Legislators discuss higher education
Advances in distance education and “research rock stars” are reasons USU is deserving of continued funding, university President Stan Albrecht said in a presentation at the Utah Capitol on Monday.
“I’d like to just emphasize that we are yours,” said USU President Stan Albrecht said to legislators on the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee. “And so I hope you will join with us in celebrating what we do together in serving the people of Utah.”
The land-grant mission of USU allows it to reach out to thousands of people across the state, Albrecht said. He used an analogy of a three-legged stool to talk about the learning, discovery and engagement roles of the university.
Albrecht said he is particularly excited about the new technologies used in teaching and learning around the state, using online courses and interactive video conferencing.
Currently, USU offers 385 online courses, and one in five USU students take at least one class online. The interactive video conferencing courses, which number roughly equivalent to the online ones, reach more than 5,000 students, Albrecht said.
Albrecht a cited quote said in a previous committee meeting, by author Clayton Christensen: “The university with a bright future is the university that both draws on historical strengths and embraces new technologies, and we feel that Utah State University does that really well.”
Online courses are taken by many non-traditional students who go back to school, Albrecht said, citing examples of specific students from around the state and country, as well as soldiers taking courses from Iraq.
“This tells you, I think very clearly, that we’re dealing with a very different demographic than in Logan,” Albrecht said, regarding the online realm.
New technologies are also refined and created in innovative ways at the Logan and distance campuses around the state, Albrecht said.
“We have what we quietly refer to as ‘research rock stars,'” Albrecht said.
He gave the example of Karl White, director of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management at USU, which, with the Center for Persons With Disabilities, serves more than 4,000 people combined.
Citing 12 National Science Foundation award winners, Albrecht said it is unique to have so many researchers at a university the size of USU receiving that award.
Albrecht introduced what he said is the latest innovation to USU and played a video clip of USU students chanting “I believe that we will win” at the beginning of a football game.
“Getting to a bowl game is our latest innovation we’re excited about,” he said.
State Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, chair of the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee, said, “I’m very proud of what you’re doing. I’m proud of our institutions. I’m really enjoying getting to know them better, getting to know the people who are extremely dedicated. As everyone here knows, I’m looking for dedication, I’m looking for improvement in the system.”
Albrecht and presidents from other colleges and universities across the state each had an opportunity to present to the subcommittee. The Legislature debated and passed a higher-education base budget, which goes into effect if the Legislature fails to pass a final budget before the new fiscal year starts in July.
A base budget is essentially the same as the previous budget without one-time funds set aside which the appropriations committees use to build their new budget, said state Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, in a podcast posted on SenateSite.com on Monday.
Albrecht cited a story he heard from a faculty member who recently visited Brazil and had a conversation on the plane ride home.
According to Albrecht, the faculty member said, “We were talking, and he just finally, casually tossed out, ‘Everyone knows that America is in decline. So, the Brazilian school system is in the process of changing its English language requirements to Chinese.'”
Albrecht said, “I hope that creates a bit of a chill, because if we fail to invest the way that we’re investing in our higher education, that young man’s statement for the future is going to be true.”
– la.stewart@aggiemail.usu.edu