Utah News

After seven months of drama, UTEP’s quarterback battle ended up where it was assumed it would be back in January: Malachi Nelson will get the start when the Miners open up at Utah State on Aug. 30, coach Scotty Walden announced Thursday.

That’s what was expected when Nelson signed with UTEP in January after formalizing his transfer from Boise State, but then it seemed unlikely when he emerged from the spring looking like the fourth quarterback on the roster.

More: El Pasoans Torres, Wilson, Arreola making case for playing time for UTEP football team

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Given more chances in a fall camp that was billed as a five-way battle, the sophomore Nelson, who began his career at USC in 2023, made the most of them. He showed enough steady improvement and enough talent that earned him five stars out of Los Alamitos High School, where he was a two-time Gatorade California Player of the Year, to move past Skyler Locklear, Shay Smith, Cade McConnell and Chad Warner.

Locklear, last year’s starter, will go into the Utah State game as the backup, and Smith is expected to have a role as a Wildcat quarterback. McConnell will start in the same place he started in 2023, as a fourth-teamer, when he eventually rose to a starter. The true freshman Warner presumably will redshirt, as almost all freshmen quarterbacks do.

More: Is UTEP going to the College Football Playoff? The New York Post thinks there’s a chance

Nelson’s ascension to a starter begins to fulfill the immense potential he showed out of high school, but he’s still new to playing at the FBS level. He didn’t get on the field at USC when he was behind eventual No. 1 NFL draft pick Caleb Williams. Then, last season at Boise, he went 12-of-17 passing with one interception in three games.

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At UTEP, he looked out of sorts in the spring, playing for his fourth team in four years, but looked more comfortable at the beginning of fall, then settled in and looked better and better as camp progressed. After the Aug. 9 scrimmage a week into camp he started regularly working with the first team, then stood out in the second scrimmage on Aug. 16.

That roughly equated to the timeline Walden set up for naming a starter, and that came true on Thursday.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Malachi Nelson named starting quarterback for UTEP football

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.

A wealthy financial technology executive says he intends to buy Wohali, the private golf community in Coalville that recently filed for bankruptcy.

Doug Bergeron said Tuesday he wants to buy Wohali if it goes to a bankruptcy auction. No auction is scheduled for the 5,000 acre golf and luxury home resort, whose owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections Aug. 8.

“It’s a little bit early, but it’s going to be a bankruptcy auction, so it’s going to be the highest bid wins,” he told KPCW. “There’s a boatload of constituents that hopefully can be taken care of.”

The Park City billionaire wants to transform Wohali into a destination golf course that could host PGA events and rival courses such as Pebble Beach and Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast.

The former CEO of Verifone Systems previously self-financed the construction of a $65 million mansion in Deer Crest that was featured in the HBO film “Mountainhead.”

Read more at kpcw.org.

Since March 21, 2019, Utah gymnastics has competed at the Maverik Center a total of 15 times, maxing out at three times in a single season twice — in 2021 and again in 2024.

The Maverik Center, which hosts meets on a podium, something the Huntsman Center isn’t equipped to do, has become a key part of Utah’s scheduling philosophy and a key part of every season for the Red Rocks since 2019.

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The Best of Utah, which pits the Red Rocks, BYU, Southern Utah and Utah State against each other, has been held at the Maverik Center every year since 2020. It has operated in tandem with the Wasatch Classic, another four-team competition.

The Pac-12 conference championships were held there from 2019 until the conference’s collapse (in its previous form) in 2024. This past spring, the Big 12 conference championships were held at the Maverik Center for the first time.

Additionally, nationally televised premiere competitions sponsored by Sprouts have been held there before and will be held there again, including this coming winter. The latest version of the Sprouts Classic includes Michigan, NC State, Arizona, Clemson, LSU, Cal, Utah, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, UCLA and Ohio State in three four-team competitions.

Meets at the Maverik Center in West Valley City have always counted as away meets for Utah, since the U. is located in Salt Lake City while the Maverik Center is located in West Valley City, nine-plus miles away from the school’s campus. Away meets, in particular, matter in women’s college gymnastics given the way national qualifying score is calculated.

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The simplest explanation is that high-scoring away meets are more valuable than high-scoring home meets when it comes to NQS and NQS determines rankings, postseason seeding and more.

The Maverik Center being an away competition for Utah could soon be about to change, though.

A new proposal put before the NCAA women’s gymnastics committee earlier this summer is attempting to make neutral-site competitions located within 30 miles of a college campus — like the Maverik Center is for Utah — no longer countable as away meets for NQS, at least no more than once a season.

That means Utah could only count one meet at the Maverik Center as an away meet in a single season. Otherwise, when the Red Rocks compete in West Valley City, they would count as home meets.

