Higher education offerings in the Uintah Basin stand out more all the time. As a USU establishment, USU Uintah Basin is the largest teaching regional campus in the state. According to USU Uintah Basin Director
James Taylor
, there are 57 faculty on USU regional campuses around the state and 26 of those are located in the Uintah Basin while those that remain are dispersed in small groups. In addition to the partnership with UBATC, having the high school next door makes for a unique and amazing educational opportunity locally. “We love having [the high school kids] in our buildings,” says Taylor. “We work together to take kids from high school all the way through certificates, Associate’s, Bachelor degrees and on.” The stackable credit programs are also considered an enviable offering in the Basin. Taylor and UBATC President Aaron Weight agree that a crucial part of local educational success is the scholarship support offered. Of the $2.2 million dollars paid in tuition at the USU Uintah Basin campus, $700,000 dollars of that is in scholarships. Students at UBATC received $686,000 dollars in scholarships this year that came from industry partnerships as well as the Impact Mitigation Special Service District. “We have fantastic things going for our students,” says Weight. Last year UBATC gave out over $800,000 dollars in scholarships.
