The University of Utah’s three-year strategic reinvestment process is on track to support a changing economy, emerging workforce demands and state leaders’ education priorities.
The university is set to reallocate more than two-thirds of its $19.58 million in state-mandated cuts during the upcoming fiscal year, Chief Financial Officer Tony Wagner reported to the Utah Board of Higher Education at a meeting June 11.
“In all of these areas, these represent market-driven decisions,” Wagner said. “These are programs in high demand, programs that our students want, programs that are absolutely aligned with the economic priorities of the state of Utah.”
During the 2025 Legislature, Utah lawmakers required state colleges and universities cut and reinvest $60 million over three years; the U was responsible for one-third of that total. University leaders launched the cut and reallocation process during the spring and summer of 2025, shifting funding priorities to advance institution-wide operational excellence initiatives and mission-aligned planning. Last August, state lawmakers approved the university’s first-year reinvestments.
Approximately 100 administrative positions will be recreated as student success-oriented positions, Wagner said. About $300,000 originally slated for financial planning has been shifted to behavioral health programs.
In a few areas, Wagner said, implementation without changing the area of focus or the total spent, including:
- Coordinated services created efficiencies in the College of Engineering that shifted toward an increase in faculty, rather than staff
- A competitive AI talent market refined the Responsible AI hiring plan
- Up-front simulation costs raised first-year operating costs in nursing
- A faculty hire in biotechnology was delayed by a year
The U reallocated 40% of its total during the current fiscal year. The university will reinvest another 77% over the next two fiscal years. Approximately 2%, or $190,000, of the total has shifted from FY 2026 to 2027.
“We’re staying the course on the original plan,” Wagner said. “It’s the same priorities. We are on target.”
