- Lawmakers updated on the progress of Utah's Higher Education Strategic Reinvestment measure.
- The measure was ratified by lawmakers last year, dramatically impacting Utah's degree-granting institutions.
- The strategic reinvestment plans are being implemented over a three-year period.
The 2025 Utah Legislature’s defining action in higher education was launching the Strategic Reinvestment initiative.
Each of the state’s eight degree-granting institutions were required, over a three-year period, to reallocate 10% from their respective budgets into programs determined to be of highest value to both students and Utah industry.
For all involved, implementing those reinvestment plans “has been a heavy lift,” acknowledged Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, at Friday’s Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee meeting.
A heavy lift, indeed.
Last year’s reallocation efforts led to the creation of many new programs and employee positions. But many other programs and jobs were eliminated, as Utah’s public colleges and universities reinvested resources into areas such as health care, STEM and artificial intelligence.
Last September, the Legislature’s Executive Appropriations Committee reviewed for approval each of the schools’ strategic reinvestment plans.
Millner said the reallocation plans empower Utah students to think critically, problem solve, work as teams and communicate effectively. “But it’s also making sure we’re having resources in areas where students really want to pursue programs, and that it’s student-driven.
“And secondly, that our industries in the area … have those workforce demands met.”
Now, on to Year 2 for Utah’s Strategic Reinvestment effort.
Landward: Ensuring every education dollar is a dollar well spent
In his Friday presentation to the subcommittee focusing on the “Reinvestment/Year No. 2,” Utah Commissioner of Higher Education Geoffrey Landward said the state’s ongoing reallocation plan is drawing attention outside Utah.
“We’ve had many states reach out to us — asking for copies of the guidance and asking for directions to the legislation itself and seeking to use this as a model.”
Higher education’s strategic reinvestment efforts in Utah, he added, blaze “a better path to addressing concerns about value in higher education.”
The three-year reinvestment plan, added Landward, is anchored to responsibility, accountability — and ensuring that every dollar invested in higher education is a dollar well spent.
Each school’s strategic reinvestment plan, he said, offers opportunities “to ask fundamental questions about what we’re providing and what value it creates for those who are investing in it.”
Landward reviewed with the subcommittee on Friday last year’s initial reinvestment process where institutions were initially charged with formulating their often painful reallocation plans. Institution presidents then presented their respective plans to the Utah Board of Higher Education and, later, to lawmakers for approval.
“Year 2, I think, is less of a lift,” said Landward. “Year 2 now becomes iterative.”
In June, the eight degree-granting institutions will once again report on their ongoing implementation details.
“They’ve presented their plans. They’ve been executing their plans over the last few months. Now is the time to say, ‘Has it worked?’ ‘What does it look like?’ ‘And are there any needs for revisions to those plans based on experience and outcomes?’”
Any plan modifications — including modifications initiated by students — would go to UBHE for approval. And once again, UBHE would seek a final thumbs-up from the Legislature.
Reallocation efforts continue in 2026, and beyond
Nate Talley, the Utah System of Higher Education’s deputy commissioner and chief financial officer, walked the subcommittee through the ongoing Strategic Reinvestment financial figures across the state’s degree-granting institutions.
“For fiscal year 2027, we’ve got about $52 million of expected ongoing reinvestments and $51.1 million of disinvestments,” said Talley.
The Legislature requires each institution to meet their full reallocation burden by fiscal year 2028.
Moving forward, said Landward, higher education leaders will continue to ensure that institutions are adhering to the guiding principles of the original reinvestment proposals.
“We want to protect the integrity of the whole process itself and ensure that we’re meeting the expectations — but also that we’re receiving the outcomes that we were hoping for.”
If expectations are not met, he added, “then it’s time to go back and make sure that we can find better ways to do that.”
Landward said his office and the higher education institutions are looking for continuous improvement. “We would anticipate and expect that there would be opportunities to revise these plans — and also, even potentially, go back to the Legislature and say ‘For future activities, we think that we have found even more effective ways to continue to build value in our system.’”
Democratic lawmakers seek inclusion
Sen. Karen Kwan, D-Taylorsville, encouraged Landward to seek broad input from faculty, students and community members as reinvestment plans evolve. “They have such a great insight into how to build and where we should build,” she said. “I think they really need to have a voice in this.”
Landward agreed there have been inconsistencies in approaching the ongoing strategic reinvestment process. “This was a disruptive process,” he said. “It was unsettling and it had impacts on people’s lives. It had impacts on programs.
“We can do better in how we’re communicating these kinds of initiatives.”
Kwan also said it’s important for Utah students across the state to enjoy regional equities in programming. “We need to make sure that they have opportunities where they are; that they don’t have to go just to the two research institutions (the University of Utah and Utah State University).”
Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, saluted USHE’s abilities to create accessible and affordable educational opportunities across the state with its offering of technical colleges, community colleges and universities.
But she added her concerns about budget cuts to education. She also lamented not being included in the recent Capitol Hill signing of a resolution pledging support for higher education in Utah.
The resolution signers included Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Republican legislative leaders, Landward and most of the presidents of Utah’s higher education institutions.
“My elected leaders in my community and in my county, we really believe in the power of education — and we are fierce defenders of our budgets and fierce defenders of our investments,” said Riebe.
The senator added that although she was not part of that recent resolution conversation, “I’m part of that activity.”
“We are with you and we defend you and we believe that with the greatest economy in the nation, we should be working to make sure our systems are going forward.”
After listening to Riebe, Landward acknowledged “what I think is a missed opportunity in that resolution — an opportunity to celebrate what I view as a significant shift in how we’re talking about higher education in this state from our elected leaders.”
Added Landward: “And so to the extent that I did not meet that obligation, I express my apologies to all who could have participated.”
Millner concluded Friday’s higher education presentation thanking Landward for leadership that has earned him bipartisan support among lawmakers.