In states that show "promise," higher education is the anchor, according to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

"I, as governor, see this as a priority," he told higher education officials Thursday. "I think you know that our future is with you — you've got my ear."

Presidents of all 10 public colleges and universities, along with the State Board of Regents, gathered at the governor's mansion in Salt Lake City for what Huntsman referred to as a historic meeting.

In the same room of the mansion on Wednesday, Huntsman met with his Cabinet. "I want you to know, your issues were well represented," he told higher education leaders.

Huntsman said a kindergarten-through-college approach to education must include solving student achievement problems, starting with the area of cognitive development at the kindergarten-through-third-grade level.

After 12th grade, Huntsman told the group their role is to help ensure access to, quality and affordability of a college education.

Utah Higher Education Commissioner Rich Kendell noted a 10-year decline in the number of young Utahns who attend college. Lower numbers of Utahns who hold bachelor degrees, he added, has meant a dip from 12th to 32nd in the nation.

"These are big issues that we've got to face in this state," Kendell said after Huntsman's speech.

The meeting morphed into an opportunity to discuss some of the hot-button issues in higher education, starting with fiscal responsibility and openness among the state's publicly funded schools.

These days, there's no shortage of audits being conducted at state colleges and universities. How they're conducted is an issue with some presidents.

University of Utah President Michael Young cautioned regents against circumventing the audit process by becoming involved in what is now primarily a responsibility of boards of trustees.

Utah Valley State College President William Sederburg wants an outsider in the auditing process available to any potential whistle-blowers as a protection for those who want to report any wrongdoing.

Regents also talked about what to call and what to do with reserves that are revealed by audits — to avoid the perception by state lawmakers that schools have big pots of money just sitting around.

The higher-profile sticking point of presidential searches has popped up four times over the past year, raising questions of openness and transparency.

Regent James Jardine recalled a president outside Utah who was fired by his school's board of trustees after being publicly named in a search.

A more open process disables a sitting president whose name as a candidate in a search elsewhere might linger in the public for up to six months, Young said. However, American Council on Education lawyer Sheldon Steinbach told Young Utah seems to have struck the right balance of openness.

Regents now wait until five or fewer finalists are selected to go public with names — after that, it normally takes a few days before a new president is picked.

Young, Sederburg and Kendell, it was noted, are all first on the list of officials to be evaluated by resource and review teams, according to new policies and guidelines that call for evaluations following one year, then at years six and 10.

Thursday's meeting ended with ongoing discussion about the roles and missions of each institution and the quality of programs they offer.

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com