Blog

Utah Thrives: Utah’s State Budget and Board Chair Elizabeth Hitch

Written by: Dan Bammes

The most important job for Utah’s state legislature as it prepares to go into its general session is to pass a balanced state budget. The governor provides legislators with a budget outline in December, and the day it was released, Utah Foundation hosted a breakfast with special guests Kristen Cox, the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, along with Phil Dean, the office’s Budget Director and Chief Economist. We’ll hear some … Continued

Utah Foundation names new board leadership

Written by: Dan Bammes

At its Board of Trustees meeting December 6, Utah Foundation announced the following new officers: Elizabeth Hitch, Associate Commissioner for Academic Affairs in the Utah System of Higher Education, is the new chair. Dr. Hitch previously served as vice chair and replaces outgoing chair Brent Jensen, vice president of HDR Engineering. Chad Westover, CEO of University of Utah Health Plans, is the new vice chair. Dan Eldredge, General Manager of Intermountain Power Agency, is the … Continued

Utah Thrives: 2018 Election and Utah Politics

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah has just completed a remarkable midterm election, with high levels of voter participation. Some hotly contested candidate races and strong interest in several ballot initiatives helped to drive that high turnout. We’ll hear from Justin Lee, the elections chief in the office of Utah’s lieutenant governor. Brigham Young University’s Adam Brown, Associate Professor of Political Science, was the featured speaker at Utah Foundation’s annual luncheon in October. We’ll hear his thoughts on what makes … Continued

Building quality of life into our future

Written by: Peter Reichard

When considering Utah’s assets, it’s easy to rattle off a series of indicators that play directly into economic performance: a favorable tax environment, a strong workforce, a diversified economy, a fleet of strong higher ed institutions and one of the most well-educated populations in the nation. But one of Utah’s most important assets is less tangible. It comes up in conversation perhaps more than any other asset, but you can’t find it in federal statistics. … Continued

Utah Foundation’s Health Cost Series examines cost drivers

Written by: Sam Brucker

Note: This post was originally published on the website of the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. In 2016, Utah Foundation’s Priorities Project found that the cost of health care was Utahns’ biggest concern. In response, Utah Foundation produced a three-part Utah Health Cost Series from December 2017 to June 2018. The series provides an analysis of the overall cost of health care spending in Utah, the cost of health insurance for Utahns, … Continued

Utah Thrives: Quality of Life, Relationships, and Suicide

Written by: Dan Bammes

Every few years, Utah Foundation surveys Utahns about their quality of life. Their responses allow us to look back and see how their perceptions have changed over time. And we also recently published a research report on suicide, looking at how Utah compares to other states in the Mountain West and the nation. We’ll hear from Utah Foundation President Peter Reichard about those reports. In this edition of Utah Thrives, we’ll look closely at one … Continued

Utah housing concerns center on Salt Lake County and renters

Written by: Peter Reichard

Housing affordability has become one of the biggest topics in recent public discourse. That makes sense: Housing prices in Utah have increased sharply during the past five years. The median sales price of a home rose from $207,000 in 2013 to $298,950 in 2018. Median rents in Utah have increased from $851 in 2012 to $986 in 2017. From a longer-term perspective, housing cost increases in both Utah and most other Western states have consistently … Continued

Utah Thrives: The Cost of Health Care

Written by: Dan Bammes

For the voters surveyed for the Utah Priorities Project in 2016, no concern ranked higher than health care – and its cost. Utah Foundation responded with a three-part series looking at what we have to pay for health care. The series was honored with the 2018 Most Distinguished Research Award by the Governmental Research Association. And we’ve also invited Leavitt Partners CEO Andrew Croshaw, a leading thinker in the area of health care, to comment … Continued

Investments in ‘at-risk’ students falling short of national benchmarks

Written by: Peter Reichard

In the K-12 education arena, battle lines can be drawn in numerous areas: curriculum content, school choice, teacher qualifications, school taxes, governance – the list goes on. But one area in which there is broad consensus is the notion that, to the extent feasible, impediments to student success ought to be lifted. Each child ought to have a fair shot at academic achievement. That challenge is a top concern of the Governor’s Education Excellence Commission, … Continued

Utah Thrives: Funding for Utah’s At-risk Students

Written by: Dan Bammes

When the Education Excellence Commission convened by Governor Gary Herbert looked at ways to improve Utah’s public schools, it spent a lot of time talking about students at risk of academic failure. How to pay for the extra help they need to catch up to their peers, what programs are in place and who pays for them, is the subject of a new research report from Utah Foundation. In this episode of Utah Thrives, we … Continued