Legislative Recap 2022

Posted: March 22, 2022 | Author: President Mindy Benson | Read Time: 2 minutes

Students, staff, and employees of SUU at the Utah Capitol Building during SUU's Day on the Hill eventThe dust has settled from the 2022 General Legislative Session, and we are thrilled that SUU had such a successful session. Here is a recap:

Compensation

Compensation increases are always an important result of the session but one over which we as an institution don’t have much control. The legislature appropriated a 5.75% “labor market and performance-based increase” for higher education employees. As we have some discretion in how these funds are used, we are pleased to offer our employees a 5% increase, the largest in recent memory. The remaining .75% will be used for specific market, merit, or retention purposes.

Performance and Growth Funding

These two funding categories are formula based. As we work through our budget processes, beginning in August each year, we prioritize how we will use these funds. Through the legislative process, the Utah taxpayer provides 51% of SUU’s total budget. This year we have been appropriated new ongoing funding as follows:

  • $1,846,400 in Performance Funding will be used for mental health needs, financial aid, student retention.
  • $3,247,000 in Growth funding will be used for 21 new faculty lines to cover more than 300 class sections. SUU is one of only four schools that received growth funding, earning 65.8% of the total funds distributed in this category.

Capital Priorities

This year, our capital priority was $19.5 million for renovation and expansion of the Music Building. Due to the damage associated with floods last summer, we also requested $9.2 million to assist with the repair and flood mitigation efforts around Eccles Stadium. Both requests were funded in full, thanks, in great part to Senators Evan Vickers and Don Ipson.

USHE Priorities

The System put forward several initiatives, of which we may receive some funding. These include the following ongoing and one-time programs:

Ongoing

  • Mental Health for Students
  • Engineering Initiative
  • Health Care Workforce Initiative
  • Rural Recruitment of Utah Dental Students

One-time

  • Expansion of the Learn & Work in Utah program

Utah Shakespeare Festival

At the beginning of COVID, the Festival received a budget cut of $52,000 to its ongoing legislative line-item. Those funds have been reinstated. One time funds of $540,000 for facilities improvements and $400,000 for a two-year tour of Every Brilliant Thing to high schools and colleges/universities were also appropriated. During the waning hours of the session, Rep. Rex Shipp was able to secure an additional $100,000 for Festival operations for a total of $1,040,000 in one-time funds.

Other items

  • In addition to the aforementioned funding for the Utah Shakespeare Festival, there was $50,000 funded one-time for both SUMA and the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games.
  • One time appropriation of $300,000 to help Establish Helen Foster Snow Culture Center and continue our Chinese language and cultural immersion programs as we transition away from the Confucius Institute.
  • Senate Concurrent Resolution 9 was sponsored by Senator Evan Vickers to honor the life and contribution of Cedar City native Helen Foster Snow.

We had an excellent session resulting in $29,692,000 of new funding for SUU!

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