Utah\u2019s public colleges and universities contributes $11.3 billion to the state\u2019s economy, the lion share from the University of Utah and Utah State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Findings of a new report on the value of higher education in Utah confirmed what presidents of Utah\u2019s public colleges and universities frequently evangelize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Higher education translates into higher lifetime earnings and better health outcomes; societal benefits such as higher rates of voter participation and voluntarism; and economic boons such as job creation, workforce development and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe economic data make clear that Utahns who secure higher education degrees earn more income, secure greater employment opportunities, achieve greater upward mobility, participate less in public assistance programs and garner a variety of other positive individual and societal benefits,\u201d the new Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute policy brief <\/a>states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It continues, \u201cUtah\u2019s degree-granting institutions also train Utah\u2019s workforce, generate significant economic contributions as major employers in the communities they serve and create new discoveries that improve life quality.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat I\u2019ve always loved about higher education is it has this remarkable transformational power in individuals,\u201d said University of Utah President Taylor Randall, during a recent Newsmaker Breakfast hosted by the U.\u2019s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt frankly starts with ideas. It starts with ideas in the minds in the hands of the next generation. You give them ideas and you give them confidence, and suddenly the trade-offs in society aren\u2019t seen as trade-offs. Suddenly we see hope for the future and that is for me fundamentally what motivates me in terms of higher education,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Gardner Institute estimates Utah higher education\u2019s direct contributions to the state\u2019s economy total $10.5 billion of a total $22.1 billion in total output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, public higher education contributes $11.3 billion in GDP to the state\u2019s economy. Utah\u2019s R1 research universities, the U. and USU, generate 82.6% of this economic impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Gardner Institute policy brief, Utah\u2019s public higher education system supported an estimated 130,000 jobs in 2023, making it one of the largest employers in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Utah State University President Elizabeth Cantwell said along with universities being significant economic drivers, USU has the trust of the communities it serves, not only as a major employer but for educating the workforce for local companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlso, genuinely creating individuals who have ideas that start up or create new endeavors … is so much more important in a rural area than it is in an urban area. It is absolutely critical that we keep doing that,\u201d Cantwell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Darin Brush, president of Davis Technical College, said Utah\u2019s eight public technical colleges \u201cexist in this really fascinating nexus between workforce development and economic development. That is each one of our missions. So we all teach skills that are in demand, skills that are emerging. We only teach regionally important programs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only are technical colleges making meaningful contributions to the state\u2019s economy, they are building students\u2019 skills and self confidence. That translates into high retention and completion rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA student sees their success and they\u2019re hungry to have more success. That travels with them through completion of the program and into the workplace,\u201d he said. Some take the next step and enroll in a degree-granting college or university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year some 300 Davis Tech alumni have gone on to earn degrees at Weber State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy suspicion is that a lot of those students wouldn\u2019t have had the confidence to go to Weber State had they first got into Davis Tech,\u201d Brush said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even as the benefits of higher education are well documented, Utah\u2019s public colleges and universities are navigating a national narrative that questions the value of a college education, challenges the effectiveness of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices and initiatives and takes issue with what students are taught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n