03-04 11:24 S.B. 334
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Center for Civic Excellence at Utah State University
2025 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: John D. Johnson
House Sponsor: Karianne Lisonbee
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LONG TITLE
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General Description:
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This bill establishes the Center for Civic Excellence at Utah State University (center).
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Highlighted Provisions:
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This bill:
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▸ defines terms;
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▸ establishes the center as a pilot program;
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▸ provides the purposes, curricular focus, responsibilities, authority, and administration of
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the center;
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▸ requires a report to the Utah Board of Higher Education to consider system-wide changes
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to general education; and
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▸ establishes a sunset date for the center.
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Money Appropriated in this Bill:
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None
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Other Special Clauses:
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None
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Utah Code Sections Affected:
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AMENDS:
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63I-1-253, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2024, Third Special Session, Chapter 5
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ENACTS:
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53B-18-1901, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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53B-18-1902, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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53B-18-1903, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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53B-18-1904, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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53B-18-1905, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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53B-18-1906, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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53B-18-1907, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
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Section 1. Section 53B-18-1901 is enacted to read:
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Part 19. Center for Civic Excellence
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53B-18-1901 . Definitions.
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As used in this part:
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(1) "Center" means the Center for Civic Excellence established in Section 53B-18-1902.
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(2) "Program" means the general education program at Utah State University.
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Section 2. Section 53B-18-1902 is enacted to read:
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53B-18-1902 . Center for Civic Excellence establishment -- Purpose.
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There is established the Center for Civic Excellence as a pilot program and an
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administrative unit in the Office of the Provost at Utah State University to:
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(1) provide general education for all Utah State University students;
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(2) replace the existing distribution model of general education with a coherent curriculum
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with a foundation of the core values, principles, and purposes described in Section
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53B-18-1906; and
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(3) develop a curriculum grounded in the following mission:
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(a) engaging students in civil and rigorous intellectual inquiry, across ideological
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differences, with a commitment to intellectual freedom in the pursuit of truth;
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(b) ensuring, through engagement with foundational primary texts representing "the best
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of what has been thought and said," that all graduates, regardless of the graduate's
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major, engage with the "big questions, great debates, and enduring ideas" that
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continue to shape society's self-understanding, the American experience, and the
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modern world; and
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(c) cultivating students' intellectual and personal habits of mind to enable the students to
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contribute and thrive in the students' economic, social, political, and personal lives
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with a focus on civil discourse, critical thinking about enduring questions, wise
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decision-making, and durable skills.
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Section 3. Section 53B-18-1903 is enacted to read:
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53B-18-1903 . Duties -- Authority.
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The Center for Civic Excellence shall:
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(1) serve as the program home of general education at Utah State University;
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(2)(a) govern faculty over all general education curriculum; and
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(b) establish a faculty curriculum committee to develop and review program outcomes
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and all courses;
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(3) develop and assess the program and all general education courses, ensuring alignment
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with the purposes and commitments described in Sections 53B-18-1902 and
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53B-18-1906;
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(4) appoint and evaluate all instructors who will teach general education courses at Utah
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State University; and
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(5) provide professional development for instructors teaching in the program to ensure
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fidelity to the program's purposes, values, and outcomes.
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Section 4. Section 53B-18-1904 is enacted to read:
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53B-18-1904 . Leadership.
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(1)(a) The Office of the Provost shall house the center.
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(b) The provost shall appoint a vice-provost to:
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(i) lead the center; and
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(ii) report to the provost regarding the operation of the center and the general
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education program.
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(2) The vice-provost overseeing the center shall:
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(a) appoint faculty to the center's curriculum committee;
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(b) oversee the development and assessment of the general education program and the
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program's courses;
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(c) manage the recruitment of affiliate instructors from other academic units;
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(d) approve appointments of affiliate instructors who will teach for the center;
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(e) approve syllabi from affiliate instructors who will teach for the center;
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(f) oversee the development of performance expectations for affiliate faculty;
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(g) manage the evaluation of affiliate instructors; and
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(h) manage the review and approval of petitions for exceptions for general education
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requirements.
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Section 5. Section 53B-18-1905 is enacted to read:
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53B-18-1905 . Faculty.
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(1) Only an instructor whom the vice-provost leading the center grants an appointment as
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an affiliate instructor in the center may teach general education courses at Utah State
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University.
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(2) In appointing an instructor under Subsection (1), the vice-provost leading the center
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shall:
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(a) grant an at-will appointment on a two-year, renewable basis;
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(b) require the instructor to engage with all professional development the center
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mandates; and
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(c)(i) ensure the center annually evaluates the instructor on the instructor's teaching
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performance in the general education program; and
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(ii) deliver the performance evaluation to the faculty member, department head, and
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dean.
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Section 6. Section 53B-18-1906 is enacted to read:
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53B-18-1906 . Curriculum.
