These are classic discussions published back in January 2012

Higher Education Appropriations — Opportunity Knocks!

January 22, 2012
As always, I can’t wait to start the session!!! This year, we are going to do amazing things in the Higher Education Appropriations Committee. As I’ve discussed elsewhere on this blog, we will change the world by better preparing Utah students for college, we will give our faculty a bit of a bump in pay, we will better align concurrent enrollment with future college success, and we will figure out how we will fund our public institutions on the basis of excellence instead of mere growth. In other words, we have much work to do! We already do what we do and know what we know. Thus, I don’t want to take up too much committee time talking about what we already do. Instead, I want to use the skill and expertise of my wonderful committee members, the great people at the Utah System of Higher Education, the students, and the public, to discuss what we need to do in order to... (read more)
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My Goals for Higher Education This Session

January 17, 2012
I’ve attended my classes and done my homework. Now it’s time for my report. So, here’s what I want to do this session for higher education. If you disagree, you’re on notice and you should contact me. First, to address our biggest challenge – completion – I want to raise standards, assess high schoolers, and fully prepare high schoolers. The details of the plan can be found here. Second, we need to take care of our valuable personnel. Higher education workers were left out of the Governor’s budget recommendation for a 1% bump. That’s not acceptable. They truly have done more (huge enrollment increases) with less (significant budget cuts). The thinking, I assume, is that higher ed can raise tuition and find whatever money it needs in the students’ pockets. I disagree. The comparatively low tuition of Utah’s state institutions gives our students a significant advantage. Smart people don’t flippantly give away their advantages. Part of our problem with completion rates is that too... (read more)
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Concurrent Enrollment

January 1, 2012
Point 1. Concurrent enrollment is awesome. Many Utah high school students take courses that give them both high school and college credit. Through these concurrent enrollment (“CE”) courses, students can get a feel for college work, some college credit, and some additional academic challenge. Point 2. Concurrent enrollment has some problems (funding, quality, excess credits). Funding. CE is a financial loser for colleges. With cuts to state funding – made worse by significant enrollment numbers – Utah colleges have recently given notice that they will reduce CE offerings. Quality. Because the quality of CE varies significantly, colleges receive students who have credit on the transcript but actually lack the foundational skills that should have been acquired. Excess College Credits. Many Utah students graduate high school with an associates degree. Again, awesome! However, half those credits won’t count toward a baccalaureate degree. Though any and all education is great, Utah can’t afford to pay for any and all education. CE courses need to track toward a... (read more)
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