Moab Utah

Our Challenges
Our Current Students
Our Dreams
Our Vision
Our Reality

The Need for Higher Education in Moab Grand County

 Educational opportunities in Moab, Grand County Utah are much like a des-
ert. It is arid environment with sparse opportunities. Education attempts to eke out
a survival in a wild and uninhabited land that is desolate or forbidding.

The Utah population is unique in that it is considerably different from the

Eastern States and even many of the Western States. It is one of the most urban
states in that 80% of the population is located in Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden
along the Wasatch Front and also one of the most rural states in that it has only 27.2
persons per square mile as compared to 79.6 average for the United States.

Many communities in rural Utah, like Moab, have lost their economic base.
Unfortunately, the major export is our children. Many residents in Moab cannot
leave and are lost in a desert of no hope or opportunity.

A Community of Challenges
In a land of arches, natural bridges and great canyons, visitors can do cy-
cling, hiking, 4-wheeling, white water rafting, motorcycling, climbing, sightseeing,
and exploring. However the person who may be preparing food, get the boats ready
for the river, cleaning rooms, or selling souvenirs is more than likely the working
poor.

The working poor are evident in Moab Grand County Utah. The economy
of the area is seasonal tourist based. Each year the community hires between 1,500
– 2,000 seasonal workers. This population is worked for eight months and then
summarily laid off. This cycle repeats itself year after year. Many residents live
well below the poverty level, work minimal wage jobs, and have no health benefits.

Some of the characteristics of the working poor include:

Has never been to college

May work shift work
They may have graduated from high school
Tend to float from job to job
Lack of hope
Come from a single parent family
May have difficulty with reading and writing
May be suffering from depression
Lack of opportunity
They leave their children at home to work
Probably doesn’t have health insurance
Stuck in a dead-end job
They are likely to be female
They are likely divorced
They are likely to be single parents themselves.

Shipler, David (2004)

The Working Poor Invisible in America, Alfred A. Knopf Publisher
 Scholarship / Tuition Assistance
for Spring 2007 semester

Utah State University Moab (USU-Moab) has minimal scholarship

monies. The Campus Center does not qualify for scholarship assistance from
our main campus 350 miles away. For 2006-2007, the scholarship budget was
$14,000 for two semesters from all sources.

The following table shows tuition awards, how our students pay for
their college education, gender, average student age, and number of students
who work and attend college, ethicity of current students, and field of study.
There are more applications than there are funds to cover the need.

Tuition Assistance Awards for Spring 2007

Full Tuition Scholarships Available ($1918) 0
Half Time Scholarships Available ($ 809) 0
$500 Tuition Assistant Awards (12+ credits) 8 awards
$250 Tuition Assistant awards (6-11 credits) 8 awards

How USU Moab Students Pay for School

(Students maybe in multiple categories)
Pell-Grants and Stafford Loans 31
Facts or Self Pay 21
Students receiving Workforce Services or
Vocational Rehabilitation Assistance 13
Veterans 1
 Gender, Number of Single Parent Students
Age and Total Student Population

Sixteen percent of the student population are single parents. They are not only
attending school, but also raising children and working in the community.

Gender Single Parents Age Range # Students

Male 1 23-60 21
Female 9 18-66 42

Average Student Age at Utah State University Moab

33

Percentage of USU Moab students who work either full or part-time

and attending classes
98%

Ethnicity by Gender
Ethnicity Female Male
White, not Hispanic 34 20
Indian/Alaskan native 3 0
Other, not specified 1 0
Hispanic 4 1
Black, not Hispanic 0 0
Totals 42 21

A Higher Educational Presence in Moab / Grand County

There has been a higher educational presence in the area for 40 years. Utah State
University (USU) began offering programs in late sixties by flying professors to the
region to teach classes a couple of days a week.

Around 1985, the College of Eastern Utah (CEU) in Price Utah petitioned and
was granted by the Utah Board of Regents to be allowed to provide the first two-years
of the academic experience. USU would only provide the junior, senior, and advanced
degree options in the community. Neither USU or CEU had any permanent faculty. The
community never made the transition to a local college, since services were coming from
other providers outside of Grand County.

