2017 Legislative Update – Week 2
The Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee The subcommittee met twice this week, hearing from seven of the eight USHE presidents. Each president advocated the Board of Regents’ unified budget priorities, highlighted notable accomplishments and provided compelling arguments of the critical need for increased state funding at their institutions. The subcommittee, as directed by the Executive Appropriations […]
Assets at Utah Educational Savings Plan pass $10 billion
Continuing growth underscores UESP’s value to families saving for higher education The Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) announced last week that its assets under management topped $10 billion, a milestone capping 20 years as Utah’s official and only tax-advantaged 529 college savings plan. The path to $10 billion began in 1996, when the Utah Legislature […]
2017 Legislative Update – Week 1
Overview The 2017 Session of the Utah State Legislature got underway Monday, January 23, and will conclude Thursday, March 9. It is anticipated there will be several bills with potential impact to the Utah System of Higher Education, all of which will be tracked and responses coordinated by the Commissioner’s Office and institutions. 2017-2018 Budget According […]
One year in: Progress report on the Board of Regents’ 10-year strategic plan for higher ed
As Utah’s public institutions enroll the vast majority of Utah high school graduates, the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) is the primary workforce pipeline in the state. USHE’s ability to encourage students to participate in higher education and graduate with a meaningful credential is key to Utah’s prosperity. But over the next ten years, […]
Regents adopt statewide student safety policy to strengthen efforts in addressing sexual misconduct
Student safety has become an issue of primary concern for institutions of higher education throughout the country, in particular regarding sex discrimination, sexual violence and harassment under Title IX. Although all Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) institutions have in place several policies and practices that address student safety, every student, regardless of the institution […]
Board of Regents FY18 budget priorities focus on strategic objectives, outcomes
The 2025 Strategic Plan of the Board of Regents, adopted in January 2016, projects USHE institutions need a combined annual average budget increase of 5% to fund new enrollment growth, student support, compensation, operation and maintenance of facilities, program development, and information technology needs. Over the past two years (FY 2016, 2017), the USHE operating budget […]
USHE institutions add 97 new certificate and degree programs in 2016
The Utah System of Higher Education’s (USHE) 2017-18 legislative budget priorities reflect the most pressing needs of USHE institutions, including the need to increase market demand programs such as data analytics, construction engineering, climate science, biochemistry, respiratory therapy, and human resource management. USHE institutions have started to take measures to add many of these market […]
Over 10,000 students attended StepUp events in 2016
The Utah System of Higher Education via their college readiness platform StepUp to Higher Education, has worked to increase college preparation awareness among Utah high school students, with a large emphasis on how to pay for college over the past few years. StepUp outreach officers work with individual high schools and school counselors to host […]
Investment in a college degree pays off by age 34
It takes an average of 12 years to recoup the cost of getting a bachelor’s degree, according to a new report from The College Board. College graduates with a full-time job earn 67% more than high school graduates working full-time, according to the latest update, Education Pays 2016. This doesn’t include those who went on to […]
Improving college completion in Utah
Timely completion is one of three objectives the Board of Regents decided to focus on for their ten-year strategic plan. Only about two in five students in the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) complete their degree within 150% of time (six years for a bachelor’s, three years for an associate). Increasing the number of […]
