Mountain West higher ed in the news

Big article in Aug. 22's CHE on the challenges faced by higher ed in the "Mountain West" which includes Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and New Mexico. Chancellor Dan Klaich's picture and several quotes from him are prominently featured (see sections on "A time to heal" and "College-completion goals"). The article reports that "States in this region account for four of the five fastest-growing states, in terms of high-school graduates. Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Idaho, in that order, are projected to have the greatest growth in high-school graduates from 2010 to 2020, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education." The budget picture is grim, as mentioned in an earlier post; Nevada is projected to have the biggest budget gap of any state in 2011 (as a percentage of its general-fund budget). according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.