Student financial aid would be a "high priority" in annual budget requests to the Legislature if Scott Matheson Jr. gets to be governor.

"As governor, I will work with higher education leaders to develop a long-term policy to improve student financial aid," the Democratic candidate for the state's highest office said Wednesday.

With college tuition on the rise in recent years and the threat of 10 percent annual increases in tuition over the next five years, Matheson made that commitment to financial aid in his latest position paper.

His 18-page "Pledge to Higher Education" is Matheson's 10th and final position paper. It focuses on a number of issues facing the state's higher education system, including access, quality and "funding challenges."

Higher education, Matheson said, is one of Utah's most important investments.

"Higher education improves our quality of life and helps people reach their full potential," he said. "Educated workers earn higher wages, have more employment opportunities, and enjoy greater job satisfaction."

Matheson called for "fair and appropriate" compensation in order to attract and retain the best faculty available. There have been little or no increases in state funding for compensation in public higher education over the past four years.

Matheson's pledge also looked at unfunded enrollment growth, now at about 7,000 students the state has not funded in recent years, and enrollment projections, with a 40 percent increase anticipated between 2003 and 2018.

"Our higher education system must receive the funding it needs to ensure that our children graduating from high school in 2013 have the educational opportunities they deserve," Matheson wrote.

The candidate also promised to use his background in education as a professor and dean at the University of Utah law school to help move the state "in the right direction" if he is elected in November.

Education has been the key issue in Matheson's campaign, while his Republican opponent, Jon Huntsman Jr., has emphasized economic development. Huntsman has also released a higher education plan for Utah.

Huntsman's 10-point plan puts keeping a college education affordable for Utah residents at the top of his list. His campaign manager, Jason Chaffetz, said Huntsman also sees a "need to fund 'centers of excellence' to make sure we make them as a good as we can."

Both candidates' proposals are available on their Web sites. Matheson's pledge to higher education is at www.mathesonforgovernor.com, while Huntsman's plan is at www.votehuntsman.com.

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