R301, Master Plan Executive Summary R301, Master Plan Executive Summary R301-1. Response to Change - Projected economic and demographic changes in our society elicit many challenges which require thoughtful and dynamic response to ensure both stability and viability for the future of Utah. A strong system of higher education is essential for the maintenance of a vibrant and progressive society. The Utah State Board of Regents has therefore developed a revised and updated Master Plan for Higher Education, designed to ensure that the benefits of high quality higher education are made available to students and citizens as the number one priority for social progress and economic wellbeing of the state and its people.
Higher education is viewed as far more than a state expenditure.
It is an all-important investment in people whose principal is repaid many times in future state revenues, but also more importantly, in the development of a more enlightened citizenship, a more productive workforce, and a better society. Attention to Access, Quality and Diversity - Through this new Master Plan, the Regents recognize that Utah's rising student population and changing economic environment present serious challenges to the simultaneous pursuit of both access and quality in higher education. To promote quality without providing wide access would be to abandon a basic tenet of public higher education. But to offer full access to mediocre programs would be myopic, deceptive, and a disservice to students in a highly competitive world. At the same time, access and quality are more meaningful when diversity of educational opportunity is provided to meet the full spectrum of personal and societal needs.