
  FL, CT
• Conduct workshop with case study states
• Cosponsor state roundtables
• Phase 2 May 2003 to December 2004 (projected)

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Finding the Will and the Way

• Focus State tax structures
• Purpose To examine the impact of revenue and
  expenditure constraints on the future viability
  of public servicesespecially higher educationin
  the West.
• Funding Grants from the Ford Foundation are
  supporting a short-term planning phase

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Finding the Will and the Way

• Current state tax and revenue structures are
  ill-suited for the new Wests knowledge-based
  economy
• Additionally, initiatives and referenda are
  reducing states revenue generating capacity
  through tax cuts and tax spending limitations

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Finding the Will and the Way

• The environment
• Uncertain revenue shortfalls
• Additional cutbacks
• Revenue and expenditure restrictions

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Finding the Will and the Way

• Questions
• What do constrained revenues and expenditures
  mean for access, delivery, and quality of higher
  education?
• Who should be part of the coalition of state
  partners to develop a course of action for the
  state? Is there a legitimate role for Higher
  Education in this coalition?

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Finding the Will and the Way

• What are the regional implications of new
  limitations on resources? How does one states
  fiscal problems impact neighboring states?

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Finding the Will and the Way

• Phase 1
• Commission a study of revenue streams and revenue
  policies in the 15 Western states
• Convene a focus group of researchers,
  policymakers, state higher education executive
  officers, education leaders

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Finding the Will and the Way

• Collect and analyze recent and long-term revenue
  trends State by State
• Use this baseline information to examine the
  consequences of these trends

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Finding the Will and the Way

• By the end of Phase 1
• Develop a discussion document
• Initiate dialogues with WICHE Commissioners and
  other constituents prior to 2003 legislative
  session
• Identified a few states to engage in more
  extended, in-depth study of their revenue polices
  and sources and explore changes, if needed

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Finance Policy Partners

• ACE
• AGB
• Brookings Institute
• CSG-WEST
• NASBO
• NCSL
• Nelson A Rockefeller Institute of Government
• NGA
• SHEEO

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Contact Information

• Cheryl Blanco
• 303.541.0221
• cblanco_at_wiche.edu