The mandate comes from this year’s HB 265 requiring schools to cut instructional budgets with a chance to earn back funding if put toward high-demand areas.
Logan-based Utah State University will cut 14 programs including agriculture communication, ASL and deaf education teacher programs, deaf and elementary education, environmental engineering and family life studies.
In Ogden, Weber State University may eliminate 11 administrative positions, 10 staff roles and 28 faculty positions in addition to closing its West Center, which offered testing services, tutoring and computer labs.
Almost 90 courses may also be cut in to comply with HB265. The Utah News Dispatch reports language programs like French, German and professional and technical English are on the chopping block.
Applied environmental geosciences, applied physics and mathematics tracks are also at risk. Public administration, queer studies and women and gender studies programs face elimination as well.
The University of Utah has not yet shared how it plans to cut $20 million from its instructional budget.
Utah public higher education has three years to “teach out” programs for current students to complete their degrees.