As technology expanded the ‘flying professors’ were replaced with telephone

conferencing, video conferencing, satellite and internet, and now interactive video. The
College of Eastern Utah in 2002 dropped their college program and left the commu-
nity. USU again became responsible for freshman through graduate programs. Building
enrollments and momentum for education in Moab and Grand County has been a chal-
lenge, but enrollments are on the rise.

In the 40 years of higher education in Grand County, no endowed scholarship

fund was created, no faculty was ever hired permanently, and not until 2004, a building
purchased for the use by higher education. Our community is still dependent on other
schools in other communities on what we can offer. Many students needs go unserved.
 Demographics of the USU Moab Students for Spring 2007

Primary College Major Name Number of

students
Agriculture Family and Consumer Sciences 1
Business Business 1
Business Administration 10
Continuing Education Associate Degrees 30
Education and Human Ser Early Childhood Education 1
Early Childhood Cert 1
Elementary Education 1
Psychology 2
Psychology Teaching 1
Humanities, Arts, & Soc Sci Liberal Arts 1
Science Biology 1
Nursing 3
Public Health 1
University Studies General Studies 2
Undeclared 5
Undeclared (Business) 1
Undeclared (Science) 1
Total enrollment for Spring Semester 2007 63
3% increase from 05-06
Enrollment for Spring Semester 2006 60

(Source: USU Banner Warehouse Information 2007)

The present provider of academic offerings Utah State University is limited in the
types of programs it can offer. Any major that requires a lab associated with course or degree
cannot be offered. Take for example those wanting to major in nursing. Those individuals
can complete 27 credit hours of prerequisite courses, but such classes as anatomy, physiology,
chemistry, and biology that require labs cannot be offered.

The student is forced to travel to the nearest residential campus (there are three, but
each is nearly 100 miles from Moab) to take these courses. Furthermore, many of these
classes are two days a week, which would mean a person would have to commute 400 miles a
week to and from classes.
 Degrees Available through Distance Education
While the list of potential degrees is impressive, many of the classes are offered during
the day, which is conducive to an adult population’s work schedule, or are offered on a two or
three year cohort cycle.
Associate of Science
Focus Areas

Pre-Business
Pre-Computer Science
Pre-Liberal Arts
Pre-Psychology
Pre-Family & Human Development
Pre-Elementary Education
Pre-History
Pre-Health Science
Office System Support
Pre Early Childhood
Minors & Certificates

Business Information Minor

Family & Human Development Minor
History Minor
Psychology Minor
Sociology Minor
Administration /Supervisory Certificate
Reading Certificate (Basic or Advanced)
School Library Media Certification
Early Childhood Education Endorsement
Bachelors Degrees
Accounting
Business
Computer Science
Elementary Education (with Blanding)
Entrepreneurship
Interdisciplinary Degree
Psychology
English/History (Secondary Education)
Masters Degrees

Natural Resources
Computer Science
Elementary Education
English - Technical Writing (on-line)
Family & Human Development
Psychology (School Counseling)
Secondary Education
 Partnerships
The following groups are working towards the development of a residential
campus in Moab Grand County

Workforce Services
Vocational Rehabilitation
Grand County School District
Utah State University Moab
Grand County
Moab City
Grand Foundation for Higher Education

Vision

The Grand Foundation for Higher Education was established to turn the dream
of a college campus into a vision and into a reality. The Foundation will partnership
with all educational providers that have a physical presence in Grand County. Together
we will provide educational opportunities for our population and become an education-
al center for the world.

We believe that we can attract many students who are interested in specific
degrees in areas as natural resources, ecology, and recreation-tourism. By combining
strong academic programs with unique learning environment, we believe we could at-
tract and educate students from around the world.

The Foundation envisions a multifaceted campus that combines vocational tech-

nical education, allied health, four-year college degrees. The Moab Learning Campus
would be able to offer certificate, associate, bachelors and advanced degrees from one
center core.

Our vision is for a Learning Campus. Our goals are as followed:

1. Establish a tuition assistance fund to help our students and grow enrollments
2. Classroom building, administration, multi-media, and student center building
3. Natural resources and environmental recreation degree program
4. Allied health and industrial technology
5. Colorado Plateau Learning and Research Center (includes labs for natural sci-
ence, environmental studies, BLM, USGS, and graduate students)
6. Fine Arts and Literature Center (pottery, drawing, painting, sculpture, writing,
and research)
7. Residential living for students