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The recommendation, initially voted on by the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association during the 2023-24 season, can be read in full below:

“Recommendation

That only one contest held at a neutral site within 30 miles of an institution’s campus be permitted to count as an away contest for purposes of calculating a team’s NQS. This would include multi-team invitationals, duals, tri-meets, quad-meets and/or conference championships. A neutral-site contest in excess of the one permitted away contest would be designated as home contest for NQS purposes.

Effective date

— 2025-26 season.

Rationale

Currently, some programs are competing numerous times during a season within a 30-mile radius of their campus, with no restrictions on how many off-campus events can be counted as away contests, regardless of proximity to the institution. Given that a minimum number of away contests factor into the NQS formula used for postseason selection and seeding, this creates an unfair advantage for teams with access to local, off-campus venues, as they can create home environments for meets that are designated as away contests, which ultimately positively impacts their positioning for championships selections and seeding.

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This recommendation will still allow these local, off-campus contests to be conducted as scheduled and countable toward NQS as home events but will no longer allow multiple contests of this nature to be considered away contests for NQS purposes. It was also noted that the coaches association voted to approve this adjustment during the 2023-24 academic year, before forwarding to the committee for review and approval.

Estimated budget impact

None.

Student-athlete impact

This proposal would allow for greater consistency in the designation of home and away contests, subsequently creating more fairness in the championships selection and seeding process.

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The Maverik Center debate

Over the years there has been repeated discourse, online and elsewhere, about whether Utah gymnastics has unfairly benefited from meets at the Maverik Center counting as away competitions.

The majority of fans in attendance for competitions in West Valley City are Utah fans, after all, and the Red Rocks are able to sleep in their own beds and avoid prolonged travel that could negatively fatigue them before competition, unlike their opponents.

Moreover, many of the Red Rocks’ best team scores in recent seasons have come in Maverik Center meets.

All of these factors would suggest that Utah has been benefitting from Maverik Center meets in a similar way to meets at the Huntsman Center.

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Of course, it can also be argued statistically that Utah hasn’t actually benefitted from away meets at the Maverik Center in a meaningful way. Also, the Red Rocks have frequently outperformed their seeding in the postseason, suggesting NQS hasn’t been doing its job of correctly seeding teams and away meets at the Maverik Center may have been making the field more accurate than not.

Another proposed rule change could change how NQS is calculated, adding the number of meets to the calculus, which would have the byproduct of making away meets less vital, although still important. But a change making Maverik Center meets home meets for Utah, at least half the time, is notable.

Former Utah head coach Greg Marsden issued a passionate plea on social media regarding the change, which he said unfairly targeted the Red Rocks.

“The WCGA and NCAA Gymnastics committee’s proposal to restrict the away designation for neutral-site meets within an arbitrary 30-mile radius unfairly singles out one program while ignoring the broader reality of how and why these events exist,” Marsden wrote.

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He later added: “The committee’s 30-mile cutoff only highlights the weakness of the proposal. Why 30 miles? Why not 50, 100, within the same state or region? The committee’s proposed rule is essentially trying to redefine the standard, saying some neutral-site meets close to campus aren’t really ‘away,’ but proximity doesn’t change the fact that it’s neither the school’s arena, nor their event to control.”

The change, if approved, would go into effect this coming season, meaning only one of Utah’s three scheduled competitions (Best of Utah, Sprouts Classic and Big 12 championships) at the Maverik Center in 2026 would count as an away competition. Going forward, Utah’s proclivity for scheduling meets at the Maverik Center could be lessened.

The Salt Lake City-based nuclear services company EnergySolutions has for years worked to get Utahns on board with nuclear energy.

It held the naming rights to the Jazz’s home court for nearly a decade, hoping that becoming a household name would help change attitudes toward nuclear power, and almost 20 years ago, it launched an ad campaign to “take the controversy out of it.” Political contributions have long been part of the equation.

But as nuclear has competed with other technologies in the clean energy transitions of recent years, The Salt Lake Tribune found that EnergySolutions has taken a new direction — buying Republican state lawmakers memberships to a conservative influence group that has pushed energy policy in nuclear’s direction.

The Tribune identified 15 instances of EnergySolutions paying for memberships to the right-leaning American Legislative Exchange Council, commonly known as ALEC, for Utah elected officials. And while the individual ALEC donations cost $200, they’re a small portion of the money the nuclear services company spends in Utah in an effort to influence policy.

Those in-kind contributions to members of Utah’s supermajority GOP Legislature began as early as 2023, when 10 representatives and two senators reported them in campaign finance disclosures. So far this year, three lawmakers — including House Speaker Mike Schultz — have reported receiving “ALEC membership” from EnergySolutions:

Spokespeople for the Legislature did not respond to requests for comment.

EnergySolutions acknowledged receipt of questions from The Tribune, but did not send answers ahead of the story’s deadline. It currently operates one low-level radioactive waste management site in Utah, and has clients throughout the country and the world.

