UVSC to seek $$ to offer master's
The $1 million is part of a proposed $8.4 million Sederburg told members of the Utah County chapter of the Public Relations Society of America that will help pay to bring the school to university status in the next two to three years.
Sederburg said the school's proposed going-to-university budget includes $300,000 for graduate-program administration costs and $600,000 for graduate-program instruction costs.
The remaining $7 million or so would go toward increasing the full-time staff at the school, as well as the number of bachelor's degrees, the president said.
Sederburg said making UVSC into a university would bring several advantages to its students and the community. University status would allow the school to offer graduate degrees to its students, which would benefit the area economically, Sederburg said. Changing the status of the school would also impact the prestige associated with UVSC.
"Our students deserve the credibility and the prestige of a university title on their diploma," he said. "Nationwide, the word 'college' is now used for technical schools and community colleges. The word 'college' has been usurped by community colleges and technical colleges. The term 'university' is a better fit for what UVSC does."
"Brigham Young University is increasingly international," Sederburg said. "Only 10 percent of their student population is from Utah County. Each year that number is dwindling, as far as the number of students from Utah County that BYU will pick up."
Evidence of that shift has already begun, Sederburg said. For the first time, this year's enrollment records at UVSC show more students who transferred from BYU to UVSC than the other way around.
The school's plan of attack, Sederburg said, is to approach the Utah Legislature next year to ask for the funds necessary to go ahead with their plans, then educate the public and gather feedback.
"We're approaching this endeavor somewhat similar to a political campaign," Sederburg said. "We need to go get the support of the legislature, the support of the community and the support of the donors."
E-mail: achoate@desnews.com
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