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It’s safe to say that the recent leadership role at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has been significant for Dr. antwan jefferson (PhD ’13), associate dean for inclusive excellence in CU Denver’s School of Education & Human Development. Jefferson served as chair in 2024 and is currently immediate past chair of the commission.

WICHE, which is based in Boulder, Colorado, and is one of four U.S. regional compacts that promote higher education access, information-sharing, and partnership, is America’s largest regional compact by geography served. It is best known for administering the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), a tuition savings program which allows eligible undergraduate students in the region to apply for a reduced out-of-state tuition rate at 170 participating public colleges and universities in the West (CU Denver is one of those WUE schools). WICHE is also known for its quadrennial Knocking at the College Door analysis of high school graduation projections, which includes an in-depth report and online data dashboards, offering insights to support planning for higher education for state legislatures, higher education leaders, and others.

“Each WICHE commissioner brings something distinctive to our regular conversations, and we all learn from one another,” said jefferson. In 2017, former Colorado Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia asked jefferson if he would be interested in a governor’s appointment to the WICHE Commission. He accepted and was reappointed by Governor Jared Polis in 2021. While WICHE commissioners are legislators in their states or chief academic officers at Western colleges and universities, jefferson’s perspective is that of faculty member and college administrator who regularly interacts with undergraduate and graduate students whenever he can. “I try to add value to WICHE meetings by continually surfacing student engagement and student perspectives in our discussions,” said jefferson.

_{Matt Freeman (Idaho), antwan jefferson (Colorado), Frankie Eliptico (CNMI), Ann Millner (Utah)}

Building community within the WICHE Commission has been one of the hallmarks of jefferson’s role. WICHE has 48 commissioners: three from each of 15 Western states, and three from Pacific Island members. “It’s important to me to make sure that everyone is being heard and that we take the time we need to reach important decisions and work through processes,” he said. “It’s such a key value of mine to know people’s names, to speak to them often, to invite their input into conversations and to make sure that these views informed my partnership with WICHE President Demi Michelau. I really value helping WICHE accomplish goals that will be of value to all members of the compact as we support increased access to higher education and workforce readiness. I was able to lead an important plenary session around the importance of civil discourse. And, personally, I’ve been blessed with some lifelong friendships.”

In the last several years, as a WICHE commissioner and officer, Jefferson has traveled to key meetings in Guam, Palau, Saipan, Hawaii, Montana, and South Dakota. “I found each of these meetings, wherever I was in the world, to be really energizing because I could see the enthusiasm that people have for higher education and witness workforce programs that are benefiting populations like Indigenous communities and nations, veterans, and first-generation college students firsthand,” he said.

“To be in a place like Palau, which I think is maybe the farthest I've been from the U.S. mainland, and to see this community of Palauans who are brown-skinned, joyful, loving, warm and friendly, was a new kind of experience that was beautiful,” he said. “In Saipan, I rode and flew in an airplane that was the size of a Chevy Suburban across a channel of the Western Pacific Ocean to this island, Tinian, which has historical significance during the Second World War. It's where the Enola Gay took off. It's such a pivotal geographic location for the West and for Southeast Asia and to be in that kind of place and to be hosted, to be shown around, to be so warmly received by the mayor and to be warmly received by the governor of Guam later during the trip was extraordinary.”

_{Patrick Lane, Matt Freeman, Demi Michelau, antwan jefferson, Guam Governor (Lourdes “Lou” Aflague Leon Guerrero), Barbara Damron, Rodney Jacob.}

As immediate past chair and commissioner for Colorado, jefferson currently participates in biannual commission meetings, executive committee meetings, the behavioral health oversight committee, and in the officers’ retreats. His commission term ends this month. Governor Polis will soon determine if jefferson will be renewed for another term through 2029.

“I’m struck by the extraordinary talent that exists in the organization and the breadth of important work accomplished by the team,” he said. “It’s just such a tremendous honor and learning experience to be able to provide my best strategic advice and counsel.”