Salt Lake Community College President Deneece G. Huftalin told Granger High School students that she doesn’t care where they go to college, just that they should go. “I’m not here just representing Salt Lake Community College,” Huftalin said. “I’m representing all of higher education.”
Granger was one of 84 schools in 25 districts across Utah Monday that participated in the Utah System of Higher Education’s third annual Utah College Application Week (UCAW). Last year about 18 percent of almost 11,000 students in 49 high schools said they would not have otherwise applied for admission to college had it not been for UCAW. About 34 percent said they were first-generation students while 80 percent said UCAW increased their interest in going to college.
Huftalin told Granger students that a college degree can help them earn about $1 million more over their lifetime than a career without a higher education. Students asked questions about degree programs available at SLCC and whether going there would be cheaper than going to a four-year institution. Huftalin assured students that many people save money by starting at SLCC before transferring or by getting a certificate or two-year degree that prepares them for more immediate entry into the workforce.
Huftalin was one of several university and college presidents and administrators, along with Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell, who spoke at high schools around Utah. The goal this year during November, which is College Application Month, is to see 20,000 Utah high school seniors apply to college.
Salt Lake Community College is an accredited, student-focused, comprehensive community college meeting the diverse needs of the Salt Lake community. Home to more than 60,000 students each year, the College is Utah’s leading provider of workforce development programs. SLCC is also the largest supplier of transfer students to Utah’s four-year institutions and a perennial Top 10 college nationally for total associate degrees awarded. The College is the sole provider of applied technology courses in the Salt Lake area, with multiple locations, an eCampus, and nearly 1,000 continuing education sites located throughout the Salt Lake Valley. Personal attention from an excellent faculty is paramount at the College, which maintains an average class size of 20.
