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Budget and Capital Facilities
7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. – Closed Session
8:15 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. – Committee of the Whole
Projected times for the various meetings are estimates only. The Board Chair retains the right to take action at any time. To ensure availability, individuals needing accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (including auxiliary communicative aids and services) for this meeting or the materials should notify Brynn Fronk at brynn.fronk@ushe.edu, 60 South 400 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84180 (801-646-4784), at least three working days prior to the meeting.
MINUTES ARE SUBJECT TO BOARD APPROVAL AT THE NOVEMBER 21, 2024, BOARD MEETING.
Utah Board of Higher Education
Utah System of Higher Education
Friday, October 4, 2024
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
Minutes
Board Members Present Board Members Absent
Amanda Covington, Chair Tina Marriott
Steve Neeleman, Vice Chair
Javier Chávez Jr.
Jon Cox
Sharon Eubank
Danny Ipson
Cydni Tetro
Aaron Skonnard
Muskan Walia
Office of the Commissioner
Geoffrey Landward, Commissioner
Alison Adams, General Counsel and Board Secretary
Taylor Adams, Associate Commissioner of Student Affairs
Kris Coles, Assistant Commissioner of Access and College in High School
Trevor Cross, IT
Trisha Dugovic, Director of Communication
Malin Francis, Director of Facilities
Brynn Fronk, Executive Assistant to the Utah Board of Higher Education
Julie Hartley, Associate Commissioner of Academic Education
Vic Hockett, Associate Commissioner of Talent Ready Utah
Carrie Mayne, Chief Economist
Katie Mazzie, Assistant Commissioner of Strategic and Government Affairs
Natalie Reidhead, Administrative Assistant
Hilary Renshaw, Associate General Counsel
Brian Shuppy, Senior Assistant Commissioner for Budget and Finance
Nate Talley, Deputy Commissioner and CFO
Melissa Van Hien, Executive Assistant to the Commissioner and Office Manager
Kim Ziebarth, Associate Commissioner of Technical Education
Institutional Presidents Present
Mindy Benson, Southern Utah University Greg Peterson, Salt Lake Community College
Darin Brush, Davis Technical College Taylor Randall, University of Utah
Elizabeth Cantwell, Utah State University Jordan Rushton, Dixie Technical College
Chad Campbell, Bridgerland Technical College Jim Taggart, Ogden-Weber Technical College
Clay Christensen, Mountainland Technical College Astrid Tuminez, Utah Valley University
Paul Hacking, Tooele Technical College Aaron Weight, Uintah Basin Technical College
Stacee McIff, Snow College Courtney White, Utah Tech University (interim)
Brad Mortensen, Weber State University Brennan Wood, Southwest Technical College
Other Guests
Cathy Anderson, CFO, University of Utah
Dave Cowley, VP for Finance and Administrative Services, Utah State University
Steve Hess, Chief Information Officer, University of Utah
Michelle Hoffman, Adjunct Instructor, University of Utah
John O’Neil, VP for Operational Strategy and Special Advisor, Utah State University
Jeffrey Miller, Dean, College of Engineering and Computational Science, Southern Utah University
Paul Morris, VP of Administrative Affairs, Utah Tech University
Jim Mortensen, VP for Finance and Auxiliary Services/CFO, Utah Valley University
Val Peterson, VP for Administration/Strategic Relations, Utah Valley University
Laura Snow, Senior Advisor, University of Utah
Wayne Vaught, Provost/Sr. VP, Utah Valley University
Grace Wingate, Presidential Intern, Utah Valley University
Chair Amanda Covington called the meeting to order at 7:30 a.m.
Board member Ipson moved to go into closed session for the purpose of discussing the character, professional competence, or physical or mental health of an individual; impending litigation; or the sale of real property. Board member Cox seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Closed Session
Vice Chair Neeleman moved to end closed session. Board member Eubank seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Committee of the Whole
Institutional Updates
President Betsy Cantwell from Utah State University and President Chad Campbell from Bridgerland Technical College provided updates on their institutions. This was an information item only; no action was taken.
Office of the Commissioner Updates
Commissioner Landward highlighted the organizational changes to the Office of the Commissioner. This was an informational item only; no action was taken.
Strategic Plan
Katie Mazzie updated the Board members on the strategic plan and reviewed the Board Priorities Dashboard. Katie noted that the dashboard would be updated whenever a tactic was significantly advanced. The Board discussed its current focus on commercialization as a shared service. Under Utah Code Section 53B-1-402(9), the Board is required to provide evidence of the implementation of at least one shared administrative service to the Legislature on or before October 1, 2024. At Board member Walia’s request, the strategic plan and dashboard will be shared with the Utah Student Association. This was an information item only; no action was taken.
Simplified Admissions Update
Taylor Adams introduced the Simplified Admissions Update. Kris Coles shared the admitutah.org website and walked through the tool on the site that will help students find their best fit institution within the system. Carrie Mayne talked about the data component for admitutah.org. Kris then shared the next steps for the project and Phase 3 goals. The Board members discussed the data integration on admitutah.org, timeline clarification, and scholarship and affordability information. This was an information item only; no action was taken.
