THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

106

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

supporting Hawaii's continued participation in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and the educational and other benefits provided through forty years of Hawaii's membership in WICHE.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and its fifteen member states work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all citizens of the Western United States; and

 

     WHEREAS, by promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy among states and institutions, WICHE strengthens higher education's contributions to the region's social, economic, and civic life; and

 

     WHEREAS, WICHE programs are working to find answers to some of the most critical questions facing higher education today; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii receives a number of direct benefits from its membership, and in 2008-2009, Hawaii students and their families saved over $11,100,000 in tuition by participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange, just one of WICHE's three Student Exchange Programs; and

 

     WHEREAS, more than 1,440 Hawaii students participated in the Western Undergraduate Exchange, attending schools in fourteen other states, while nearly 2,000 students from other participating states enrolled in higher education institutions in Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, through WICHE's Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP), Hawaii sent seventy-five students to out-of-state programs in 2008-2009 in six different fields (dentistry, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, and veterinary medicine), and historically, nearly seventy per cent of outbound PSEP students have returned to Hawaii to pursue their professional careers; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii joined WICHE on June 23, 1959, and this year marks Hawaii's fortieth anniversary as a member of WICHE; and

 

     WHEREAS, in the four decades since Hawaii joined WICHE over 6,200 students from Hawaii have attended undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in other western states at reduced tuition rates; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii has received funding to participate in numerous WICHE policy initiatives related to financing and financial aid, workforce development, and behavior health; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that the Governor and the Legislature strongly support Hawaii's continued participation in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and the educational and other benefits provided through forty years of Hawaii's membership in WICHE; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii System is encouraged to find additional ways to participate in WICHE activities and collaborate with the other members of WICHE; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of WICHE, WICHE Hawaii Commissioners, Governor of the State of Hawaii, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and President of the University of Hawaii System.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

WICHE; Hawaii 40th Anniversary; Continued Participation