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(1) The center shall:
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(a) govern the general education program and general education courses at Utah State
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University; and
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(b) ensure that:
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(i) the general education program aligns with the general education program
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requirements described in board policy; and
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(ii) there is general education transferability to and from Utah State University and
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other institutions within the Utah System of Higher Education.
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(2) The center is founded in the following principles, values, and purposes:
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(a) a commitment to viewpoint diversity and civil discourse, ensuring that students
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understand opposing points of view and can contribute in the public square in civil
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and productive ways;
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(b) the development of program outcomes and courses that engage students in enduring
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questions of meaning, purpose, and value; and
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(c) the cultivation in students of the durable skills necessary to thrive in educational,
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social, political, economic, and personal contexts.
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(3) The center shall ensure, within the general education program:
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(a) a cap of 30 credits;
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(b) the integration of six written and oral communication credits with three humanities
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credits;
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(c) that three three-credit courses in the humanities:
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(i) engage with perennial questions about the human condition, the meaning of life,
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and the nature of social and moral lives;
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(ii) emphasize foundational thinking and communication skills through engagement
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with primary texts predominantly from Western civilization, such as:
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(A) the intellectual contributions of ancient Israel, ancient Greece, and Rome; and
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(B) the rise of Christianity, medieval Europe, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment,
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and post-Enlightenment;
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(iii) include texts for each course that are historically distributed from antiquity to the
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present from figures with lasting literary, philosophical, and historical influence,
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such as Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Lao Tzu, Cicero, Maimonides, Boethius,
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Shakespeare, Mill, Woolf, and Achebe; and
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(iv) are organized around themes central to the preservation and flourishing of a free
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society, such as the moral life, happiness, liberty, equality and justice, and
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goodness and beauty; and
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(d) that one three-credit course in American institutions:
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(i) engages students with the major debates and ideas that inform the historical
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development of the republican form of government of the United States of
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America;
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(ii) focus on the founding principles of American government, economics, and
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history, such as natural rights, liberty, equality, constitutional self-government,
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and market systems; and
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(iii) use primary source material, Ŝ→ [including] such as ←Ŝ :
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(A) the Magna Carta, the United States Constitution, the Federalist Papers; and
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(B) material from thinkers, such as Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Adam Smith, John
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Locke, Montesquieu, and Alexis de Tocqueville.
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(4) The vice-provost overseeing the center:
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(a) shall ensure that the center:
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(i) no less than seven days before the first day of class for a given semester or other
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academic term during which the institution offers a course, makes available to the
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public on the institution's website a syllabus for each section of the courses in the
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humanities described in Subsection (3) that:
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(A) Ŝ→ [provides the name of the instructor] provide the section number ←Ŝ ;
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(B) provides a brief description of each major assignment and examination;
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(C) lists any required or recommended reading; and
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(D) provides a general description of the subject matter of each lecture or
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discussion;
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(E) is accessible from the home page of the institution's website by use of not
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more than three links;
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(F) is searchable by keywords and phrases; and
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(G) is accessible to the public without requiring registration, use of a user name
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and password, or another method of user identification;
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(ii) continues to make the information described in Subsection (4)(a) available on the
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center's website until at least the second anniversary of the date on which the
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center initially posted the information; and
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(iii) updates the information described in Subsection (4)(a) as soon as practicable
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after the information changes; and
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(b) may assign duties under this Subsection (4) to one or more administrative employees.
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Section 7. Section 53B-18-1907 is enacted to read:
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53B-18-1907 . Oversight -- Reporting.
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(1) The vice-provost leading the center shall submit an annual report:
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(a) to the provost, president of the institution, and the commissioner;
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(b) that includes a mission-based accounting of:
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(i) program and instructor performance and goals for improvement;
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(ii) professional development offerings and future goals;
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(iii) the course offerings and syllabus publication described in Section 53B-18-1907;
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and
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(iv) a full account of the center's budget.
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(2) The commissioner shall report annually to the Education Interim Committee regarding
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the implementation and activities of the center.
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(3) Each year, the center shall:
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(a) assess the quality of teaching and adherence to program principles, values, and goals;
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(b) identify expectations for addressing deficiencies or for continued improvement; and
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(c) share the review described in Subsections (2)(a) and (b) with appropriate department
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heads.
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(4) Before July 1, 2029, the center shall:
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(a) report to the board educational outcomes and impacts of the pilot program;
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(b) provide recommendations for system-wide general education curriculum; and
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(c) report to the Education Interim Committee regarding the implementation and
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activities of the center.
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(5) Based on the pilot program's outcomes, the board shall, in consultation with academic
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experts, pedagogical specialists, and institutional stakeholders, develop a proposed core
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of system-wide general education courses aligned with the educational principles of this
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section.
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Section 8. Section 63I-1-253 is amended to read:
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63I-1-253 . Repeal dates: Titles 53 through 53G.
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(1) Section 53-1-122, Road Rage Awareness and Prevention Restricted Account, is
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repealed July 1, 2028.
