HOUSE COMMITTEE ENDORSES WESTERN EDUCATION EXCHANGE

By LAUREN PROPER
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX (Tuesday, Jan. 15) _ A Western educational exchange program that helps Arizona graduate students pursue careers in veterinary medicine, dentistry and certain other professions remains valuable and should be renewed, a House leader said Tuesday.

Rep. Jennifer J. Burns, R-Avra Valley, chairwoman of the House Committee on Higher Education, is sponsoring HB 2075, which would renew Arizona’s participation in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) for 10 years.

WICHE helps Arizona students study veterinary medicine, dentistry and other subjects not taught at public universities here by giving resident tuition at out-of-state schools in other Western states. In return, students from other states can use WICHE to study medicine, pharmacy and other subjects in Arizona.

Students who participate in WICHE are required to work in Arizona for the number of years they studied under the program.

Burns said WICHE helps to provide veterinarians, dentists and optometrists and other professionals needed in Arizona.
“What it comes down to is the question of how many of those professionals do we need in Arizona,” Burns said.

The bill cleared its first hurdle Tuesday when Burns’ committee endorsed it unanimously, sending it to Rules Committee for further consideration.

Supporters addressing the committee said WICHE provides valuable opportunities for Arizona students.

“I think (WICHE) has proven itself … and allows the Western states to serve as a unit,” said Don Isaacson, a representative of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Arizona, an organization of non-public schools, and the University of Phoenix.

Joel Sideman, executive director of the Arizona Board of Regents, also spoke in favor of continuing the program, saying he worried the state’s budget deficit might harm it.

WICHE began in the 1950s and is subject to renewal by the Legislature every 10 years. At present, 203 Arizona students participate in WICHE at an annual cost of about $4 million.

Despite voting for the bill, Rep. Ed Ableser, D-Tempe, said he wants WICHE to emphasize students’ financial need. At present, qualified students are selected for WICHE in the order in which they apply.

“There’s nothing to catch the students who need it the most,” Ableser said.

Ableser has sponsored HB 2136, which would require students who don’t come back to work in Arizona to repay the cost of their participation in WICHE.