Utah universities show plans to cut ‘inefficient' programs to boost engineering, AI and nursing
The Utah Board of Higher Education approved the reallocation plans submitted by all public universities in the state, one of the first steps delineated by recently approved legislation requiring schools to cut 10% of their budgets for courses.
Overall, the plans include layoffs and the elimination of programs with low enrollment and graduation rates in order to receive an eventual boost to budgets for programs related to engineering, artificial intelligence, nursing and behavioral health.
That's in line with a legislative audit that advised lawmakers to look into cutting 'inefficient' programs and expanding those with waitlists to keep universities relevant. Also, with a mandate triggered by HB265, a 2025 bill that codified the guidelines for that effort.
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In total, universities have to cut $60 million, which will sit in a 'strategic reinvestment account' until they implement the reallocation plans in three years. While the new law requires institutions to reallocate 30% of the full $60 million, on Friday they presented plans to the board that would surpass that and cut about 50% of the $60 million.
'We're glad to be able to just finally have the opportunity for you, as a board, to see the culmination of what has been exceptionally difficult work on the part of the institutions, and the leadership of the institutions,' Geoffrey Landward, commissioner of higher education, told the board on Friday. 'Faculty and staff and students are all impacted by this work.'
However, he described the process as 'exceptionally important,' arguing that it would give higher education institutions the tools to the challenges they will face in the future.
With tight deadline, Utah universities scramble to cut 10% of budget for courses
Overall, 43.6% of the cuts will come from the instructional budgets, 20% from academic support areas, 2.4% from student services, 31.6% from institutional support, 1.7% from research and 0.6% from public service, data from the Utah System of Higher Education shows.
Over 60% will go to other instructional efforts after the three-year process, 20% to an instruction/research category, 8% to academic support, 5.3% to student services, 3.7% to institutional support and 2.4% to research
The Friday presentations also offered a glimpse into plans previously kept under wraps — including those from Utah's flagship university.
As the largest university in the state, the University of Utah had to cut the most from its budget — $19.5 million. The institution is planning to cut $7.5 million in 2026, $6.2 million more by 2027 and an additional $5.8 million by 2028 to reallocate to engineering, AI, clinical training for nursing students, biotechnology, civic engagement — with an emphasis on American federalism — and behavioral health, University of Utah President Taylor Randall told the board.
The U. received a conditional approval, since its leaders asked for additional time to decide how some elements during the second and third year will play out in the school's research space while Congress reviews its spending package.
'We, on a daily basis, are staring at tens of millions of dollars of grants that are moving back and forth,' Randall said. 'Those actually affect staffing decisions and faculty decisions, and so we are just grateful that you've allowed us some time to let some of those things settle down.'
Currently the plans are to make cuts in the school's administration and staff, and 484 courses, including 81 in the College of Humanities, 62 in the College of Fine Arts, 62 in the College of Social and Behavioral Science, and 61 in the College of Health.
Some of them come from not revising the list too often, Randall said. 'Over time, you don't clean things up, and that's clearly what we did. This tells you, by college, the courses that had been fallow for a little bit too long or had very, very low enrollment.' Some others overlapped too much with other courses that were already filling market needs.
Meanwhile, other schools showed different areas in which they intend to innovate in the process.
Utah State University, for example, is allocating a good chunk of the funds retained from staff and course cuts for what their leaders call 'technologies and careers for the future.' That includes a new school of computing, a new chemical engineering program, an AI Center for Excellence, and an expansion of its aviation program, along with new schools for design, construction and manufacturing, and technical education.
Southern Utah University is planning on a big push to place students in internships, while eliminating programs on languages, arts, ethnic studies, women and gender studies, and construction technology, among others.
Salt Lake Community College is eliminating or streamlining programs due to low enrollment and completion rates in the Provost's Office, in the School of Arts, Communication and Digital Media, in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and in its business school, among others. But the college is also pursuing expanding its hospitality and film programs, which are in high demand.
Snow College is proposing to expand its prison education programs, as well as other courses on automation technology, respiratory therapy, and strategic communications and public relations. But, at the same time, it is eliminating programs on languages and media studies, alongside The Snowdrift, its campus newspaper, and the school's radio and television stations.
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