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(2) Section 53-2a-105, Emergency Management Administration Council created --
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Function -- Composition -- Expenses, is repealed July 1, 2029.
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(3) Section 53-2a-1103, Search and Rescue Advisory Board -- Members -- Compensation,
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is repealed July 1, 2027.
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(4) Section 53-2a-1104, General duties of the Search and Rescue Advisory Board, is
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repealed July 1, 2027.
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(5) Title 53, Chapter 2a, Part 15, Grid Resilience Committee, is repealed July 1, 2027.
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(6) Section 53-2d-104, State Emergency Medical Services Committee -- Membership --
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Expenses, is repealed July 1, 2029.
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(7) Section 53-2d-703, Volunteer Emergency Medical Service Personnel Health Insurance
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Program -- Creation -- Administration -- Eligibility -- Benefits -- Rulemaking --
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Advisory board, is repealed July 1, 2027.
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(8) Section 53-5-703, Board -- Membership -- Compensation -- Terms -- Duties, is repealed
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July 1, 2029.
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(9) Section 53-11-104, Board, is repealed July 1, 2029.
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(10) Section 53-22-104.1, School Security Task Force -- Membership -- Duties -- Per diem
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-- Report -- Expiration, is repealed December 31, 2025.
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(11) Section 53-22-104.2, The School Security Task Force -- Education Advisory Board, is
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repealed December 31, 2025.
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(12) Subsection 53B-1-301(1)(j), regarding the Higher Education and Corrections Council,
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is repealed July 1, 2027.
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(13) Section 53B-7-709, Five-year performance goals, is repealed July 1, 2027.
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(14) Title 53B, Chapter 8a, Part 3, Education Savings Incentive Program, is repealed July 1,
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2028.
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(15) Title 53B, Chapter 17, Part 11, USTAR Researchers, is repealed July 1, 2028.
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(16) Section 53B-17-1203, SafeUT and School Safety Commission established -- Members,
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is repealed January 1, 2030.
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(17) Title 53B, Chapter 18, Part 16, USTAR Researchers, is repealed July 1, 2028.
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(18) Title 53B, Chapter 18, Part 17, Food Security Council, is repealed July 1, 2027.
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(19) Title 53B, Chapter 18, Part 18, Electrification of Transportation Infrastructure
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Research Center, is repealed July 1, 2028.
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(20) Title 53B, Chapter 18, Part 19, Center for Civic Excellence, is repealed July 1, 2030.
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[(20)] (21) Title 53B, Chapter 35, Higher Education and Corrections Council, is repealed
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July 1, 2027.
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[(21)] (22) Subsection 53C-3-203(4)(b)(vii), regarding the distribution of money from the
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Land Exchange Distribution Account to the Geological Survey for test wells and other
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hydrologic studies in the West Desert, is repealed July 1, 2030.
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[(22)] (23) Subsection 53E-1-201(1)(q), regarding the Higher Education and Corrections
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Council, is repealed July 1, 2027.
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[(23)] (24) Subsection 53E-2-304(6), regarding foreclosing a private right of action or
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waiver of governmental immunity, is repealed July 1, 2027.
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[(24)] (25) Subsection 53E-3-503(5), regarding coordinating councils for youth in care, is
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repealed July 1, 2027.
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[(25)] (26) Subsection 53E-3-503(6), regarding coordinating councils for youth in care, is
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repealed July 1, 2027.
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[(26)] (27) Subsection 53E-4-202(8)(b), regarding a standards review committee, is repealed
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January 1, 2028.
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[(27)] (28) Section 53E-4-203, Standards review committee, is repealed January 1, 2028.
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[(28)] (29) Title 53E, Chapter 6, Part 5, Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission,
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is repealed July 1, 2033.
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[(29)] (30) Subsection 53E-7-207(7), regarding a private right of action or waiver of
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governmental immunity, is repealed July 1, 2027.
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[(30)] (31) Section 53F-2-420, Intensive Services Special Education Pilot Program, is
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repealed July 1, 2024.
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[(31)] (32) Section 53F-5-214, Grant for professional learning, is repealed July 1, 2025.
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[(32)] (33) Section 53F-5-215, Elementary teacher preparation grant, is repealed July 1,
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2025.
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[(33)] (34) Section 53F-5-219, Local Innovations Civics Education Pilot Program, is
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repealed July 1, 2025.
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[(34)] (35) Title 53F, Chapter 10, Part 2, Capital Projects Evaluation Panel, is repealed July
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1, 2027.
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[(35)] (36) Subsection 53G-4-608(2)(b), regarding the Utah Seismic Safety Commission, is
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repealed January 1, 2025.
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[(36)] (37) Subsection 53G-4-608(4)(b), regarding the Utah Seismic Safety Commission, is
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repealed January 1, 2025.
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[(37)] (38) Section 53G-9-212, Drinking water quality in schools, is repealed July 1, 2027.
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Section 9. Effective Date.
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This bill takes effect on May 7, 2025.
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