“We encourage our private sector members to actively engage with our public sector members, both Republican and Democrat alike, within the limits of all applicable state laws,” wrote Lars Dalseide, a spokesperson for ALEC, in an email. “The more our members interact and exchange ideas, the better the final product.”

Dalseide declined to share whether EnergySolutions is represented among its private sector members, saying it does not disclose membership lists.

While the prices of private sector memberships are not listed on ALEC’s website, it explains the benefits of its tiered membership system — each step offers increased access to policymakers and task forces that craft model bills to pitch to legislatures.

“All draft model policies are sponsored by an ALEC legislative member,” Dalseide said. “In every ALEC task force, both public and private sector members discuss and vote on proposed model policies. However, final approval of any draft model policy rests solely with the ALEC Board of Directors, which is composed entirely of elected legislators.”

Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, who chaired the organization in 2021, sits on the current board of directors.

“In other words,” Dalseide added, “while the private sector plays an important role, the process of developing an ALEC model policy begins and ends with state legislators.”

University of Utah political science professor Matthew Burbank said it isn’t unusual for private entities to pay for lawmakers to travel to conferences, but he couldn’t recall an instance of a company purchasing memberships to an organization.

Companies would likely send legislators to a conference like ALEC’s, Burbank said, “knowing that [the group] has a very particular point of view about how a legislature should behave … to try to indirectly influence legislators,” Burbank said.

Utah’s steps toward bringing nuclear energy to the state have coincided with EnergySolutions’ recent policy nudges by political donation.

‘Clean energy’

Last fall, Gov. Spencer Cox announced his “Operation Gigawatt” plan to double Utah’s energy production, with an emphasis on nuclear, in the next decade. The Legislature put $10 million toward that plan in its most recent session, and nearly $2 million of that is going toward a marketing effort to boost public support for nuclear.

The state’s laws have also been adjusted to make room for nuclear power. And some of the laws passed by the Utah Legislature reflect model policies ALEC urges its members to consider.

ALEC, nationwide, put forward a draft bill in December 2022 that would convene a commission to start states on the path of exploring the feasibility of nuclear energy generation within their borders. This year, the Utah Legislature created the Nuclear Energy Consortium “to advise the office and the Legislature on nuclear energy development in the state.”

In 2024, state lawmakers voted to strike the term “renewable energy” from Utah code and replace it with “clean energy,” which had a definition expanded to include “nuclear fuel.” Later that year, ALEC proposed other states do the same.

As Utah has determined it will begin building nuclear power facilities, partnering with multiple nuclear startups, it has also tapped EnergySolutions to study whether the company can work with the state’s Intermountain Power Agency to put a small nuclear reactor at its coal-fired Intermountain Power Project site in Delta.

The company has 180 days from its April signing of the memorandum of understanding, or until mid-October, to make a determination.

“We are excited to pursue this opportunity to create a clean energy hub for the Western United States,” EnergySolutions CEO Ken Robuck said in a news release announcing the agreement.

Democratic state Sen. Nate Blouin of Salt Lake City, whose professional background is in renewable energy policy consulting, said he isn’t opposed to the state exploring nuclear fuel as an energy source.

But Blouin, who has reported no contributions from EnergySolution, is frustrated that nuclear energy development has seemingly received more attention and resources from the state than other clean energy sources, like geothermal. “Those donations,” he said, “certainly raise questions about who is influencing our energy policy and why we are so heavily invested in nuclear.”

More money

Memberships to ALEC, which are $200, account for a fraction of EnergySolution’s political spending. Since the beginning of 2023, it has given a total of more than $55,000 to Utah lawmakers, according to campaign finance disclosures filed with the state.

While all of the ALEC memberships were purchased for Republican lawmakers, the campaign of at least one Democratic lawmaker, House Minority Leader Angela Romero, was among those that received cash contributions.

More than a quarter of the dollars donated went to Rep. Bridger Bolinder, R-Grantsville, whose West Desert district includes EnergySolutions’ Clive Disposal Facility, which lies approximately 75 miles west of Salt Lake City.

The company gave $11,000 to Bolinder’s 2024 reelection campaign. The next winter, he worked with Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, to introduce two pieces of legislation that directly benefit EnergySolutions — Waste Classification Amendments, or HB254, and Environmental Quality Amendments, or SB216.

EnergySolutions’ lobbyist, Casey Hill, helped the lawmakers present both bills in public hearings. One repealed the state definition for the type of nuclear waste EnergySolutions can accept in its Clive facility, instead relying on a less specific federal definition, while the other would streamline the expansion of such nuclear waste facilities.

While McKell received a total of $2,500 in donations from EnergySolutions in 2023, neither of the lawmakers reported that the company purchased an ALEC membership for them. Neither Bolinder nor McKell responded to questions about the company’s role in drafting the legislation.

EnergySolutions has made other well-timed donations, including a $7,500 one to the governor’s campaign about a month after it had secured the memorandum of understanding with IPA. Lawmakers disclosed 44 contributions from EnergySolutions in October 2023, when the Republican State Leadership Committee held its energy summit in Salt Lake City.

