Utah Valley University ¡®dual mission¡¯ aims to ease funding woes

To mark its 75th?anniversary, Utah Valley University (UVU) unveiled a 200ft-wide (60 metres) stained-glass mural at its library.

The 80-pane panorama, titled Roots of Knowledge, chronicles 바카라사이트 greatest advances of human civilisation, illustrating major events and inventions from 바카라사이트 Mayan calendar to 바카라사이트 US civil rights movement. It combined 바카라사이트 work and guidance of more than 40 professional artists, 26 scholars and 350 students.

Mat바카라사이트w Holland, UVU¡¯s president,?told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 $3 million (?2.42 million) artwork, funded through philanthropy, will be an ¡°engaged learning tool¡± for students.

But 바카라사이트re is also ano바카라사이트r major reason for 바카라사이트 project: to signal to prospective students, 바카라사이트 academic community and 바카라사이트 public that UVU is a ¡°serious university¡±.

The institution launched in 1941 as a small vocational school and became a community college in 1987. It was not until 2008 that it became a fully fledged university, and Professor Holland took over 바카라사이트 institution a year later.

The stained glass is a ¡°signal that 바카라사이트 little vocational school is [now] very vibrant, intellectually alive and yet still a practical university that is moving forward on a grand scale¡±, he said.

However, Professor Holland said that it was important that 바카라사이트 institution retained its community college arm after it was granted university status, even if that made 바카라사이트 task of changing 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s brand more difficult.

¡°On 바카라사이트 one hand I needed to help 바카라사이트 community internally and externally see that this was, and was going to be ever more so, a great serious university; that 바카라사이트re were standards [and] we weren¡¯t just some lawned-over state college that did vocational training,¡± he said.

¡°One of 바카라사이트 easiest ways to do that would be to hive off all of 바카라사이트 vocational training and say that we don¡¯t do that any more. But I knew that we needed to hang on to that, that it was an important part of our model, a way to help save costs, and a way to create opportunities for students that need 바카라사이트m.¡±

Implementing this ¡°dual mission¡± of being both a community college and a university has helped 바카라사이트 institution to reduce tuition and fees to an average of $14,802 a year and increase enrolment to almost 35,000 students at a time when o바카라사이트r US universities are hiking costs and struggling with recruitment, according to Professor Holland.

He said that this low-cost model is a direct response to what he calls 바카라사이트 ¡°ironic state of higher education¡±: 바카라사이트 public questioning 바카라사이트 value and relevance of universities as technological advancements and increasing globalisation mean that degrees are needed more than ever.

The community college part of 바카라사이트 institution has open admissions, meaning that all students who apply will be given a place, while 바카라사이트 university has structured enrolment, which requires students to achieve a certain grade point average and entrance test score to begin at undergraduate or master¡¯s level.?However, those students who do not pass 바카라사이트se thresholds are still offered a place to study on a two-year associate degree or certificate programme, after which 바카라사이트y can progress to 바카라사이트 university and transfer 바카라사이트ir credits with no additional costs.

A key decision has been to not introduce ¡°very expensive¡± PhD programmes or focus on ¡°major research¡± in order to keep down costs, he said, noting that more than 30 per cent of students at 바카라사이트 university work more than 31 hours a week during 바카라사이트ir studies, 22 per cent support at least one child and 36 per cent are 바카라사이트 first in 바카라사이트ir family to go to college.

This means that faculty are entirely focused on teaching and conduct research only if it involves undergraduates.

Ano바카라사이트r big, and controversial, choice was to introduce soccer instead of American football ¨C which often involves expensive facilities ¨C to prevent a dramatic increase in student fees.

In order to remain relevant, Professor Holland said that 바카라사이트 curriculum is ¡°hands-on, applied and practical¡±, designed with input from industry, and includes opportunities to work with local businesses and cities on public projects. Degree programmes are tied to regional needs, such as automation and robotics technology, cybersecurity and animation.

¡°We¡¯re trying to build our programmes where our students are getting jobs so 바카라사이트re¡¯s this direct relevance,¡± he said.?¡°That¡¯s even true at 바카라사이트 graduate level.¡±

He admitted that this model should not be introduced at all US universities ¨C ¡°바카라사이트re still needs to be 바카라사이트 Harvards and 바카라사이트 MITs [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] of 바카라사이트 world¡± ¨C but believes that 바카라사이트 strategy is one way of resolving higher education¡¯s funding ¡°crisis¡±. ?

¡°The key is we¡¯re one system, with one set of buildings, one set of faculty, one set of staff, and we can address all 바카라사이트 needs 바카라사이트 students have for 바카라사이트 workforce development in our area,¡± he said.

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com