This year, the joint Salt Lake Community College and University of Utah campus in Herriman is celebrating not only its first anniversary but a 34% increase in students as well.
“The U and SLCC have a history of strong transfer bridges between our two institutions,” said Taunya Dressler, director of campus & site services and assistant dean of students at SLCC. “The Herriman campus is special because our faculty, staff and students have an opportunity to build relationships with one another in the same space. We provide one-stop resource hubs for our students to support their success in exciting ways.”
Of the 1,000 students enrolled in the class at the Herriman campus, 50 of them are taking upper-division classes through the U. Currently the U offers three majors that can be completed entirely at the Herriman campus—economics, human development and family studies, and financial planning and counseling. As the student body grows, the U will expand its course offerings into business and education.
According to Jason Taylor, the U’s assistant dean for Transfer Student Success, it’s uncommon to see a two-year institution and a four-year institution open a joint campus, making the Herriman collaboration an innovative example of forward-thinking in higher education.
“The southwest quadrant of the valley is not a place either of our institutions have historically been in,” Taylor said. “It’s one of the fastest-growing communities in the state and the country. That this community now has public post-secondary education in their backyard is one of the most exciting things about the campus.”
Building community partnerships has been an important focus of the first year of the Herriman campus.
“Lorin Palmer, the mayor of Herriman, is a really amazing partner to us,” Dressler said. “We have been working to forge strong connections with the local high schools as well as non-profits, faith organizations and other community groups in Herriman. We are going to continue to give back to the community and let them know we are here for them.”
While the Herriman campus is new, the relationship between SLCC and the U is not. Forty percent of the U’s transfer students come from SLCC and nearly half of SLCC students transfer to the U. Taylor said students who transfer from SLCC to the U are well prepared to continue their education and graduate from the U at higher rates than students who transfer from other schools.
“Our two campuses have worked collectively for a long time to increase access to higher education in the Salt Lake Valley,” Taylor said. “It’s exciting to have a new space for our two schools to physically exist together because it opens up the door for new opportunities. What we learn together at the Herriman campus will help us better support all transfer students moving forward.”
As a marker of the one-year anniversary of the Herriman Campus, SLCC and U leaders have released a joint statement that affirms their joint commitment to the campus and provides an update on the campus’ shared objectives and goals.
“We value this historic partnership and our commitment to the Herriman Campus remains steadfast,” said T. Chase Hagood, U vice provost for Student Success. “The combined efforts of both institutions establish critical pathways leading to student success and myriad opportunities to innovate together.”
Visit herriman.utah.edu or www.slcc.edu/herriman to learn more about the campus.
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