According to reports, the Republican State Leadership Committee has filed with the IRS, EnergySolutions has donated tens of thousands of dollars to the organization, with the most recent contribution made in 2020.

Note to readers • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.

Ranking Idaho’s top five teams in every high school classification entering 2025 originally appeared on The Sporting News

Predicting Idaho high school football rankings in August is a bit like trying to forecast the weather in October — you might get lucky, but you’ll probably be wrong.

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We kept it pretty chalk at the top of each division, starting with the defending state champion in each of the six divisions, starting with 6A powerhouse Rigby all the way down to 1A Carey.

Here are our top-five preseason teams in each classification going into the year, with full expectations that this list will look ridiculous by November.

STREAM:Idaho high school football, live on NFHS Network

6A (Largest Schools)

1. Rigby – The Trojans are the defending state champions, having won four of the last six state titles. Highland is the only other team in the classification to achieve that feat.

2. Rocky Mountain – The Grizzlies are a perennial power and should be once again with four Division I FBS recruits on the roster and counting.

3. Eagle – Fresh off their first state championship game since 2009, the Mustangs return two-time, first-team all-state running back Noah Burnham and a defense filled with three-year starters.

4. Coeur d’Alene – The Vikings are another perennial contender with 13 consecutive playoff appearances from 2009-2021 and have most recently made back-to-back state semifinal appearances.

5. Timberline – Might be an odd inclusion with the Wolves having not posted back-to-back winning seasons in a decade, but they have five Division I commits.

MORE: Where every Idaho D-1 commit in Class of 2026 is playing next year

5A

1. Hillcrest – The Knights are the defending state champions and bring back a lot of talent from that team, including reigning Class 5A Player of the Year Tyson Sweetwood.

2. Bishop Kelly – The Knights are one of the most storied programs in the state with seven state titles and are back this year with 12 returning starters.

3. Skyline – The Grizzlies are going to have their least experienced team in years, but it’s still hard to bet against a program that’s played in four of the last five state championship games and has nine state titles to its name.

4. Minico – The Spartans graduated 16 starters, but they’ve only lost one conference game over the last four years and have made the final four in two of the last three seasons.

5. Lakeland – The Hawks had a 14-point lead over Hillcrest in the semifinals last season and bring back several players from that team.

4A

1. Sugar-Salem – The Diggers are the reigning state champions, having won six of the last seven state titles — only the second team in Idaho history ever to do so.

2. Homedale – The Trojans have made seven consecutive state semifinal appearances and played in five state championship games over the last seven seasons.

3. Fruitland – The Grizzlies return the state’s top recruit, five-star lineman Kelvin Obot, a University of Utah commit, and all-state quarterback Titus Vidlak, who led the classification in passing last season with 2,649 yards and 35 total touchdowns.

4. Kimberly – The Bulldogs outscored conference opponents 210-27 and bring back several returners, including junior Titus Osterman, who picked up an offer from Washington in May.

5. Weiser – Since winning the state championship in 2021, the Wolverines have been to the semifinals every year and are led by Tom Harrison, whose 11 state titles are the most in Idaho history.

MORE:Idaho’s 6 biggest coaching changes to watch in 2025

3A

1. West Side – The Pirates became just the third team in Idaho history to win five state championships in six years last season and bring back several contributors, including all-state linebacker Drake Sage.

2. Aberdeen – The Tigers had one of the best seasons in program history a year ago with a state semifinal appearance and return two all-state players from that team.

3. Firth – The Cougars have played in four of the last five state championship games, so it’s hard not to like them again.

4. Declo – The Hornets lost eight starters, including five all-state players from a team that made back-to-back state finals, but you still have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

5. Grangeville – The Bulldogs have lost in the playoffs to a team that went on to play for a state title each of the last two seasons. Is it finally their time?

2A (8-man)

1. Kendrick – The Tigers became the first team in 22 years to win four consecutive state championships last season, so there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

2. Butte County – The Pirates return plenty of talent to a team that’s made back-to-back state championships, including winning it all in 2023.

3. Hagerman – First-team all-state quarterback Wyatt Mavencamp, who led the entire state in yards (3,080) and touchdowns (49), returns to a team that made a run to the semifinals last season.

4. Valley – The Vikings will look to improve from a team that won the Snake River Conference championship and made the quarterfinals last year.

5. Logos – The Knights have gone 18-3, including handing Kendrick its first loss in nearly three years, and made back-to-back trips to the semifinals over the last two seasons.

1A (8-man)

1. Carey – To be the man, you have to beat the man. The Panthers are just that after cruising to the state championship last season with every win coming by double digits.

2. Dietrich – The Blue Devils lost seven all-state players, but have proven they’re able to reload with three state championship game appearances and four semifinal appearances over the last five seasons.

