Grants Office

SUU Boilerplate

- Census Data for Utah and U.S. - Quickfacts

- SUU Factbooks

- Quickfacts about SUU

- Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Research

- Almanac : (Source Chronicle of Higher Education 2001-2002 Almanac Issue

- National Survey of Student Engagement

- Compensation Study

- How Does the Library at SUU Compare?

- Summary of SUU Programs

- InfoBrief :  The Role of Community Colleges in the Education of Recent Science and Engineering Graduates

- Map of Utah counties

The  material below is taken from the needs  sections of  several successful proposals.

Definition of Master College and University: Type II

Type II Institutuions offer a wide range of associate and baccalaureate programs, and are committed to graduate education through the master's degree. Master's granting institutions generally award 40 or more master's degrees per year across three or more disciplines. No course work or awards above the master's level are offered.

From the most recent SUU Talent Search Proposal:

Figure 1 – Map of Target Area and Location of Target Schools illustrates the isolated southwestern counties.

A.      NEED FOR THE PROJECT

The students of this area exhibit a desire for higher education, but lack information regarding the possibility and availability of post-secondary educational options within the area. With local school districts unable to meet the growing educational demands placed upon them, school administrators support the X program and personnel because they sincerely want the students to succeed.  Administrators also realize that their limited resources are not sufficient to meet the demands of all students needing supplemental educational services.  The high percentage of low-income and first-generation students in this area, the high dropout rates at the secondary level, the low post-secondary enrollment rates, the extremely high ratio of students to counselors and teachers, and three additional key indicators, which are: extremely low expenditures per pupil, information and preparation for the ACT/SAT, and rural location manifest the continuing need for the X project.

The Secretary evaluates the need for a X project in the proposed target        area on the basis of the extent to which the application contains clear evidence of the              following:

• A high number or percentage, or both, of low-income families residing in the target area.

• Utah ranks 42nd in the nation ($23,907) in gross per capita income.
• Iron, Beaver, and Kane Counties are 15% below the Utah average of annual income.
• 34% of household incomes in the target area are less than $25,000 per year.

These economic conditions of the target area attest to a large low-income population to be served.  The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that as many as 13.2% of children in the target area, under the age of 18, live in poverty.  Because of low wages, many participants work to help their parents, who may hold as many as three jobs between them. 

One factor affecting income of the area is the type of employment available.  The rural areas of southern Utah have long depended upon the agriculture and tourism industries, which tend to have low-paying, entry-level, and seasonal positions. Few jobs are at a professional level.  For example, approximately 45% of the working population in Iron County is employed in service or sales, and about 30% have occupations in construction, transportation, and production.  (Profile of Selected Economic Characteristics, Census Bureau, 2000).

Table 1 describes the impoverished economic circumstances of families and children in the target counties.  Some families and students in the target area are beginning to realize that economic circumstances are not significantly improving, and that post-secondary education is necessary to support families.  However, many of these students lack the required knowledge and models to successfully transition to post-secondary education.

Another contributing factor to financial need is large family size.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2003, the average family size in Utah is 3.57 and 3.14 for the nation.  Historically, Utah has had the highest birthrate in the nation.  Current data shows Utah with 21.1 births per 1000 population as compared to the national average of 13.9 births per 1000 population. Utah families are 65% larger than the average U.S. family.  With a median age of 27.1 years, it is the youngest state in the nation. (National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 52, No.10, Dec. 2003).

The social and cultural advancement of the students in the area is severely compromised because of the rural isolation.  In these rural communities, there is little or no opportunity for students to attend social or cultural events such as plays or concerts.  Some of the target communities do not have a movie theater, bowling alley, museum or other recreational/cultural activities. The social growth opportunities of the students are limited as the majority of the population is Caucasian, which rarelyaffords students the opportunity to interact with people of different ethnic groups. 

