UVSC seeks solid funds to become university

Utah Valley State College leaders don't want a hollow "university" title from the Legislature without the money to back it up.

Instead of lip service from state legislators, UVSC President William Sederburg told the state Board of Regents on Friday he wants a strong commitment to fund the $10 million it will cost to turn the college into a master's degree-granting university.

Although Utah Higher Education Commissioner Rich Kendell is only asking the 2007 Legislature for one-third of that amount as a "down payment," he said the school will not change its name or its mission until it has a promise that the full amount will be funded over the next several years.

"UVSC does not want a political statement. It devalues them to say, 'We pulled out Excalibur and tapped you on the shoulder and made you a university,"' Kendell said.

Sederburg made his first official pitch for university status to the Regents with a lengthy rationale for why the school deserves and is ready to make the leap. Sederburg said he would be back soon to formally request university status, but he has to clear legislative hurdles first.

"While the decision to designate UVSC as a university is the responsibility of the state Legislature, I believe the decision should be primarily based on educational criteria rather than politics," he said.

Several obstacles still stand in the way of fully making that switch, however, including a lack of full-time faculty, advisers, student services and support for master's degree programs. In particular, school leaders want to implement master's programs in nursing education, business administration and education.

To meet those needs, Sederburg said the legislative funding will be essential.

"The day after the name gets changed, the same set of problems are still there," he said.

Sen. Parley Hellewell, R-Orem, said he believes the funding will come through, but it's just a matter of how fast. Some may have to come from private donations, he said.

Hellewell, who was not re-elected this year, was involved in preliminary talks with UVSC leaders about the mission change.

"I think there's a lot of support for it. We're the second-largest county in the state, and we don't have a state university," he said. "I think they see the need for it and it will happen."