3. Tri-Valley – The Titans only lost one senior and bring back four all-state players from a team that advanced to the state semifinals.

4. Council – The Lumberjacks are fresh off a 7-2 year and a state quarterfinal appearance — their best season in a decade — and bring back the Long Pin Conference’s reigning Player of the Year in quarterback Owen Hatfield.

5. Rockland – The Bulldogs dealt with a depleted roster from injuries, but still found a way to win a third straight league title and qualify for the playoffs, so imagine what they could do when healthy

More high school football news

Utah lawmakers have given their initial signoff on each public college and university’s proposal for cutting millions from their budgets under the state’s mandate — and leaders of those schools promised the cuts would only be the start for how they plan to scrutinize programs and spending.

Overall, across the eight institutions, the cuts slashed $60.5 million — discontinuing 271 degrees and certificates, and eliminating 412 positions.

Several legislators said they were “impressed” by the plans, and applauded school presidents for following their direction under a pair of bills passed during the most recent legislative session this spring.

Sen. Chris Wilson, R-Logan, said it was “the right direction that we need to go for higher ed.” Sen. John Johnson, R-North Ogden, called it “an outstanding job.”

“This was a big lift for all the institutions,” added Rep. Jon Hawkins, R-Pleasant Grove. The restructuring for schools to cut “inefficient” programs, he said, will “better prepare our people for the job market.”

The Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee voted 13-1 to approve the plans; one Democrat voted against. The plans will go to the Legislature’s main executive budget group for a final vote — with a hearing expected for next month.

Under the base budget bill this year, lawmakers slashed 10% based on the tax dollars the Legislature appropriates to each school to spend on public instruction. The University of Utah had the biggest cut at $19.6 million. Snow College had the smallest figure at $1.7 million.

Schools were told they could cut from any part of their budget, but were specifically asked to look at ways to reduce “administrative bloat.” They were also told to analyze data and cut academic programs that have low enrollment, few graduates or lead to lower paying jobs.

Each institution could then earn its share of the money back under provisions in HB265, if they showed how the funds will be reinvested in degrees that lead to high-wage jobs the state needs.

On Tuesday, after just five months to come up with their plans, the presidents of the schools presented their proposals — which have all received preliminary approval from the overarching Utah Board of Higher Education — and their hopes for “strategic reinvestment.”

The point, lawmakers said, was for all eight schools to be more accountable when spending state funding and student tuition dollars, as well as to shift to be more relevant for the future.

An overview of the plans

The University of Utah is cutting 81 academic programs that it says have just one or two students each enrolled; it also is merging several departments.

Southern Utah University is eliminating 24 academic programs, largely in the liberal arts — including art history, French and philosophy.

Many faculty across the state had feared metrics used to make cuts would disproportionately affect the humanities and social sciences — and that has happened at every school where those programs have been the most affected.

But SUU President Mindy Benson stressed: “This was not just going to the arts.” She said she looked first at the her office for cuts, slashing 1.5 positions there.

At Salt Lake Community College, faculty looked through the course catalog to see what classes had remained on the books but had not been offered in a long time. President Greg Peterson said they found one that had not been taught since 2002. Trimming those doesn’t necessarily add up to big savings, but it was healthy to do, he added.

Similarly, Utah Valley University cut a business program that was meant to train administrative assistants with typing skills — which “really should have been eliminated decades ago,” said Jim Mortensen, UVU’s vice president of finance.

Some institutions said they mainly cut already vacant positions or came up with money through voluntary retirements. Overall, while more than 400 positions were cut, 362 jobs were added. Faculty and staff were repositioned or encouraged to reapply, presidents noted, though they acknowledged the pain of losing employees.

Many of the institutions noted that they are planning to reinvest in academic advising to help support students and get them to graduation. Utah State University said it wants to put its money back into “jobs and technologies of the future.”

“I do see wisdom in the legislative approach where we’re reinvesting,” said interim President Al Smith.

USU’s plan was approved by lawmakers Tuesday, with the caveat that it will be reviewed and agreed on by the next president of the institution, when that person is appointed.

University of Utah President Taylor Randall, who was traveling and addressed lawmakers remotely, talked about how the school will shift spending to bolster engineering, artificial intelligence and nursing to be “very, very much workforce-aligned.”

Every school leader said going through the process was helpful, and all now plan to annually review their spending and programs — without the Legislature’s push. One school said it will no longer fill all open positions automatically, and will instead review if a job is needed first.

Most said they want to be able to pivot more quickly to the needs of the workforce and what students want. “This is not a one-time exercise,” said Snow College President Stacee McIff. “We are committed to continuous improvement.”

Pushback on the purpose of education

Most of the lawmakers at Tuesday’s presentations signaled their support for the plans.

Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, who cosponsored the legislation on the higher education budget cuts, said it’s in “the best interests of our students, graduates and the state of Utah.”

