Gen Z: Three takeaways on the new generation of college students

A recent report by the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled The New Generation of Students discussed the differences in the newest generation hitting college campuses: Generation Z. Born between approximately 1995 and 2012, these new traditionally-aged college students are markedly different from generations even in the recent past when it comes to diversity, attitudes about […]

By 2065, the share of Utah’s minority population will increase to 35%

According to a report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, the share of Utah’s minority population will increase from approximately 20% in 2015 to 35% in 2065. Half of Utah’s population growth in this time span will come from minority populations. Among minority populations, Hispanics show the largest increase numerically with 850,000 new Utah […]

Overview: 2019 legislative session outcomes

At the Board of Regents meeting on March 29, 2019, the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education presented a report on the outcomes of the legislative session. Budget Beginning July 1, 2019, the Legislature approved a $96.1 million increase (9.4%) in ongoing tax funds and a one-time increase of $2.2 million (0.2%) for higher education. […]

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 […]

2019 Legislative Update – Week 2

Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee As noted last week, the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee (HEAS) was scheduled this past week to receive several reports, including the USHE Budget Priorities as adopted by the Board of Regents. Ruth Watkins, President at University of Utah, gave the first of the institution-based presentations to the Subcommittee. She touched on […]

Regents approve plan to place a college access advisor in every high school in Utah

The Utah Board of Regents has approved a statewide proposal at its meeting on Friday, September 21, 2018, that will put a permanent, full-time college access advisor in every high school in Utah. The near-peer college access advisor will help students register for and complete college entrance exams, submit college applications, apply for scholarships and financial aid, and connect […]

Celebrating a decade of college success training for Utah K-12 administrators and counselors

Ten years ago the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) hosted its first statewide conference for school administrators and counselors. Around 170 counselors attended that conference. Since then, the annual conference has quadrupled in size, with over 660 attendees at this year’s 10th annual USHE Conference for School Counselors and Administrators, including elementary, junior high, […]

Utah students saved over $8M through WICHE out-of-state tuition-discount programs in 2017-18

America’s largest interstate higher education tuition-discount programs set records in 2017-18 for students enrolled and dollars saved. 42,240 students saved more than $403 million—up 7% from 2016-17—on three programs managed by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) in its 16 member states and territories, the agency announced today. In Utah specifically, 1,049 residents […]

Making a Difference in Math

Legislative math initiative increases college math completion in high school by 28%  SB 196 Math Competency Initiative  (Millner/Gibson), passed during the 2015 Utah legislative session, encourages high school students to complete a higher education math, or Quantitative Literacy (QL), requirement prior to graduating from high school.  A new issue brief from the Office of the Commissioner of […]

Federal action directly impacting higher education moves forward

The United State Congress and U.S. federal agencies have embarked on several actions in recent weeks impacting higher education. A lot of action is still in motion, with much of the focus on tax reform in the coming week. Below is an up-to-date summary of recent actions: House GOP Higher Education Authorization Bill Released The House Education […]