Agency: State Board of Regents

Line Item: Education Excellence

Function

Funding for Education Excellence was appropriated during the 2011 General Session as one-time funding for several intitiatives designated to address specific issues and improve the delivery of education in the State. The Governor's Education Excellence Commission has established the goal of having 66 percent of citizens with a postsecondary degree or certificate.

The Legisalture approved a total of $5.5 million in one-time funding to include the following items:

• $1 million for Mission-Based Funding, in conjunction with S.B. 97, passed during the 2011 General Session;

• $250,000 for a Data Integration Project to determine future workforce needs as they relate to students in higher education courses. This project will utilize information form the USHE, UCAT, State Office of Education, and Department of Workforce Services;

• $550,000 to improve the UtahFutures.org website, to help students determine earlier the education al opportunities they would like to pursue;

• $750,000 for Economic Development projects, including existing projects at the University of Utah, Weber State University, and Utah Valley University; and new projects at Southern Utah University, Snow College Dixie State College, and Utah State University - College of Eastern Utah;

• $2,435,700 for the development of six new technology-intensive, concurrent enrollment courses that will fulfill general education requirements and include state achievement assessment of learning outcomes. These courses include: Introduction to Visual Arts, Introduction to Writing, Elementary Chemistry, Intermediate Algebra, Quantitative Reasoning, and Introduction to Psychology. These courses will be availbale for students in the Fall of 2012; and

• $500,000 for the Utah Business Education Support Trust which will be a website to engage eduation with businesses

Funding Detail