(a) State participation under Articles VIII and XIII of the Western Regional Higher Education Compact shall be limited to the provision of adequate services and facilities in the professional fields of study available through the Professional Student Exchange Program administered by the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education. The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education shall establish funding priorities under AS 14.44.035 for the available fields of study by analyzing student access and state labor needs.
(b) Notwithstanding the funding priorities established under (a) of this section, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education shall provide adequate funding for not fewer than five students each year to attend four-year programs in each of the following fields:
(1) dentistry;
(2) optometry; and
(3) pharmacy.