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MINUTES OF THE
HIGHER EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE
Thursday,
January 23, 2025
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8:00 a.m.
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110 Senate Building
Members Present:
Sen. Ann Millner, Senate Chair
Rep. Karen M. Peterson, House Chair
Rep. R. Neil Walter, House Vice Chair
Sen. John D. Johnson
Sen. Karen Kwan
Sen. Kathleen A. Riebe
Sen. Evan J. Vickers
Sen. Chris H. Wilson
Rep. Katy Hall
Rep. Jon Hawkins
Rep. Sahara Hayes
| Rep. Trevor Lee
Rep. Michael J. Petersen
Rep. Mark A. Strong
Members Absent:
Sen. Keith Grover
Sen. Michael K. McKell
Rep. Ryan D. Wilcox
Staff Present:
Joseph Ryan Fitzgerald, Finance Officer
Ben Leishman, Finance Manager
Lorna Wells, Committee Secretary
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Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.
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| Chair Karen Peterson called the meeting to order at 8:07 a.m. |
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| 2.Strategic Reinvestment Reallocation |
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| Ben Leishman, Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst (LFA), gave an overview of the role and process of the subcommittee. |
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| 3a. HED Budget Introductions_25GS |
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| Joseph Fitzgerald introduced the FY 2026 base budget and discussed some specific allocations. |
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| 3b. Higher Education Base Budget Introduction |
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| 3c. Higher Education Data Roll-up |
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| Rep. Walter asked which meeting materials would be discussed. He encouraged committee members to review the meeting materials. and to become very familiar with the budget documents. |
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| Rep. Hall asked for clarification about the "other funding" category and other clarifying questions. Joseph Fitzgerald responded. |
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| Committee members introduced themselves. |
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| 3.Strategic Reinvestment Reallocation |
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| Chair Peterson welcomed members of the Utah Board of Higher Education and specifically the student member, Muskan Walia and Board Member, John Cox.. |
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| Joseph Fitzgerald gave a brief overview of the strategic reinvestment allocation. |
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| 4a. Strategic Reinvestment Funding |
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| Amanda Covington, Chair, Utah Board of Higher Education, discussed some of the strategic priorities of the Board. |
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| 4b. Strategic Reinvestments in Higher Education |
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| Geoff Landward, Commissioner, Utah System of Higher Education, discussed some of the strategic efforts of USHE. |
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| Vic Hockett, Associate Commissioner of Talent Ready Utah discussed Talent Ready Utah priorities and processes. |
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| Carrie Mayne, Chief Economist, discussed the program performance analysis and the utilization of CIP codes. |
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| Sen. Millner commented about efficiency ratios and asked the Board to look a costs per degree and national benchmarks. Carrie Mayne responded. |
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| Sen. Kwan asked how the data is going to be utilized and asked some follow-up questions. Geoff Landward responded. |
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| Sen. Johnson expressed concern about maintaining the distinction between university education and technical education and the value of critical thinking and general education. |
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| Sen. Riebe also mentioned the importance of social sciences and arts of pursuing a well-rounded degree. |
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| Geoff Landward responded to the comments and continued the presentation. |
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| Chair Karen Peterson gave some background information as to why the information was requested. She discussed the importance of making every dollar count and the importance of being life-long learners. |
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| Sen. Vickers discussed his perspective as an employer and the importance of having employees who have a good balance of having the technical skills required but also critical thinking skills and the ability to interact with others. |
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| Sen. Millner discussed the importance of preparing college graduates to live and work in the world of the future. |
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| Sen. Johnson agreed with the comments but also expressed the importance of a historical perspective and understanding. |
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| Sen. Kwan agreed with the importance of liberal education and balancing what has been done in the past with what needs to be done in the future. |
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| Nate Talley, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer discussed the cost of instruction and other financial issues. |
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| Geoff Landward gave some concluding remarks regarding the comments made and the work moving forward. |
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| Chair Karen Peterson gave some final remarks and asked committee members to carefully review the information presented as the committee moves forward with its work.. |
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| Senate Chair Millner assumed the chair. |
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| 4.Performance Audit of the Utah System of Higher Education |
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| Chair Millner mentioned that some of the discussion that has taken place is as a result of the recent audit. |
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| Matthias Boone, Senior Audit Supervisor, Jesse Martinson, Audit Manager and Nick Varney, Audit Staff discussed the recent performance audit of the Utah System of Higher Education. |
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| 5a. Audit Presentation - A Performance Audit of USHE |
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| Sen. Riebe mentioned the importance of all professions and careers and that are not all community-valuable jobs are high paying. Matthias Boone responded. |
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| Geoff Landward responded to the audit findings. |
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| 5.Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst's Budget Recommendations |
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| Joseph Fitzgerald discussed the LFA budget recommendations. |
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| 6a. LFA Budget Recommendations |
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| Sen. Riebe commented about the importance of Native American allocation and the need for time in order for the public to be more aware of this. |
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| 6.Approval of Minutes - October 15, 2024 |
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| MOTION:Rep. Walter moved to approve the minutes of the October 15, 2024 meeting.The motion
passed
with a vote of
9-0-8.
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| Yeas -
9 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
8 | |
Rep. J. Hawkins
Rep. S. Hayes
Rep. T. Lee
Sen. A. Millner
Rep. M. Petersen
Sen. K. Riebe
Rep. M. Strong
Sen. E. Vickers
Rep. R. Walter
| | Sen. K. Grover
Rep. K. Hall
Sen. J. Johnson
Sen. K. Kwan
Sen. M. McKell
Rep. K. Peterson
Rep. R. Wilcox
Sen. C. Wilson
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| 7.Office of the Commissioner's Office of Higher Education Budget Presentation |
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| Joseph Fitzgerald gave an overview of the Utah System of Higher Education Budget. |
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| 7a. Utah System of Higher Education Budget Introduction |
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| Rep. Walter asked a clarifying question about the performance line item. Joseph Fitzgerald responded. |
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| Geoff Landward gave an overview of the new vision and mission of Utah System of Higher Education and the Higher Education Board. |
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| 7b. USHE Overview 2025 GS |
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| Jerry Henley, Senior Assistant Commissioner of The Point, discussed the commercialization process. |
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| Nate Talley and Geoff Landward continued the presentation regarding the USHE budget presentation. |
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| Angie Stallings, Deputy Commissioner discussed the state's K-12 and Higher Education collaboration. |
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| Nate Talley and Geoff Landward continued the USHE Budget Presentation. |
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| Rep. Karen Peterson asked for clarification about the growth funding especially at USU. Nate Talley responded. |
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| Chair Millner commented about the need for these to be integrated and updated. Nate Talley and Geoff Landward continued the presentation. |
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| Rep. Walter commented on the slide regarding funding for FTEs. |
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| Nate Talley concluded the presentation. |
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| MOTION:Rep. Karen Peterson moved to adjourn.The motion
passed
with a vote of
10-0-7.
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| Yeas -
10 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
7 | |
Rep. J. Hawkins
Rep. S. Hayes
Sen. K. Kwan
Rep. T. Lee
Sen. A. Millner
Rep. M. Petersen
Rep. K. Peterson
Sen. K. Riebe
Rep. M. Strong
Rep. R. Walter
| | Sen. K. Grover
Rep. K. Hall
Sen. J. Johnson
Sen. M. McKell
Sen. E. Vickers
Rep. R. Wilcox
Sen. C. Wilson
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| Chair Millner adjourned the meeting at 10:51 a.m. |
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