Details emerge of USU, WSU plans to trim spending in line with $60.5M budget cut

OGDEN — Following legislative approval of a measure requiring Utah’s universities to scale back spending as part of a broader “strategic reinvestment” initiative, some of the possible cuts are coming into focus.

Weber State University in Ogden is planning a reorganization of its College of Education, shifting the four departments within it to other university colleges. The College of Education dean’s post is to be eliminated, among other leadership positions, and university officials are considering more change.

“We’re tasked with making tough decisions, but we’re trying to see this as an opportunity, too. We’re asking the questions: How can we keep our mission front and center? How can we serve students even better in the future, even with some of the challenges we face?” said Bryan Magaña, Weber State spokesman.

At Utah State University in Logan, officials on Monday started accepting applications from faculty and staff willing to take part in a voluntary resignation program, one of the cost-cutting measures planned. If the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program, as it’s dubbed, “does not result in the required budgetary reductions, USU may take additional actions to include implementation of a reduction in force,” reads the university website explaining the incentive program initiative.

During the 2025 session, which ended earlier this month, Utah lawmakers approved a budget plan, HB1, axing 10% of the instructional budgets of the state’s eight higher-education institutions. Gov. Spencer Cox inked it into law in February.

Parallel to that, lawmakers approved HB265, Higher Education Strategic Reinvestment, which lets universities recoup the funds cut for use in ways that help meet state workforce demands and better assure job placement of graduates. The initiatives, broadly, are meant to better focus university funding in higher-use programs and areas that help bolster the state economy, though critics have expressed concern that the change could hamper programs in the humanities.

The eight institutions — Weber State, Utah State, the University of Utah, Salt Lake Community College, Utah Valley University, Southern Utah University, Utah Tech University and Snow College — have to come up with spending cuts by July 1. Cumulatively, the required cuts total $60.45 million, and the internal debates in the schools are underway.

“There’s still a lot to work through between now and when the reallocation plan is finalized, so it’s going to be a crucial season of listening and receiving feedback, fielding those questions and concerns,” Magaña said.

Weber State President Brad Mortensen and Provost Ravi Krovi addressed the outlines of the plans to reorganize the Jerry and Vickie Moyes College of Education in a letter last Thursday to the university community. Weber State has to cut $6.66 million.

“We appreciate your patience, flexibility and collaboration during these unsettled times,” the letter reads. University leaders were to meet with College of Education faculty and staff to further discuss the matter on Monday.

Earlier this month, Utah State unveiled its plans to pursue the voluntary suspension initiative “prior to considering other actions, including potential layoffs and other operational reductions.” On Monday, it updated the website containing details of the voluntary resignation plan, which goes through May 2 and offers eligible participants up to $75,000 in cash. The Logan school has to cut $12.65 million in spending.

“We don’t have further information about the implementation of HB265 as the details are still in the works,” said Utah State spokeswoman Amanda DeRito.

Christopher Nelson, chief university relations officer at the University of Utah, said details of plans at the school should start coming out next week, but he noted calls last December to get university leaders thinking about cuts as talk of mandated spending reductions surfaced. The U. has to cut $19.59 million — the most of any institution.

A rep from Salt Lake Community College, which must trim $5.25 million, didn’t immediately respond to a query Monday seeking comment.

‘At the heart of Weber State’s mission’

Though Weber State’s College of Education would essentially be dismantled, its departments placed within other colleges, Magaña said the focus on helping educate continuing crops of teachers isn’t going away. Just the “organizational framework” of the college is changing, he said, not the university’s mission.

“Education is at the heart of Weber State’s mission, and ‘teaching teachers’ is something we’ve been doing from our earliest days. We’ve trained some of the best K-12 educators working now in Utah. That won’t change,” Magaña said.

Also as part of Weber State’s cost-cutting, three vacant posts won’t be filled — vice president, vice provost and assistant vice president slots.

At Utah State, school officials won’t automatically accept applications from those interested in the voluntary resignation proposal.

Participation “is not an entitlement, and decisions and approvals are at the discretion of the appropriate dean or vice president,” reads the university’s voluntary separation initiative website. Separations “must either financially support the university’s budget reduction requirements or create strategic opportunities for the university.”

A question-and-answer page on the Utah State plans alluded to the possibility of additional budget cuts going forward, referencing moves to cut university research funding by President Donald Trump’s administration. “It is unclear what the future holds, but we know that with forthcoming state budget cuts and uncertainty around federal research grants (which fund graduate research assistantships), USU’s budget will likely become even tighter in the next few years,” it reads.