Dixie State Proposes Marriage to U of U

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Dixie State College officials would like to wed their school with the University of Utah, and perhaps even take their new partner's name. Dixie State spokesman Steve Johnson says the school needs the U of U's resources to meet growing demand for college graduates in Southern Utah:

"We're looking at a population of 200,000 or 300,000 people in 12 years," says Johnson. "The current programs we have cannot keep up with that growth. We need that educational pipeline to attract businesses to the area."

Yesterday Johnson says the Dixie State Board voted to formally submit its proposal to the University of Utah's Board of Trustees. The two schools already partner to offer three graduate degrees on the Dixie campus. A full partnership would mean many additional courses offered over the internet or satellite technology. Still, Johnson says Dixie State College would not be entirely swallowed up by the U of U:

"We would still have our own line-item budget request to the State Legislature. We'd still keep our Board of Trustees. We'd basically keep our autonomy," says Johnson.

Aligning with Cedar City-based Southern Utah University is another option - but Johnson says Dixie State board members believe they need the resources of a larger institution like the University of Utah to meet the growing needs of Washington County.

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