Back to school: professionals seek education in economic crisis.

• Author: Beers, Heather
• Position: Business Trends

Today the pink slip, tomorrow the diploma. As the economic crunch causes more companies to layoff, downsize or reduce hours, Utah's labor pool is churning. Workers, mid-level managers and even executives are fighting to keep their heads above water. As a result, more Utahns are grabbing what they hope will be a lifeline and are heading back to school.

Some are going back to earn vocational certificates, others are dusting off half-finished baccalaureate degrees or deciding to bolster their resumes with master's or doctorate distinctions.

If you're one of those considering returning to school, you'll be in lots of good company. The Utah System of Higher Education, which represents nine of Utah's public colleges and universities, saw a 7.42 percent jump in enrollment for Spring 2009 semester over Spring 2008. The colleges experienced a similar increase in Fall 2008 and anticipate a consistent growth trend in the next year. And Utah College of Applied Technology schools are also seeing skyrocketing numbers. Enrollments at the Ogden Weber and Davis Applied Technology Colleges have increased more than 20 percent over the previous year.

Education Surge

University and college presidents statewide can verify the statistics--they are indeed experiencing a marked uptick in enrollment. Ann Milner, president of Weber State University, says, "We're seeing more students return to the university campuses, seeking to build on their skills and prepare for the changes in this economic climate. I think that is typical of a downturn in the economy. When things are good people think, 'I'm doing OK where I am.' When it gets tighter they realize in order to be able to compete in the future, they need to make sure they have prepared themselves educationally."

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Because Weber is both a community college and university, its educational accessibility is popular with returning professionals. There, students can seamlessly move from associate's degrees to bachelor's degrees and even on to master's programs. Accordingly, Milner says, Weber is seeing growth in both its undergraduate and graduate programs, particularly in the fields of business, health care, education and applied sciences.

Michael T. Benson, president of Southern Utah University, says, "Just like every campus, we are experiencing an increase in enrollment. We're getting some [professionals] that have been laid off or have been asked to be retrained in short intensive areas." In...