New report helps stakeholders understand the past and present of post-secondary education.
Each state has a unique college governing structure. Utah’s is perhaps one of the most unique.
In 2023, the Utah Legislature introduced a new board structure to govern public post-secondary education. However, the subsequent replacement of the existing board and the Commissioner’s resignation led to a swift change – and perhaps an opportunity – in the face of coming enrollment and funding decreases.
The Utah Foundation’s newest report, A Primer on Utah’s Post-Secondary Education Governance System, may be used as a guide to better understand post-secondary education governance. The objective of this report is to:
- Help facilitate deeper conversations to improve this system.
- Explore how boards can be successful as the Utah System of Higher Education looks toward the future.
- Examine several facets of good board governance and provide suggestions for achieving them.
“All parts of the Utah System of Higher Education must work together to ensure that they are on the right track to best serve students,” said the report’s author, Ashley Marshall-Cantor. The report defines college as any formal education after high school. Ashley continued by saying, “Utahns should celebrate college at all levels… Utahns should brag about their community college degrees and technical certificates and certifications.”
The Utah Foundation does just that in the March 4th edition of the Utah Thrives podcast, in which Dan Bammes speaks with:
- Tim Sheehan, Vice President of Government and Community Relations for Salt Lake Community College, about how the Utah system is meant to provide critical employment skills for students.
- President Brad Mortensen of Weber State University about how those skills can become a foundation for undergraduate and graduate degrees that benefit both students and the community.
Utah Foundation President Shawn Teigen said that, given the changes facing college education, “the job of the Utah System of Higher Education is perhaps more important now than ever in helping shape the future for Utahns and the state as a whole.”
A Primer on Utah’s Post-Secondary Education Governance System is available on the Utah Foundation’s website.
The second report in the Utah Foundation’s Post-Secondar Education Governance series will be published soon. It envisions Utah’s educational future and discusses governance tools to achieve the state’s shared goals.