When the variables of low per capita income, large family size, social, educational, and cultural disadvantages are taken into consideration, projected financial, vocational, and academic advising needs will remain high; therefore the services provided by the X project will continue to be in high demand.  In many cases, TS is the only venue for participants to become aware of their educational opportunities and expand their goals and expectations for the future.

• A high number or percentage, or both, of individuals residing in the target area with education completion levels below the baccalaureate level.

• Only 25.7 percent of adults over the age of 25 in Utah have completed a baccalaureate degree (2000 Census).
• In the target area, only 19% percent of the adults have completed a bachelor’s degree (2000 Census).
• 81% percent of students in the target schools are eligible as first generation participants (2000 Census).

The above statistics show that completion of post-secondary education at the baccalaureate level is low, indicating a need for commitment to completion of educational programs.  An average of 19 percent of the adult population in the target area holds a baccalaureate degree, 81 percent of the students in the target schools are eligible as first-generation participants.

From the SUU Talent Search Proposal:

"...Southern Utah University (SUU) is a Masters II institution which serves the southern region of Utah and the adjoining counties of Utah and Arizona.  Total enrollment is 6,095 and is growing yearly. Student enrollment is drawn from from a wide geographic area covering 17 rural Utah counties, 3 rural Arizona counties and 2 Nevada counties. Included in the region are three American Indian reservations: Navajo, Paiute and Hopi.  As a result of  rural isolation, SUU often enrolls students who are under-prepared for college level work especially in English, math and the sciences...."

Nearly 22% of Utah adults hold post-secondary degrees. Although this figure mirrors national statistics, the university’s service area falls well below this figure with only 13% possessing a baccalaureate degree (U.S. Census Bureau – 2000).

Low-Income is defined as 150% of poverty and is used in determining eligibility for TRIO programs. The most recent American College Testing (ACT) survey reports that 64% of prospective SUU students said they would seek financial aid to help with the costs of post-secondary education and 79% reported they expected to work while in college. Many of the families in rural Utah and on the reservations in the service area live well below the poverty line. Ten counties in the service region have poverty level rates ranging between 12.3% and 30% while the national average is 12.7%.

Utah’s school-age population is among the highest in the nation but Utah ranks last in dollars per pupil in public education. Utah public education funding was $3,332 per pupil in 2000 while the top seven states ranged between $8,000 and $10,500 per student. Consequently class sizes tend to be very large. It should be no surprise that SUU Freshman Orientation surveys indicate 50% of the incoming students each year are lacking in basic skills.

The entire region is a rural area which has struggled economically for decades. The Utah state per capita income in 1999 was $23,356 which the same income for the target area was $17,450 (Utah State Tax Commission).. The United States per capita income for the same year was $28,518.

Characteristics of Student population 2004-2005

The Utah State Tax Commission reports that Utah has the lowest median age in the nation. The median age for the U.S. is 35.3 years and the median age in Utah is 27.1 years. Utah ranks first in the percentage of population under 18 and has the largest average household size…Family size, coupled with an economy based on minimum wage service and tourism industries creates a situation where average class sizes in the K-12 schools is likely to be very large. K-12 classrooms in Utah have six more students than the national average (National Center for Educational Statistics).

From the Teaching American History Grant:

The federal government owns nearly 80% of the land in the region served by SUU. This factor reduces the potential tax base which might support schools.

Per capita income levels in the region are below national and state averages. Residents of Kane County, for example have the highest per capita income level in the region served by SUU but that amount is only 75% of the national per capita income level.  San Juan County with a large Navajo population has a per capita income level of $12,685 or 48% of the national average.  The majority of students who will be likely to attend SUU live in counties where the per capita income level averages 62% of the national average.

According to the 2000 census 22.3% of Utah residents over the age of 25 have a baccalaureate degree. Only Iron County, where the two largest employers are Southern Utah University and Iron County School District has an average education level (21.9%) that approximates the state average. In ten counties in southern Utah only 16% of the population over the age of 25 has completed college.