When Millner first proposed the bill, she said the goal was simply to slash funding for schools. But Millner said the state wanted to give schools a change to shift and restructure to meet demands.

Not all legislators were enthusiastic. Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, voted against the proposals.

Riebe said she has heard from faculty who have lost their positions or programs and felt the cuts were arbitrary. “I think it’s odd you say it’s working,” she said.

Riebe, who works in education, also questioned why there was so much reinvestment by universities and colleges in business and science, and not in teaching — even though 23 of the state’s 29 counties have schools as their No. 1 employer.

The senator was a vocal opponent of the measures during the legislative session, saying she was worried about the effect to the liberal arts. That concern played out, she said, as she anticipated.

She was joined in that defense by Sen. Karen Kwan, D-Salt Lake City, who voted for the plans — but spoke out against college being defined only as a means to create a workforce.

Kwan said students should have an opportunity to study the arts, and said she hopes those degrees are not eliminated at every college in the state.

In response, UVU President Astrid Tuminez surprised lawmakers with an impassioned defense of the humanities.

The purpose of higher education, Tuminez argued, is “to make us more human.” And that comes from learning how to read and communicate, skills often picked up in the liberal arts classroom.

As part of this cutting and reallocating process, she added, UVU decided to reinvest in the general education classes that all students are required to take. Those classes, she said, expose students to literature and philosophy and deep thinking — which make them better citizens and more well-rounded people.

“They’re better engineers. They’re better scientists,” she said. “They’re better mothers. They’re better fathers.”

She said the state needs to balance its desire for a strong workforce “with how to create a society that is decent.”

Tuminez noted that she majored in Russian literature when she was in school, and now she is president of a university. “Nobody would say, ‘That’s a good major’ or ‘You can get a job with that.’” But she did, she said, and wouldn’t change it.

After Tuminez spoke, everyone in the meeting room Tuesday fell silent for a moment. Kwan responded: “I’m going to let President Tuminez’s mic drop stand.”

According to the Utah Jazz, they have signed Oscar Tshiebwe to a two-way contract.

Tuesday marked a key moment in the state’s historic and often divisive strategic reinvestment effort for Utah’s higher education institutions.

For the first time, the leaders of the state’s eight degree-granting colleges and universities formally presented their respective reallocation plans for the next three years to lawmakers.

The Legislature’s Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee got the first shot at examining each institution’s plans. After listening to Tuesday’s presentations from each of the school presidents, the appropriation subcommittee, by majority vote, accepted their respective reallocation proposals.

The eight strategic reinvestment plans are now in the hands of the Legislature’s Executive Appropriations Committee for final approval, which will vote in the coming weeks.

There’s much on the line.

If each of the school’s strategic reinvest plans gets a thumbs-up from the committee, they can reclaim the 10% of their annual budget that was cut during the recent legislative session.

The eight strategic reinvestment plans each received prior approval from the Utah Board of Higher Education.

Utah Commissioner of Higher Education Geoffrey Landward, who addressed the subcommittee at Tuesday’s school presentations, saluted the institution presidents and their teams for the “exceptional amount of work … that they put into producing these plans and executing on these plans.”

“As well as having to go through a process that required a careful scrutiny of the programs that they offer — and making some very difficult decisions.”

Rep. Karen Peterson, R-Clinton, who co-sponsored House Bill 265 — the so-called “Strategic Reinvestment Bill” — said that Tuesday’s subcommittee meeting has been “a long time coming.”

“We’ve been talking about higher education and the importance and value of higher education in our state — not just for our students, but for our communities, for our families, for our industries and for keeping our state strong.

“Higher education is the most important economic driver we have in our state, and we need to continue to keep our higher education system strong to keep our state strong.”

Difficult decisions demanded by HB265

The “growing pains” exacted by HB265 are being felt by institutions — and by individuals.

People have lost, or will lose, jobs.

Meanwhile, instructional programs and courses are being eliminated so funds can be reallocated to programs deemed more valuable.

“This process was not easy on our college campuses … there were real impacts for individuals,” said Peterson.

Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, has been a vocal critic of HB265 since its inception.

The longtime educator made clear Tuesday that she remains opposed to the state-mandated higher education reallocations and cuts.

She pushed back on suggestions that the reallocation legislation is “a massive success.”

“I have not really gotten a lot of great emails about (how this) is working,” said Riebe.

“I have had a lot of emails from professors that say it’s not working — that their programs have been cut, that they have lost their tenure and that they feel like it’s arbitrary and capricious in the ways things have happened.”

Responding to Riebe, Landward acknowledged that the reallocation process “is not without its pain points — and that there are real impacts on individuals that work at our institutions.”

But the commissioner added that Utah’s education leaders are required to justify every tax dollar sent to higher education. So it’s appropriate, he said, to scrutinize each program being funded at a public Utah college — and then make data-driven decisions about if it’s providing sufficient returns and worth preserving.

There are valid criticisms regarding the institutions’ reallocation decisions, Landward acknowledged.

