Community interaction, information availability and financial aid for college are set to be put on the table to get more minorities and disadvantaged students into higher education in Utah.

"The state needs to create an expectation that not only do all students need to graduate from high school, but they need to graduate from a program of study which prepares them for some kind of postsecondary education," said David Doty, assistant commissioner of higher education in Utah.

Utah, he told the Legislative Higher Education Task Force on Thursday, has one of the biggest gaps in the country for the number of high school graduates who don't make it through the doors of any college or post-secondary institution. The task force has recommended that administrators and education officials focus on five categories to not only increase college enrollment of the underrepresented demographics, but also to increase awareness of the issue.

"The face of Utah is changing so dramatically, and we are seeing low levels of college completion among minority communities," Doty said. "It will definitely make a difference not only to the individual who completes college successfully but to the state's future economy."

The number of degrees handed out to minorities and disadvantaged students has increased slightly over the past five years but has not followed the population trends or the growth in the state. Of the more than 25,000 degrees conferred last year, fewer than 4,000 were given to minority students.

"We want as many people as possible to prepare for college and go and get a degree," Doty said.

Financial restraints and high cost are cited by minorities and students from low-income families as the top reasons for not attending or finishing post-secondary education, according to information collected by a task force commissioned by the Board of Regents. Education officials in the state seek to change that dynamic by making sure all students in the state have access, opportunity, preparation and expectations for success in higher education.

"We're trying to hit that middle 50 percent of the demographic who, for some reason or another, don't make it into college," Doty said.

He said many in minority and disadvantaged communities aren't aware that they can make it in college. Their parents may not have attended, and oftentimes the students are seen as "not college material," he said. Many are overlooked in high school and not given the opportunity to prepare for college by taking more rigorous courses.

"This particular population maybe needs a different approach to get them into college," Doty said. The new efforts proposed by the commissioner's office are already in motion, as officials have been making presentations and talking with minority community leaders to get the ball rolling.