What does "protecting our priorities" mean in an era when economic realities require that institutions of higher education trim their budgets while also providing critical education and training to more and more students--those "human resources" whose skills will be the key to any economic turnaround? This is a question WICHE addresses every day. For over 50 years, WICHE has helped states deal with scarcity: it was founded specifically to assist states that lacked important resources--specifically, medical, dental and vet schools--to find a way to train the physicians, dentists and veterinarians they needed. Since those early days, WICHE has worked to provide states and institutions with the programs, tools, and research to improve access to higher education--including hundreds of professional, graduate, and undergraduate programs--and to ensure that students succeed. At the core of all its efforts are three elements: efficiency, effectiveness, and innovation. Its research into financial aid looks at ways to coordinate and maximize state, federal, and institutional funding, while its project on transfer and articulation pinpoints promising practices that could help states cut time to degree and lower the cost of college for students. The expansion of the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is helping students tap educational resources outside their state's borders at reduced tuition rates--and saving their state money; while the Internet Course Exchange (WICHE ICE) is assisting colleges and universities in sharing resources to better meet their students' needs. The Master Property Program is helping institutions enhance the protection their assets and reduce the cost of property insurance. WICHE's study of mental health first aid is examining how to help college students in need of mental health services. And its efforts with distance education are showing that innovative new modes of delivery can be just as effective--and more economical--than traditional classroom-based learning. These are just a few of the ways that WICHE worked to protect higher education priorities in the last fiscal year. The 2010 annual report details these, and many more.