Administrators increase USU’s presence in Utah
Utah State University plans to have a stronger presence in Salt Lake City.
Jack Payne, vice president for Extension, said, “When we are using the term Salt Lake City in these circumstances, we are really talking about urban Utah, and that means the Wasatch Front, of which Salt Lake City and its suburbs is a big part of.”
Renee Payne, director of Marketing, said, “Most of the population of the state is located on the Wasatch Front. A huge portion of our alums, like 70 percent, are in that area. The legislature, hence, decision-making bodies are also there.”
Jack said Utah is the second or third most-urban state in the country.
So, if USU is to be successful in recruiting students from around the state, it needs to have a strong presence in the capital city and the Wasatch Front, he said. That is where future students reside.
President Kermit L. Hall said, “We’re making a more systematic effort to have presence there. Salt Lake City is a critical place to recruit students.”
There is a large concentration of alumni and the public perception of Utah in general is driven by what goes on in Salt Lake City, he said.
Rance Pugmire, director of Athletics, said, “We want to grow a fan base, and the population base and fans in Cache Valley need to be supplemented from other areas.”
In his State of the University Address, Hall said, “As the Dan Jones survey [that calculated outside perceptions of USU] makes clear, few people in Utah know about our successes, understand what our mission is, or comprehend the difference we make in their lives. Yet this same survey finds an enormous amount of good will in support of Utah State.”
So what is the university doing to establish this desired presence?
Pugmire said, “We have monthly Big Blue luncheons in Salt Lake City during the football and basketball seasons, weekly radio shows in Salt Lake, we drive press conference tapes to Salt Lake TV stations and advertise in Salt Lake City newspapers.”
Jack wears three hats as vice president of Extension. He is the director of the Utah Cooperative Extension Service, the dean of Continuing Education and responsible for Conference Services.
“All of these programs have visibility in the Salt Lake City/Wasatch Front area,” he said.
The Cooperative Extension Service provides informal education opportunities to all the state’s residents. County agents work with subject-matter specialists on the faculty of all USU colleges.
“Utah leads the country in bankruptcies and home foreclosures, so we now have programs that address these needs, both for rural Utah and urban Utah,” Jack said.
With Cooperative Extension, USU is creating programs, such as family nutrition and family finance, aimed at urban audiences.
“Continuing Education, on the other hand, provided formal education in the form of ‘for-credit’ courses and grants degrees. We deliver courses for over 52 degrees and certificates from a system of face-to-face instruction, online courses and satellite delivery,” he said.
In addition, USU has a Continuing Education class and office building in Salt Lake City, where students based around the state have access to life-long learning opportunities.
“Through our Conference Service program, we put on a number of large and small conferences and workshops throughout the year. Some of our largest conferences are held in Salt Lake City within the major hotels or at the Convention Center,” Jack said.
Renee said, “Our marketing strategies will include finding ways to increase our visibility. Outside of advertising and promotions, we will be spotlighting our current and future programs there.”
USU has several Extension courses that are being taught at Thanksgiving Point. Administrators are considering building those programs and adding others to assist that market and intensify visibility.
Jack said, “The downside right now is financial. We are in severe budgetary restraints due to the poor economy in the state and the budget cuts in higher education.”
Even with expansion, there may not be enough help for USU in some areas.
“We are trying to expand our program into new areas with limited staff and limited resources,” Jack said.
Pugmire said, “More support from Salt Lake will help improve our programs, which will provide more exposure for the university. Hopefully, this will help the awareness of the students graduating from USU in the job market.”
Better programs could provide a more interesting product for the students to support, as well.
Renee said, “Expanding our educational offerings to the Wasatch Front will enable us to reach more students. Also, if we can influence our legislators with our success stories, we possibly gain in many ways.”
Jack said, “Prospective students will become more aware of opportunities and programs available at Utah State through this larger presence.”
This presence in Salt Lake City should improve recruitment to the university as well as the quality of life for people who live there, he said.
-stacipete@cc.usu.edu