The school serves mainly non-traditional college students
This fall semester, Utah State University’s Moab campus saw a 15.8% enrollment increase, a record number. The campus, which finished construction on a new building just two years ago, serves mainly non-traditional college students: the median age for students is 33.
“We want to be a really valuable resource and community partner,” said Kristian Olsen, senior associate vice president at the campus. He said his goal for the USU Moab campus is to be a true community collaboration, to be able to grow and expand programs based on what the community needs or wants.
Samantha Campbell, director of students at USU Moab, said the two most popular programs right now are the school’s nursing program and welding program. The school offers over 90 certificate and degree programs, including bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, PhDs, associate degrees, undergraduate certificates (including in Welding Technology), graduate certificates, endorsements, and licensures. There are 15 full-time faculty on campus, and 18 career and technical education programs. Tuition each semester for Utah residents is around $4,000.
“I think the building has had a big impact on our growth—even though it’s just a building, it made us feel like a real campus,” Campbell said. “Even though we’ve been here for a long time, there are a lot of people just now noticing us.”
Nearly a third of USU Moab students are the first person in their family to attend college, Olsen said.
The campus’s partnership with Grand County High School, called USU Moab Concurrent Enrollment, also grew in the fall semester, seeing a 16.3% enrollment increase. Within that program, GCHS students can take USU classes for $5 per credit—so a typical three credit course is $15. High school students can earn their General Education certificate through USU Moab, meaning that they could transfer all Gen Ed credits taken at USU Moab to any Utah public institution when they go to college.
“It’s probably the best scholarship that a student could do, is to do those concurrent enrollment classes because they’re so affordable,” Campbell said. “They can really help students, even if they only take a few courses, to get ahead of the game.”
“We have a really good collaboration with the school district—they’re fantastic,” Olsen said. “They’re working really hard to support their students and set them up for a lifetime of learning.”
Campbell also attributes the growth in enrollment to USU Moab’s willingness to get involved in the community. The campus hosts field trips for high school and middle school students, but this year, they’re also hosting a group of fourth graders: the kids will spend an hour and a half touring the building and meeting faculty.
“We really want to convey the message that USU is for them, too—it’s for everyone,” Campbell said.
“Sometimes, college seems intimidating or mystical, and so we want to demystify it, and be like, ‘we’re just normal people like everybody else, and we would love to have you be here,’” Olsen said. “It’s not a place for only a certain kind of person—it’s for you.”
