Utah’s lawmakers are set to revamp higher education, focusing on cost efficiency and student success in the 2025 session
Salt Lake City: Over the last ten years, Utah has seen its spending on higher education double. But here’s the kicker: while administrative costs per student have shot up by over 75%, student enrollment has only increased by about 24%. That’s a big gap!
State House Speaker Mike Schultz is on a mission. He wants to dig deep into how every dollar is spent and figure out how colleges can do more with less taxpayer money. He believes it’s time to refocus higher education on what really matters.
For the House Republicans, education is the top priority for the upcoming 2025 session, and they’re starting with higher education. Schultz is all about aligning university investments with what students need after graduation and what the job market demands.
He’s got a plan to kick things off with a bill that will help the Utah Board of Higher Education evaluate how effective university programs are. This review will happen over the next few months, and the board will report back with ideas on reallocating funds to better serve Utah residents.
Schultz isn’t just targeting liberal arts programs; he’s looking at programs that have too many universities offering the same thing but producing very few graduates. He wants to streamline these programs and use the savings to boost areas where there’s a real demand, like nursing and engineering.
He’s hoping for a lot of teamwork with university leaders to tackle rising tuition costs and ensure students are ready for a changing job market. University of Utah President Taylor Randall is already ahead of the game, focusing on cutting administrative costs and improving educational access.
Randall believes that the university and the Legislature share a common goal: preparing Utahns for a rapidly changing economy. He’s all about making sure they invest in the right areas to create a positive impact on society.
Recently, the University of Utah announced a new initiative to pool resources across different colleges, which should help improve graduation rates and job readiness. Randall thinks that consolidating resources can actually enhance the diversity of educational opportunities in the state.
As lawmakers and universities work together, they hope to create a more cohesive system that allows each institution to shine in its own strengths. The goal is to provide a higher quality education for everyone.
Looking ahead, the House Republicans have a three-year vision for education reform. Last year, they made some significant changes, and this year they plan to set guidelines for evaluating college programs. Next year, they’ll be ready to implement budget changes based on these evaluations.
In the end, Schultz is optimistic that these reforms will help Utah’s higher education institutions better prepare students for the future while keeping costs down. He’s confident that if they do it right, they can keep tuition from skyrocketing.
