During the 2020 Legislative Session, the Legislature passed S.B. 111, Higher Education Amendments, which merged the Utah System of Higher Education and the Utah System of Technical Colleges into one System. Beginning July 1, 2020, Utah’s two systems of postsecondary education will combine as a joint Utah System of Higher Education, overseen by a single governing Board, the Utah Board of Higher Education. After July 1, 2020, the Utah System of Higher Education will be comprised of eight technical colleges, two community colleges, four regional universities, and two research universities.

The Board will be called the Utah Board of Higher Education. The System of 16 institutions will be called the Utah System of Higher Education.

• Jesselie Anderson
• Mike Angus
• Jera Bailey
• Nina Barnes
• Stacey Bettridge
• Lisa-Michele Church
• Wilford Clyde
• Sanchita Datta
• Alan Hall
• Patricia Jones
• Crystal Maggelet
• Arthur Newell
• Shawn Newell
• Aaron Osmond
• Harris Simmons
• Scott Theurer

Student Representatives:

• Glen Rivera (technical education)
• Candyce Damron (academic education)

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• Governing the Utah System of Higher Education
• Establishing statewide vision and goals
• Setting policies to achieve statewide goals
• Establishing performance metrics
• Collecting, analyzing, and coordinating system data
• Establishing and overseeing institutional roles
• Setting criteria for program approval
• Appointing and evaluating institutional presidents
• Creating a strategic finance plan including performance funding, overseeing facilities, and setting tuition
• Creating a seamless articulated education system
• Establishing shared administrative services
• Delegating oversight of institution board of trustees
• Delegating institutional management to presidents

The Utah System of Higher Education and the Utah System of Technical Colleges have combined to better support students with higher education accessibility, affordability, and graduation rates. Unifying higher education in Utah will help students in all areas of our state, both rural and urban, to ease the process of getting into and staying in college.

Students should not notice a difference in their day-to-day campus life. The only changes taking place are at the administrative level.

The Utah Board of Higher Education will appoint the Commissioner of Higher Education at the July 1 Board meeting.

The new Utah Board of Higher Education members, appointed by the Governor, will begin their terms on July 1, 2020. The Board will then work to set a strategic direction and vision for higher education in Utah. That direction will build upon the previous work of both the USHE Board of Regents and the Utah System of Technical College’s Board of Trustees in the areas of access, affordability, workforce, transfer, and completion.

Utah System of Higher Education
Two Gateway
60 South 400 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1284

More information about the Utah Board of Higher Education, its role, and initiatives will be updated at ushe.edu.

Media inquiries can be directed to:

Trisha Dugovic, Communications Specialist
tdugovic@ushe.edu