“But making the wrong choice, based on the data in front of us, is different from making an arbitrary choice based on no data,” he said.

“And I am confident in the fact that all of our institutional presidents … made decisions based on the best information they had in front of them, and not arbitrarily.”

Riebe argued that there is danger in making the sort of “occupational optimization” pivots being prioritized by HB265. She pointed to efforts in recent years to educate more people in computer coding — a job skill that’s now being claimed by artificial intelligence.

“I think the changes we are making are shortsighted,” she said. “And I think that the humanities and social services are taking a brunt that they shouldn’t be taking.”

She added that such educational shifts could undermine efforts to remedy societal challenges such as loneliness and suicide.

Peterson countered that one of the largest “reinvestments” happening across Utah colleges is in health care.

Highlights of each school’s strategic reinvestment plan

University of Utah

The state’s flagship institution of higher learning has the largest HB265 reallocation burden: more than $19.5 million.

The University of Utah’s reinvestment plan includes reallocation investments in engineering; advancing responsible AI and biotechnology; boosting programs that address the critical nursing shortage; and strengthening general education by focusing on civic responsibility and building durable skills such as critical thinking and conflict resolution.

The university’s disinvestments will come, in part, by implementing improved efficiencies in administration and administrative support areas and terminating the lease on the school’s St. George Center.

Meanwhile, scores of courses and programs at the University of Utah are being sunset across a variety of colleges — including programs in educational psychology, bioengineering, modern dance, Middle East studies, sociology/criminology and neurobiology.

Ninety-nine positions at the University of Utah are being eliminated — while 129 are being created as part of the reallocation effort.

Utah State University

The state’s sole land-grant university, USU is required by HB265 to reallocate approximately $12.6 million.

School leaders are concentrating their changes on three broad categories: technologies and careers for the future (i.e., addressing critical needs in engineering, artificial intelligence, computing, and analytics); health and well-being workforce; and improving student access, success and outcomes.

Proposed reallocations include new faculty positions in AI and data science, a new school of computing, a new chemical engineering program and the expansion of the school’s aviation program.

In health care, USU is looking to expand mental health and well-being programs and its nursing program — while creating a new College of Health and Human Sciences and a new doctor of physical therapy program.

Investments are also planned in student success support programming and USU’s online enterprise.

Seventy new positions are being created.

USU’s proposed plan does include significant personnel costs.

Approximately 120 full-time equivalent positions are slated for elimination — including positions in school administration, staff and faculty.

(Note: Full-time equivalent positions do not represent, number-to-number, full-time employees.)

Several USU programs, degrees and certificates are slated to be discontinued — including bachelor’s degrees in American studies, agriculture communication and deaf education; master’s degrees in financial economics and fitness promotion; and an associate’s degree in theatre offered at the school’s Price, Utah, campus.

Salt Lake Community College

The state’s largest community college, SLCC is required by HB265 to reallocate approximately $5.2 million.

SLCC is focusing on three “major outcomes” in support of the bill’s goals to align funding to evolving student and workforce needs:

1. Reinvesting in workforce and high-demand transfer programs — including over $2 million reinvested in technical programs, almost $1 million in the Gail Miller Business School and $586,000 in the School of Health Sciences.

2. Reducing administrative overhead costs to reinvest in instruction programs by, in part, eliminating five administrator positions and through consolidation.

3. Centering student outcomes in the decision-making process — prompting almost $600,000 in additional reductions that went beyond HB265’s budget reduction requirements.

SLCC’s proposal would result in decreasing the number of instructional offerings from 195 to 147 total certificate and degree programs, while also consolidating the School of Arts, Communication and Media.

The changes are expected to impact 50 full-time and part-time employees. Fifteen are vacant positions — 35 are slated for layoffs.

Many employees impacted by layoffs will have opportunities to transfer to another position at the school — or pursue a retirement option, according to the school.

Snow College

The Ephraim-based community college is required by HB265 to reallocate $1.7 million over the next three years.

Strategic reinvestment plan highlights include expanding the school’s prison education program, the elementary education program, the respiratory therapy program — and the creation of several new programs, including pre-architecture and drafting, strategic communication and public relations, commercial driver’s license, and rural entrepreneurship.

Meanwhile, several academic programs/courses are slated for disinvestment — including French, Italian and media studies.

There will be 11 jobs eliminated — including positions in information technology and student affairs. However, there were no involuntary separations or forced layoffs.

One vice president position was eliminated at Snow.

Utah Tech University

Located in St. George, Utah Tech University is required by HB265 to reallocate $2.5 million over the course of its implementation.

UT’s plan aims to meet workforce demands, while increasing enrollment — including adding 17 faculty and instructional staff positions in high-demand areas such as business, engineering, psychology, health sciences and digital media programs.

The school also plans to add an associate dean for arts.

