USHE institutions brought $827 million to Utah in research and grant funding for 2017-18

USHE institutions brought $827 million to the state in research and other grant funds during the 2017-18 academic year, an increase of 18% over the previous year. Institutional grants and contracts provide significant benefits to campuses and society as a whole through gains from research, innovative teaching practices, and economic development. Nearly $564 million of the […]

2019 Legislative Update – Week 6

Budget Update The Legislature’s focus on tax reform continued this week until Thursday when efforts stopped and state leaders announced they will continue efforts beyond the legislative session over the coming months. On Friday, scheduled Executive Appropriations meetings to adopt a new budget were cancelled and lawmakers involved in designing the budget were reportedly expecting […]

Trends in Higher Ed: State need-based financial aid

States invest in need-based financial aid programs to promote access and success for students who might not otherwise be able to afford postsecondary education. Nationally, expenditures in state financial aid programs continue to steadily increase. The annual report of the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, or NASSGAP, finds that the amount […]

Engineering and Computer Technology Initiative has produced nearly 40,000 degrees

In 2001, the Utah legislature approved a bill to establish Enhancements to the State Systems of Public and Higher Education (SB61) within the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE). The bill was created with the goal to increase the number of students graduating from engineering, computer science, and related technology programs. In order to track […]

2019 Legislative Update – Week 5

Budget Update All of the Legislature’s budget attention has been focused on a tax overhaul bill that was released this week and adopted by the House Revenue and Tax Committee on Friday. Talk of tax restructuring has pervaded this year’s legislative session as the state’s latest revenue projections show almost 10 times the amount of […]

USHE institutions provide over 74% of career and technical education in Utah

Each year, the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) produces an annual report on Career and Technical Education. Career and Technical Education (CTE) can be defined as organized educational programs offering sequences of courses directly related to preparing individuals for paid or unpaid employment in current or emerging occupations requiring other than a baccalaureate or […]

2019 Legislative Update – Week 4

Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee The Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chairs presented the subcommittee’s priorities to the Executive Appropriations Committee last week. Final 2019-20 budget revenue projections were announced on February 22. While new revenue estimates are $120 million lower than estimates announced in December 2018, the Legislature will still have over $1 billion surplus going […]

Board of Regents approves updated strategic system metrics

For the past year, the Board of Regents has been working to set metrics to measure progress towards the Board’s 2025 Strategic Plan, both for the entire system of public colleges and universities as well as for individual institutions. These metrics and goals will assist the Board in its statutory responsibilities to measure progress of […]

USHE presidents sign letter of support for HB 260: “It’s time to expand the programs already proven to work to all Utahns.”

On February 11, 2019, Utah’s public college and university presidents and the Commissioner of Higher Education signed a letter of support for Representative Derrin Owens’ HB 260 Access Utah Promise Scholarship. This legislation would create a last-dollar scholarship patterned after SLCC Promise and Dream Weber, that would pay for tuition and fees for the first two years […]