SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate gave final passage to SB111 Thursday, which puts Utah’s public degree-granting colleges and universities and technical colleges under a single governing body.
SB111, sponsored by Senate Majority Assistant Whip Ann Millner, R-Ogden, would create a single Utah Board of Higher Education to succeed the Utah State Board of Regents and the Utah Technical Colleges board of trustees.
The primary objective of the bill is to improve access and affordability of postsecondary education, Millner said in previous committee hearings.
“The biggest winners in this bill will be the students moving forward,” Millner said in committee debate earlier this week.
One of the underlying goals of the legislation is to create frictionless pathways for students who may attend the state’s tech colleges or degree-granting institutions multiple times during their careers given evolving workforce demands.
“With this, we are building a balance between setting roles and missions. We know the role of our technical colleges, making sure they’re able to be flexible to meet their needs as long as they’re focused on the workforce needs in their area,” Millner said in earlier debate.
There was no discussion on the bill Thursday, when senators voted unanimously to concur with amendments and pass the bill. SB111 also passed unanimously in the House of Representatives. It awaits the governor’s signature.
The inaugural Utah Board of Higher Education would include six members each of the current board of regents and tech trustees, two student members — one from a tech institution and the other from a degree-granting university — and four members of the governor’s choice who would bring specific expertise to the board.
Moving forward, a nominating committee would present possible candidates for board vacancies to the governor and the governor could select among its recommendations for appointments. The appointments would be subject to Senate confirmation.
This not the first time Utah lawmakers passed state law to bring the two systems under one governing board. About 20 years ago, both were combined under the Utah State Board of Regents, with just one regent representing all technical colleges.
The arrangement fell apart after a few years over concerns that tech colleges were not adequately represented and the program approval process bogged down their ability to meet industry needs. There were also concerns over mission creep.
Millner said she believes there are sufficient safeguards to ensure a balance of representation and a process to clarify missions and roles.
The new board will appoint a commissioner for the new system with the approval of the governor and consent of the Senate. The commissioner would then appoint an associate commissioner for academic education and an associate commissioner for technical education. The plan envisions that, eventually, the combined system would operate under one roof.