Reason For Action
AIM Statement
Where and how do we create the most measurable value for Utah, and what does it actually cost?
As an integrated value system, redesign how USU creates, measures, and sustains value across Utah’s communities by aligning mission, delivery models, governance, and financial transparency.
Key Requirements
Solutions must:
- Coherent & Integrated Operating Model: Propose a future-state operating model that clarifies how USU concentrates and sustains statewide value creation.
- Educational Delivery Methods and Experience: Map the current statewide value system across regional campuses including community college, undergraduate, graduate, online programs, concurrent enrollment, workforce/non-credit, Cooperative Extension, Technical Education, industry partnerships, and K–12 partnerships.
- Metrics and Accountability: Define a comprehensive statewide impact measurement framework beyond enrollment metrics.
- Cost and Budget Structures: Align cost structures, revenue flows, and cross-subsidization patterns to increase transparency into cost-to-impact relationships.
- Governance and Decision-making: Reestablish governance, budget, and decision-rights structures affecting statewide delivery.
- Community Perspectives: Analysis must reflect rural, regional, and underserved community perspectives
- Integrate Not Fragment: Proposed designs must integrate, not fragment, statewide modalities
Multi-Year Initiative Roadmap
Year 1 - Foundations
- Optimize Delivery Methods
- Governance & Operating Structure (including operating metrics)
- Statewide Budget Model & Incentives (including budget metrics)
- Measure Access & Impact
Year 2 - Learner Pathways
- Operationalize “Pathway Ambassadors”: learner engagement lifecycle model
- Industry & partnership development
- Student access & enrollment
- Student support/success advancement
Year 3 - One USU at Scale
- One USU – No Wrong Door: Extension and SOE pathway opportunities
- Central USU–SOE service model: which services are central, which need dedicated statewide capacity, and service expectations
- Systems, technology & facilities: apply and operationalize
Year 1 Initiatives (Design Events)
The summit identified four foundational design events for Year 1. Each has a draft charter with problem and aim statements, as well as scope boundaries.
| Initiative | Problem Addressed | Aim |
|---|---|---|
| Optimize Delivery Methods | Delivery methods have evolved without a common framework, creating inconsistent practice and a “muddy middle” – especially around Connect – that affects learning, faculty roles, space, scheduling, and cost. | Build one institution-wide framework that defines the purpose, characteristics, appropriate uses, and design requirements of each delivery method, clarifies Connect, and sets decision criteria that balance student success with staffing, technology, space, scheduling, and cost. |
| Governance & Operating Structure | Structures for Statewide, Online, and Extension grew over time rather than by design; unclear decision rights and accountabilities create silos, complexity, and reliance on individual leaders. | Design a mission-driven governance and operating model that defines decision rights, roles, accountabilities and measures of success; reduces unnecessary complexity; empowers local decision-making; and enables One USU with local flexibility. |
| Statewide Budget Model | Funding, authority, and accountability are not aligned: funding follows students between campuses, growth does not bring resources, and those delivering the work often lack budget authority. | Develop a sustainable budget model that aligns resources, authority, accountability, and University priorities; lets regional campuses respond to local needs within common standards; and measures financial, student, employee, and educational outcomes. |
| Measure Access & Impact Statewide | USU lacks mature, systematic ways to define and measure access, impact, and regional needs, so data is hard to turn into resource and strategy decisions. | Create an evidence-based framework with core University-wide measures and regional flexibility, covering short- and long-term outcomes, with a transparent way to interpret results and use them in resource allocation and strategic decisions. |
Guiding Design Principles
The team drafted ten design principles that each Year 1 design event will use to test its recommendations.
What We Heard
Current-state journey maps for eight community members (working parents, online learners, concurrent enrollment students, employers, Tech Ed, and 4-H families) surfaced common themes:
"USU is going to be part of their story."
"Credits are not degrees."
"Pathways - checklists are not pathways."
"We will leave the light on for you - we are here when you need us."
"Storytelling will pull the learner along."
"Exploring vs. wandering."
Meet the Team
Executive Sponsors
Pam Dupin-Bryant
Interim Vice President – Statewide Campuses
Crissy Downs-Cisneros
Associate Vice President
Facilitators
- Design Summit Facilitator: Nicole Schrubb, Executive Director of Talent Management and Organizational Effectiveness
- Design Events Facilitator: Susan Young, Organizational Development Specialist III
Team
| Name | Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Andree Walker Bravo | Extension - Director of SL County Operations | Salt Lake |
| Brian McCuskey | Department Head - English | Logan |
| Courtney White | Special Advisor to the President | Logan |
| David Vernon | Sr Associate Vice President — Wasatch & Southwest | Salt Lake |
| Jeff Spears | Associate Professor — Social Work | Price |
| Justen Smith | Interim Vice President - Extension | Logan |
| Kristian Olsen | Deputy Vice President — Statewide Residential | Price |
| Ryan Hobbs | Vice Provost — USU Online | Logan |
| Rob Powell | Associate Department Head - TDTE | Price |