Utah State University returns to the drawing board to get state funding back

SALT LAKE CITY — Lawmakers have voted to move funding forward for all of Utah’s public universities, except for Utah State University.

The deal was lawmakers would return funding to the schools after they made plans to cut low-yield programs and invest in degrees with high returns.

USU interim President Alan Smith presented the school’s plan at the Executive Appropriations Committee meeting, but House Speaker Mike Schultz wasn’t pleased.

“I have a hard time understanding why we would be expanding into nursing in Utah State University when we have Weber State University that has a fantastic program already in Northern Utah,” Schultz said. “To me it just seems duplicative and goes against what we are trying to accomplish.”

Smith said USU has hundreds of students on campus interested in the nursing program and available spots are quickly filled. Last year, the school even filled extra spots when it expanded from accepting 60 students to 120.

Schultz also took issue when he didn’t see large plans for natural resources or research into innovative agriculture. Smith responded, saying the school has already made these programs a high priority and are getting funding from other sources.

USU will now need to revise its plans and present to the Utah Board of Higher Education and the Legislature.

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