In a dramatic step to follow a state mandate to cut the higher education budget, Weber State University is overhauling its College of Education — which trains a significant portion of the state’s K-12 teachers.
Weber State University announced major changes this week, as it tries to make up for $6.7 million in state budget reductions. Constrained by state-imposed budget cuts, Weber State University is overhauling its College of Education — which trains a significant portion of the state’s K-12 teachers.
The Ogden school announced in an email sent to faculty Thursday that it is eliminating the top administrative position of dean of the college and folding the college’s departments in with other studies at Weber State. Fears from professors spread quickly on social media, with many worried what the shift would mean for their jobs.and Provost Ravi Krovi wrote: “We understand that changes of this magnitude bring questions and concerns.” The school shared the email with The Salt Lake Tribune on Friday to “provide as much clarity as possible.” The university will provide some answers when it hosts a town hall for College of Education faculty, Monday at 3 p.m. at Lindquist Hall on the Ogden campus. Professors may attend in person or online. So far, the university has not said that any faculty will be laid off. But, a university spokesperson confirmed, the changes announced Thursday aren’t the only ones coming. Weber is looking at leaving several open administrative positions vacantfor the state’s eight public institutions of higher education. Each school’s portion depends on its size and resources.sets up a process where schools can earn their reduction back, if they can prove the money will be used to bolster high-wage and high-demand programs. The cuts came as lawmakers had strong criticisms over higher education spending and what some called “administrative bloat.” Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz said heinstructed schools to save money by cutting “inefficient” programs that have few graduates, little job growth and lead to lower-paying careers. Weber State’s College of Education has been without a permanent dean for more than a year after Kristin Hadley left the post. Cass Morgan, the associate dean and a professor, has served as the interim dean. In searching for a new leader, Mortensen and Krovi said the restrictions under HB265 made it “increasingly clear that we should consider realigning academic programs” and saving money on administrative salaries. Last year, Morgan was making about $134,600 in the position, counting benefits, with another $12,000 in supplemental pay, according toThose departments’ new homes would be “among closely related” fields, the school said. It’s not clear if the departments will remain“The academic programs within the College of Education will remain at Weber State in some form,” university spokesperson Bryan Magaña said. It’s likely, according to Mortensen and Krovi’s letter, that at least one restructured college would be renamed to keep “education” and the Moyes name in its title. Those, the officials said, are “of the utmost importance.” “This opportunity has the potential to strengthen academic partnerships and interdisciplinary collaboration to help academic programs thrive,” Mortensen and Krovi added in their message, “as we navigate enrollment and budgetary challenges.”the newly renovated David O. McKay Education BuildingHadley, the former dean, said in 2023 that the McKay Building would “provide a setting for innovative educational practices” and “enable our students to be prepared for their careers as effective professionals.” In their letter to faculty, Mortensen and Krovi said the college restructuring will not change the plans to open that space. “We know you are excited to return to your offices in that structure and use the new classrooms and educational spaces,” they wrote. The College of Education has seen declining enrollment in recent years. In 2020, 1,680 students were enrolled. That number has dropped every year since, and this fall the college has 1,377 students. Of this fall’s students, the biggest group is in the elementary education major, with 327. Exercise and sport science comes in second, with 302 students. Of the college’s 29 programs and majors, including graduate degrees, a handful had no students enrolled,estimated that about 1,500 students graduate each year and are ready to become teachers in Utah. At the same time, about 3,000 teachers leave the profession annually. It will take time, and later enrollment data, before it’s clear if restructuring Weber State’s College of Education will affect how many future teachers choose to go there and graduate in the field.some raised concerns that liberal arts programs would be the first to be chopped“It shouldn’t all be about the dollars and the cents,” Riebe said. “There are a lot of jobs out there that are important to our community but don’t pay a lot.”who spoke up for the humanities and social sciences. He said those subjects provide a cultural good that can be hard to quantify. Brad Mortensen speaks at his inauguration as the president of Weber State University in Ogden on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.Besides eliminating the post of College of Education dean, Weber State has said it won’t fill four other open administrative positions: Vice president of information technology; assistant vice president of regional partnerships; vice provost for high impact educational experiences and faculty; and training lead for student success.. If enough employees don’t step down, interim President Alan Smith has said the school will need to consider other alternatives,a budget exercise looking at 10% reductions across the board Each of the state’s higher education institutions is working on plans now that will be presented to the Utah System of Higher Education this summer for approval, before a final checkoff from the Utah Legislature’s Executive Appropriations Committee in September.This Utah lawmaker was the only one to vote against $60M cuts to higher education These Utah lawmakers, including some Republicans, defended liberal arts during a debate over higher ed cutsIn case you missed it4 major ways University of Utah President Taylor Randall wants to transform campus in the next decade Bonneville Shoreline Trail to grow by two miles in Cache County. Here’s when you can hit the new section.Are Latter-day Saints more prone to perfectionism? Here’s what the data says.
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