FAFSA Completion Updates
Taylor Adams provided an update on FAFSA completion for the Board members. The Office of the Commissioner is trying to increase FAFSA completion in the following ways: the Board approved funding to award students who couldn’t complete the FAFSA, the launch of the FAFSA Outreach Campaign, and the launch of social media ads and influencer marketing. Board member Ipson inquired about the connection with the Utah Education Initiative. Taylor shared that they regularly present to education mentors. Chair Covington asked if the chat box integration for both projects is multilingual, to which Taylor responded yes, there are over 35 languages. This was an information item only; no action was taken.
U of U Public Private Partnership for Student Housing
Nate Talley reviewed the details of the University of Utah Public Private Partnership for Student Housing project with the Board members. Chair Covington inquired about parking on the University of Utah’s campus. President Randall said they are addressing parking in the overall campus master plan. Board member Ipson asked what liability the institution carries in the Triple Net Lease structure. John Creer answered that ACC is responsible for owning, maintaining, and continuing to invest in the asset without obligation to the university. From a management standpoint, President Randall shared that students will go through a single housing portal, and then the university will make the assignment. In response to a question from Board member Cox, Presidents Randall, Mortensen, and Cantwell mentioned that the Board should expect to see more of these P3 models moving forward. Board member Cox moved to authorize the University of Utah to partner with American Campus Communities to develop and operate student housing as presented, subject to approval of the contracts as to form and legal authority by the Attorney General’s Office. Board member Skonnard seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Consent Calendar
Board member Tetro moved to approve the consent calendar. Board member Ipson seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Fiscal Year 2025-26 USHE Capital Budget Recommendation
Nate Talley introduced the USHE Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Capital Budget Requests.
FY 2025-26 USHE Capital Budget Requests presentations were given from the following degree-granting institutions:
FY 2025-26 USHE Capital Budget Requests presentations were given from the following technical college institutions:
Board Deliberations
Nate walked the Board through the project scoring results for degree-granting institutions. The Board members discussed and deliberated the project requests.
Technical College Non-Dedicated
Board member Eubank moved to approve the following technical college non-dedicated capital facility request prioritization, with the top-ranking project advancing to the Legislature for funding consideration in the 2025 General Session:
Board member Eubank also moved to defer until the March 2025 meeting the decision as to whether the technical college non-dedicated projects and their ranking should be frozen for FY 2027. Board member Cox seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Degree-Granting Non-Dedicated
Chair Covington moved to approve the following degree-granting non-dedicated capital facility request prioritization, with the top-ranking project advancing to the Legislature for funding consideration in the 2025 General Session:
Chair Covington also moved to defer until the March 2025 meeting the decision as to whether the degree-granting non-dedicated projects and their ranking should be frozen for FY 2027. Vice Chair Neeleman seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Degree-Granting Dedicated Capital Projects
Board member Cox moved to approve Utah State University’s request to fund the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Building Remodel as a dedicated project supported with available dedicated project funds, unless the Legislature funds Utah State University’s non-dedicated proposal. Board member Ipson seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Board member Eubank moved to approve Weber State University’s Student Services Support Center Renovation and Allied Health South Remodel as dedicated projects supported with available dedicated project funds. Board member Tetro seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Board member Ipson moved to approve Southern Utah University’s Business Building West Cost-Escalation and South Edge of Campus Landbank as dedicated projects supported with available dedicated project funds. Chair Covington seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Board member Cox moved to approve Utah Tech University’s McDonald Building Renovation and Addition as a dedicated project supported with available dedicated project funds. Board member Walia seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Board member Skonnard moved to approve Utah Valley University’s:
Board member Ipson seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Chair Covington moved to approve SLCC’s South City Campus Seismic Upgrade as a dedicated project supported with available dedicated project funds. Board member Eubank seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Board member Skonnard moved to approve Snow College’s Washburn Building as a dedicated project supported with available dedicated project funds. Board member Cox seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Technical College Dedicated Capital Projects
Chair Covington moved to approve Southwest Technical College’s Diesel Tech Program Bays as a dedicated project supported with available dedicated project funds. Board member Skonnard seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Board member Ipson moved to approve the Tooele Technical College Landbank as a dedicated project supported with available dedicated project funds. Board member Eubank seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Fiscal Year 2025-26 USHE Operating Budget Recommendation
Commissioner Landward and Nate Talley presented the agenda item. The Commissioner shared the budget process, and Nate reviewed the budget requests. The Board members and presidents discussed the budget recommendation.
Board member Ipson moved to approve the FY 2025-26 USHE operating budget priorities as shown and to authorize the Commissioner to make any subsequent technical adjustments, including rounding, necessary to finalize the budget prior to submitting it to the Governor and Legislature. He further moved to authorize the Commissioner, in consultation with the Board’s Executive Committee, to present adjustments to the adopted FY 2025-26 USHE operating budget amounts in the event the adopted budget is significantly misaligned with available state resources announced for the 2025 General Session. Board member Walia seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
Board member Skonnard moved to adjourn. Board member Eubank seconded the motion, and the Board members in attendance voted unanimously in favor. The motion passed.
The meeting adjourned at 3:51 p.m.
Presentations
Capital Budget Presentations
Utah System of Higher Education
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Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
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