Board of Regents implements first need-based scholarship from the State of Utah

Board of Regents also adopts changes to Regents’, New Century, and T.H. Bell Scholarships The Board of Regents adopted a policy implementing the Utah Promise Scholarship—the first-ever need-based scholarship of its kind in the state—at its meeting at Snow College on Friday, May 17, 2019. The Utah Promise Scholarship covers tuition and fees for the […]

Board of Regents appoints David R. Woolstenhulme as Interim Commissioner of Higher Education

The Utah Board of Regents has appointed David R. Woolstenhulme, former Commissioner of Technical Education and current Vice President of Statewide Campuses at Utah State University, as Interim Commissioner of Higher Education. Dr. Woolstenhulme will assume the role on July 1, 2019. “I am honored to be selected as Interim Commissioner of Higher Education,” said […]

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 5

Budget Update All of the Legislature’s budget attention has been focused on a tax overhaul bill that was released this week and adopted by the House Revenue and Tax Committee on Friday. Talk of tax restructuring has pervaded this year’s legislative session as the state’s latest revenue projections show almost 10 times the amount of […]

Board of Regents celebrates 50 years of centralized state higher education governance

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Board of Regents and the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), ushering in an era of more streamlined, centralized higher education governance in the state. Since 1969, when the number of students attending Utah’s public colleges and universities numbered 40,000, the Board has worked […]

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 […]

Utah System of Higher Education releases 2018 Annual Report

The Utah System of Higher Education released its 2018 Annual Report, which details the work of USHE and the Board of Regents over the past year. A college education is more important than ever before, but challenges in college attainment in Utah remain. 95% of new jobs created since the Great Recession require a college education, […]

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 […]