Reductions are being made, in part, by eliminating several staff, faculty and administrative positions — including the school’s executive director of strategic partnerships, one Spanish education and one theater directing faculty member; and one school dean and five administrative support positions.

The direction of HB265, said president Shane Smeed, helps UT “strengthen and accelerate UT’s pursuit of polytechnic mission and value.”

Southern Utah University

Cedar City’s SUU is required to reallocate $3.1 million.

The school’s plan focuses primarily on Utah’s workforce needs and identifying emerging student opportunities.

Multiple faculty positions, for example, are being added to the school’s business, STEM, health care and innovative tech programs.

Several new positions are also being created to enhance student support as they prepare for careers.

Meanwhile, 25 positions are being eliminated in several fields — including chemistry, biology, history and math.

Twenty-four academic programs are being eliminated.

Majors slated for elimination include philosophy, French, French education and art history. The arts administration (face-to-face) and athletic training master’s programs are also being cut.

Several associate degree programs — including many which were already slated for eventual elimination — are also being dropped.

Also, SUU’s College of Engineering & Computational Sciences will be combined with the College of Natural Sciences.

Weber State University

The Ogden-based institution, which has experienced record growth in recent years, is required by HB265 to reallocate approximately $6.7 million.

Forty-nine positions are being cut: 11 administrative positions, 10 staff positions and 28 salaried faculty — with most of the faculty cuts coming from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities.

Several administrative slots are also being reduced — including the school’s assistant vice president for regional partnerships and the executive director for Academic Support Centers and Programs.

Meanwhile, dozens of majors, certificates and minors are being eliminated — including majors in applied physics, dance education, geography, and computer science teaching.

Areas of reinvestment at WSU include: innovation, AI and emerging technologies; health professions and behavioral health; energy, aerospace and defense; digital economy, social media and forensics; creative industries and digital content; course fee replacement; academic advising; recruitment/enrollment; classroom technology; open education resources

WSU also plans to establish a new associate dean position within the Dumke College of Health Professions, specifically focused on nursing.

In harmony with HB265, WSU will also be providing a few three-year bachelor’s degree programs.

Utah Valley University

The state’s largest university, UVU is required by the state to reallocate approximately $8.9 million.

UVU had been implementing efficiency-focused decisions long before HB265 — reducing, in recent years, a number of academic schools/colleges and discontinuing the English Language Learning Program.

And last October, the school implemented a campus-wide hiring freeze to manage budgets.

Still, this year’s legislative actions are taking a toll at the Orem institution.

Fifty positions are being eliminated. Several of those jobs were already vacant.

Meanwhile, several specific academic programs are slated for cuts — including a specialized associate’s degree in business; certificates in woodworking/cabinetry and administrative information support; and a nursing education master’s degree.

Expenditures are also being reduced in UVU’s Academic Affairs departments — including the Innovation Academy and Program Assessment budgets.

Other highlighted areas of UVU’s reinvestment plan include:

• Expanding resources for emerging occupations such as AI.
• Increasing engineering-related initiatives in mechanical engineering, computer science and IT.
• Expanding health and wellness opportunities in occupational therapy and behavioral health.
• And further investing in general education to develop critical thinking, communication and durable skills.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — President Donald Trump said he will lead a “movement” to eliminate mail-in ballots and voting machines nationwide, but in a post to X Monday, Utah’s chief election officer appeared to disagree with that plan, arguing that states’ election methods are up to them.

“The constitutional right of individual states to choose the manner in which they conduct elections is a fundamental strength of our system,” wrote Utah Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson in a brief statement on X after President Trump’s comments.

Utahns have been voting by mail since 2014, and polling has found that it’s wildly popular and that most voters in the Beehive State trust it.

MORE LOCAL POLITICS: Democrats call for Utah Senate President to resign after reports that he abused power in child rape case

“I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we’re at it, Highly ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES, which cost Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election,” Trump wrote in his social media post.

“Remember, the States are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do,” Trump wrote.

During a press event with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House later Monday, Trump said that the Republican Party was “going to do everything possible that we get rid of mail-in ballots.”

“We’re going to start with an executive order that’s being written right now by the best lawyers in the country to end mail-in ballots because they’re corrupt,” Trump said.

Utah has made some attempts to get rid of voting by mail in the past, but it’s never had enough support because Utahns largely like it.

Earlier this year, Utah did, however, make some major changes to its vote-by-mail processes and by-mail ballot deadlines, which include:

• Requiring voters to place the last 4 digits of their driver’s license, state ID, or social security number on their ballot return envelopes

• Mandates that clerks will begin phasing out signature verification by 2029

• Those who cannot provide these identifications to vote in person, with exceptions

• Ballots must arrive at the clerk’s office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted

• Requiring voters to opt in for mail-in ballots when they register to vote to receive one

• Voters will stop receiving a mail-in ballot by default in 2029

Critics of that bill, including county clerks who largely opposed the changes, argued that the new rules would disenfranchise voters.

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