UVSC's designs looking good

Deseret Morning News editorial
Published: Friday, Dec. 29, 2006 12:08 a.m. MST
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Typically, there are a couple of ways for public colleges to become universities. One is the politically expedient route. An interested lawmaker sponsors legislation and lines up the votes to make it a reality. The other is to take steps to ensure the institution is prepared for the next rung of the higher education ladder — working through the state's higher education authority, ensuring the institution's library can support graduate education, hiring as many professors with doctorates degrees as possible and offering a wide variety of bachelor's degrees.

All indications are that Utah Valley State College has taken the latter route. That bodes well for its bid to become the state's fifth public university.

It's hard to argue against the demand for a public university in Utah County, with its population now exceeding 360,000 people. It is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state and it needs a university to serve the population.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of altering UVSC's mission is ensuring that the "state college" niche that UVSC has served so well is still available in Utah's system of higher education. This is important to students who not may be prepared for the rigors of university work. When an institution is promoted to a higher tier, the danger is there will be fewer opportunities for students who were best served by what the institution used to be.

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Utah Valley State College officials are keenly aware of these issues. A new library is under construction on campus, scheduled for completion in 2008. Although a new library is needed to further UVSC's university transition, the $50 million Digital Learning Center transcends the stacks of books and journals typically found in university libraries. It will be an innovative digital center, combined with traditional books. The Utah Legislature has appropriated $43.25 million toward its construction.

Utah County lawmakers, many of whom hold key legislative leadership roles, are highly supportive of UVSC's designs on university status. That should bode well for the institution. Another boon is the privately funded "Friends of Utah Valley," formed around the goal of pushing UVSC to university status. The organization plans to launch a media campaign to tout the benefits of the school.

But perhaps more important, UVSC has jumped through the right procedural hoops, engaged stakeholders, worked with higher-education officials, legislative leaders and donors in setting a deliberate course toward its goal. UVSC will present a ripe proposal to the State Board of Regents, which must first approve a new mission statement for the institution. Then, the issue goes before the Legislature, for additional funding to round out UVSC's bachelor degree offerings. Eventually, lawmakers will consider the name change. That's the right way to do it.

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