Dixie State College on track to become a university

Dixie State is on an upward trajectory that could make it a university, offering graduate programs in as soon as three years. College leaders will present a plan to the state Board of Regents that would expand Dixie State into a regional university role similar to that of Weber State University and Utah Valley University.But to get there, Dixie State will have to overcome several hurdles, each with its own price tag. College officials say they would have to hire 61 full-time faculty and 50 staff and add nine new bachelor's degrees. The total tab over the next three years, including operating budgets and equipment costs, would be just under $9 million. And the proposal comes at a time when college resources are strained by enrollment that has grown 47 percent since 2007 to almost 9,000 students. Deseret News