Discover the Million-Dollar Cuts: How Utah Lawmakers Aim to Reduce Funding for Higher Education

Utah’s public colleges and universities are preparing for budget cuts as lawmakers kick off the new legislative session. This month, education leaders finally revealed the projected cuts: a total of $60 million.

“That’s where we are right now in the discussions,” said Geoff Landward, the commissioner of higher education. He expressed concern over the impact these cuts may have, saying, “Every time I see the word ‘Legislature,’ this wave of anxiety crashes over me.”

While a $60 million cut is significant, it’s less than some earlier estimates. For months, Republican lawmakers, led by House Speaker Mike Schultz, have called for more efficiency in higher education. Schultz has emphasized the need for schools to graduate more students into better-paying jobs while managing rising costs and expected drops in enrollment.

In October, he proposed a 10% cut, which could have amounted to around $180 million from the state’s appropriations to higher education. However, the current proposed cut is around 9% from the general instruction budget, leaving out graduate-level teaching and tuition funding.

The state’s contribution for instructional costs last year was about $700 million. This new $60 million cut will impact each of the eight public colleges and universities proportionally, with the larger institutions like the University of Utah facing the largest reductions.

Landward mentioned that schools could cover these cuts from various areas—not just instruction. This means possible reductions could come from budgets related to athletics, student services, or administration. For example, the University of Utah has advised its departments to prepare for potential budget adjustments.

Funds from these cuts will be collected into a restricted account, with an opportunity for colleges to request some of it back for specific purposes. However, any returned funds must focus on programs that lead to high graduation rates and jobs in demand within Utah.

A recent legislative audit has urged schools to prioritize fields like nursing, engineering, and business while cutting back on programs that don’t perform well against these metrics. Landward said the Utah Board of Higher Education will lay out criteria for reallocating funds, which will include factors like job demand and success rates, while also looking at broader benefits like community contributions and life skills.

Concerns have been raised that liberal arts programs might be at risk due to their perceived lower performance based on the data used for evaluations. Weber State President Brad Mortensen stressed the importance of these programs, highlighting their role in developing critical thinking and communication skills. Some liberal arts programs are already shrinking due to new guidelines that reduced the required general education courses for degrees.

Landward explained that lawmakers have been receptive to concerns about the value of liberal arts. The proposed cuts will give schools three years to adjust their budgets, allowing students in affected programs to complete their degrees before any cuts are finalized.

University of Utah President Taylor Randall noted that recent spending increases aimed at improving student counseling services and safety should not be categorized as administrative bloat, pointing out that they enhance student experience.

Despite the challenges, Randall appreciated the flexibility schools have to make budget adjustments where necessary, even while recognizing the difficulty ahead. This comes on the heels of a previous session where higher education funding was already cut by 1.5%, totaling about $20 million.