Making campus advocates confidential may help increase reporting & access to services
House Bill 251, Campus Advocate Confidentiality Amendments, by Rep. Angela Romero, prohibits the disclosure of confidential communications related to advocacy services at a Utah institution of higher education. As of today, the bill passed the House and has been sent to the Senate Rules Committee. Why do campus advocates need confidentiality? Currently, students and survivors on […]
Need for mental health services increases across Utah, including on higher ed campuses
There’s been a marked increase in Utahns seeking mental health services in recent years. This increase is exacerbated by a shortage of mental health professionals in Utah, especially in rural areas, and difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified professionals. In fact, most states have serious shortage issues for mental health professionals. Along with general statewide growth, there […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Regents establish working group on student mental health
The Board of Regents has appointed a special working group focused on student mental health at USHE institutions. The committee will be lead by Regents Pat Jones, Ty Aller, Jesselie Anderson, Mark Stoddard, and Nina Barnes. This action was part of a discussion facilitated by two Vice-Presidents of Student Affairs with the Board and USHE […]
Student mental health on college campuses becoming a significant policy issue
The Utah Student Association has identified student mental health as its top priority for the past two years. More recently, student leaders at Utah State University voted to declare a mental health crisis at the university. According to a survey compiled by student leaders across the state, a college student in Utah, on average, has to […]
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 […]
National survey finds 80% of college seniors feel prepared for the workforce
Last week, McGraw-Hill released its third-annual Workforce Readiness Survey, which includes responses from 1,360 current college students across the country (from freshmen to graduate students). These students were asked for their opinion on how they perceive college has prepared them for their future career. Career preparedness 80% of college seniors felt either somewhat or very prepared for a professional career. […]
