Why are UVU students treated as 2nd Class Students?

[David Lifferth]

I learned a lot at my meeting with President Matt Holland and the UVU management team this past week. They are doing an amazing job at educating the largest group of students in the state that stay in the state. I congratulated President Holland at doing more with less from a funding standpoint.

One thing that stood out to me was the following slide that shows how much the State of Utah pays to educate each of its higher education students:

The State of Utah pays the following amount for students at its institutions of higher learning:

University of Utah	$7,172
Utah State	$6,417
Snow College	$5,949
SUU	$4,513
Weber	$4,207
Dixie	$3,225
Salt Lake Community College	$2,891
Utah Valley University	$2,871

UVU is paid $4,301 less than the U, $3,546 less than Utah State, $3,078 less than Snow, and $1,336 less than Weber which has an almost identical education model to Utah Valley U.

If this same sort of discrepancy occured in the K-12 range, there would be lawsuit upon lawsuit because of  'lack of equality'.

So why is this lack of equality able to exist in Higher Ed?

[John Emett]

This is crazy. I can sort of see with the U and USU since they are supposed to be research institutions. The craziest number here is Snow. Why in the world would we be spending so much money out there? I hope the board of regents realizes that UVU is being cut short.

[Clint Moser]

Dave,
As an employee of UVU I must disclose my bias, but I hope that the legislature will right this wrong, it is not simply the students that are being treated as 2nd class, but the community (as the majority of UVU's students are from Utah county), and the employees, in lower pay, and higher workloads, because if we were staffed a the level of these other institutions we would have to double or triple the tuition that is charged.

This has gone uncorrected for far to many years because the Legislature and Regents are afraid that if they give UVU more money it won't be "fair" to the other institutions that don't get any money that year!

I would love to talk more about this issue with you, and provide you any information I can. I have worked with our representatives in the past, but always received a luke warm reception, because they said we were in Utah county and so we don't a big enough voice on the hill.

[David Lifferth]

Clint, 801-358-9124. I have perceived a bias against Utah County in the past in more than just education. Utah county has great numbers in the Legislature due to redistricting. Maybe we can right this wrong and balance the accounts.