Board of Regents to adopt major governance revisions in 2017
The 2017 Legislature adopted some of the most sweeping governance revisions for the Board of Regents since its establishment in 1969 through SB 238, Higher Education Governance Revisions (Millner/Wilson). The legislation puts into the law significant areas of existing policy and practice of the board, including board member selection, board duties, the selection of institution […]
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 […]
Utah joins national consortium to improve availability of online classes and programs
Utah has received formal approval to join a 43-state partnership that will help students more efficiently access online courses and programs. As online degree programs have rapidly grown in recent years, attracting students from different states, securing the authorization from other states for those students to enroll has become increasingly costly and administratively burdensome. Previously, colleges […]
Improving teacher preparation: A K-20 partnership
Teacher preparation is a top issue among education leaders—not just for K-12, but for higher education as well. The issue rose to the top of several higher education issues at a recent roundtable event hosted by the Utah Business Magazine. Weber State University President Chuck Wight observed, “Right now we have 1,240 computer science majors, […]
New report demonstrates earning value of liberal arts degrees in today’s workforce
A new analysis by Burning Glass Technologies, a leading job market analytics firm, surveyed over 500 million job listings. The study confirms findings the firm initially published in 2013: Employers consistently value the “soft skills,” or social/interpersonal skills, that a liberal arts education provides. According to Burning Glass CEO Matthew Sigelman, “the reality is the liberal […]
2015 awardees announced for the first-ever Alan E. Hall Innovation for Undergraduate Student Success Award
Thanks to the generosity and forward-thinking of Alan E. and Jeanne Hall, eight deserving projects/programs focused on increasing undergraduate student success will receive awards to further their efforts. In its first year, the Alan E. Hall Innovation for Undergraduate Student Success Award funded awards for one project at each of the institutions in the Utah […]
Interstate Passport Initiative
Transferring between institutions in Utah is seamless, thanks to efforts such as the Faculty Discipline Majors’ Meetings and oversight by the Regents’ General Education Task Force. Throughout the Utah system, most lower-division general education courses have common numbering and aligned learning outcomes. But what if you wanted to transfer to a school out-of-state? Academic leaders […]
The Alan E. Hall Innovation for Undergraduate Student Success Award
The office of the Commissioner is excited to announce the first annual Alan E. Hall Innovation for Undergraduate Student Success Award. A biennial award given to a faculty or staff member or collaborative team at each of the eight USHE institutions, the award is given to support initiatives with clearly defined and well-conceived innovative strategies […]
2014 Utah Majors’ Meeting
Last week, the Utah System of Higher Education hosted the 17th annual Faculty Discipline Majors’ Meeting, which has as one of its objectives to achieve the greatest possible congruence in lower division and pre-major requirements at all USHE institutions. Over 325 faculty and academic advisors representing 32 academic disciplines participated in the meeting. These meetings are faculty-driven […]
