| Description |
This thesis begins by pondering why certain universities are considered elite and others are not. After exploring potential answers to this question, I note one area that could serve as an indicator of an university's elite status: investment by the state government. In a political climate where state legislators are troubled by universities not aligning with commonly held cultural values and in which higher education's value is being continuously questioned, this thesis argues that the state of Utah is deriving benefits from at least three specific areas in regards to investment in higher education: 1) a highly educated population is less likely to be incarcerated, leading to savings in corrections, 2) a highly educated population is healthier and in turn less likely to qualify or use social services such as Medicaid, leading to savings on social spending, 3) a highly educated population is the backbone of the state's income tax revenue generation, leading to higher tax revenue pools and trickle-down investment for the rest of the state. These three factors make an argument that Utah is still deriving tangible benefits from its system of higher education, and that the system should receive continued support through state appropriations as competing needs arise due to the state's ageing population. For Utah's public university administrators that wish to raise their institution's prestige, working with state legislators to secure long-term support is a promising strategy. |
