As a college teacher I certainly have many opinions about this story. Here is one: one cannot attribute any single factor to this problem. But here is reality: the jobs available in America today require specific skills. Most general education degrees don't give a specific skillset. Accounting, engineering, coputer science, etc., will give the technical ability to do a job. Until we as a society convince corporations to value a broad education and the ability to learn, our colleges will be forced to become glorified trade schools.

Utah ranks low on higher education because it is over run by illegals and they are stealing seats from american students. They are being treated unfairly over legal and real american students under the guise of low income people who are not even citizens. This disparity and discrimination is destroying education in Utah for the american people. Then many Utah students must retake highschool education classes to get into the colleges at a very high cost. The illegal students get waivers and paid for education while the american students are shoved out the door. These tax funded illegals are a sure source of income for the colleges while the american students are a risky unsecured student. It all boils down to the money and who can supply the most, not whether you are legal or illegal or a citizen who has paid your taxes supporting education. A large majority of money is supplied by the state giving refuge and benefits to illegal and undocumented foreign nationals. Do the numbers and follow the money, it is what is driving corruption and fraud in education in Utah.

This is good for business. Instead of shipping out jobs they can keep them here for all those uneducated cheap-labor youth.

The comments from the story about "research has shown that employers want more practical experience from students coming out of college." is interesting.

In my experience recruiting student employees for employers, employers want both practical knowledge as well as documented experience - but are not willing to pay a decent wage for these qualifications.

Are employers willing to pay more for employees with "practical knowledge"?

Are they willing to help pay for teaching students "practical knowledge"?

What has illegal immigration got to do with this? Why don't YOU show us the number of illegals that are attending college at 'taxpayer expense.' The debate in Utah was over whether to give them "in state" tuition or whether they paid "out of state" tuition.
Why is it that every article in the paper will be turned to an immigration issue by someone? Like I said, show me the numbers or get over it.