As the change to Utah Tech University takes place, the community wants to know how it’s going to affect St. George.
Jyl Hall, director of public relations, said as the university continues to grow and the enrollment rates climb, there has been talk of new buildings and a new campus layout. There have been more than 100 new academic programs and increased student enrollment by 44% since 2015.
The Utah State Legislature fully funded a request for a new general education building at the 2022 General Session. This building is going to be built south of the Erno and Etel Udvar-Hazy School of Business and is expected to open fall 2025. This new building will have 50 classrooms that can accommodate more than 2,250 students as well as nearly 100 faculty offices and 20 study rooms.
The legislature also approved a bond for Campus View Suites III which will add 500 beds to campus. This is set to open by the start of the fall 2025 semester.
While the name is changing, the learning standards at the university are not.
“For the last half-decade, we have been implementing ‘active learning. active life.’ approach to education based on university leaders’ regular communication with community and business leaders on what they need from our graduates to meet workforce demands,” Hall said.
Hall said the university will continue to offer learning experiences that prepare students to meet workforce demands immediately upon graduation.
She also said it’s too early to tell what the name change is going to do for enrollment, but as of now, it’s expected to be close to this year’s enrollment. Enrollment in the past years has been around 6,557 undergraduate students.
The name change is going to highlight the university’s academic mission and will help recruit students from across the nation. Hall said it will grow into the nation’s preeminent open, inclusive, comprehensive, polytechnic university.
Darlene Dilley, associate provost for enrollment management, said, “Utah Tech University is a name that better represents who we are and our vision for the future as an innovative, premier educational institution that is recognized locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.”
Dilley said it’s attractive to students that the university is more open compared to other polytechnic universities that are selective with competitive admissions programs.
Other polytechnic universities such as California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo have acceptance rates ranging from 28% to 50% compared to DSU’s 100% acceptance rate.
DSU administration expect the name change to help the university grow in status and keep the same standards that have been held for decades.
