Proposal to Mordernize Utah's Higher Education System

1.  Toughen entrance standards for the University of Utah and Utah State University.  There is no reason why these two schools should accept students who are not ready for college.  If kids are not prepared based upon three factors; ACT Scores, Grade Point Average, and classes taken they should not be admitted.  It is a waste of money by both the schools and the students themselves to attend these schools when they are not academically prepared.

2.  Create more two-year community colleges.  I am not going to propose that these schools get built from the ground up, but that existing institutions become converted into community colleges. Salt Lake Community College is huge, and I do not suggest any more in Salt Lake County as a result.   Here is my list.

Northern Wasatch Front:
A.  Convert Utah State's Brigham City Campus into the new Brigham City Community College.

Davis/Weber County
B.  Convert WSU-Davis into the new Layton Community College.  This will require an expansion at the main Weber State Campus, but there is land at the old site of McKay-Dee Hospital which has been unused for nearly a decade.  This would be a good use of eminent domain.  There are also many abandoned buildings in downtown Ogden that WSU could convert and use as classroom space.
C.  Convert Wood Cross High School into the new Bountiful Community College.  The loss of a high school in Davis County can be compensated for by building a new high school in Farmington.  If you look at the Davis County School District boundaries, you can see that this could be a welcome change for that district.

Utah Valley
D.  There are a scattering of empty stores on University Parkway/State Street area.  Use eminent domain to convert one of the older, more-abandoned strip malls; such as the Family Center in Orem, into a new community college.  The retail vacancy rate in Utah Valley is around 8%.  This is not good for any community.  Obviously the demand for all of this retail space is not there.  Loss of one major shopping center will probably be good for the community as a whole.

3.  There are new 4-year colleges, similar in mission to Weber State and Utah Valley that are needed, especially if admission to the USU and the U of U become tougher.  Otherwise, these two colleges will become overwhelmed and will not be able to assist their students.  Here are my proposals to assist.

A.  Convert the South City campus of Salt Lake Community College into Salt Lake State College.  Give the new college right of first refusal to all commercial land between the former South High School and Spring Mobile Ballpark.  This will give the new college a place to grow, but to grow at a comfortable place.  Salt Lake Community college could then take over the former Granite High School as the main north-county campus.  Eventually, the campus will surround that area of State Street, which is blighted by many abandoned stores.  The example for this kind of campus is Portland State University.

B.  So you want to relocate the state prison?  Why not convert part of it into a new four-year college?  My proposal is the what is now the women's section of the prison be converted into a new 4-year state college.  There are several names this new campus could take, but I suggest Lone Peak State College.