{"id":8087,"date":"2026-09-10T12:37:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justfineinfotech.com\/the-nail-tech-debate-dividing-utah-educators\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T12:37:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:37:22","slug":"the-nail-tech-debate-dividing-utah-educators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justfineinfotech.com\/fr\/the-nail-tech-debate-dividing-utah-educators\/","title":{"rendered":"The nail tech debate dividing Utah educators"},"content":{"rendered":"<figcaption>A woman is getting her nails done at a nail salon. Utah&#8217;s eight technical colleges presented strategic reinvestment plans to the higher education board on Wednesday and there was a debate whether nail tech programs should be a priority. Adobe.com<\/figcaption>00:00<br \/>\n00:00<br \/>\n1.0x<br \/>\n00:00\/00:00<br \/>\n&#8211;<br \/>\n+<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Utah Board of Higher Education approves the strategic reinvestment plans of state\u2019s technical colleges.<\/li>\n<li>Board members debated the rightful place on nail technician programs in reinvestment strategies.<\/li>\n<li>The approved reinvestment plans will enhance some study programs \u2014 and eliminate others.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Utah Board of Higher Education\u2019s typical meeting agendas involve macro discussions about billion-dollar budgets, university president hirings, and state and federal legislative briefs<\/p>\n<p>But the most lively back-and-forth at Wednesday\u2019s UBHE meeting centered around nail technicians \u2014 manicurists, nail artists, pedicurists or nail stylists<\/p>\n<p>The Wednesday morning nail debate came during the board\u2019s review and approval of the strategic reinvestment proposals from each of the state\u2019s eight technical colleges<\/p>\n<p>Utah higher education watchers know all about \u201cstrategic reinvestment.\u201d It\u2019s been an oft-repeated catchphrase across Utah\u2019s public college campuses and legislative halls over the past couple of years<\/p>\n<p>In 2025, the Utah Legislature launched an initiative to shift higher education reoth students, Utah industry and the taxpayers who support the state\u2019s colleges. Think healthcare, AI and engineering<\/p>\n<p>The plan\u2019s initial iteration focused on Utah\u2019s eight degree-granting institutions \u2014 reallocating 10% from their respective budgets toward the reinvestment initiative<\/p>\n<p>Then in March, UBHE called for similar strategic reinvestment plans at the state\u2019s public technical colleges: Bridgerland Technical College, Davis Technical College, Dixie Technical College, Mountainland Technical College, Ogden-Weber Technical College, Southwest Technical College, Tooele Technical College and Uintah Basin Technical College<\/p>\n<p>Technical schools were tasked with reallocating 5% of their instructional general fund\/income tax fund across a six-year period<\/p>\n<p>And like their counterparts at degree-granting schools, technical college leaders made reinvestment decisions based largely on workforce demands and student outcomes<\/p>\n<p>But Wednesday\u2019s UBHE gathering demonstrated that \u201cdemands\u201d and \u201coutcomes\u201d can be subjective<\/p>\n<p>And while board members and the Utah Higher Education Commissioner Geoffrey Landward all agreed that programs such as welding and HVAC were logical fits for a technical college\u2019s strategic fund reallocation, the reinvestment-worthiness of nail technician programs was, well, split<\/p>\n<h3>Tackling higher ed reinvestment policy questions<\/h3>\n<p>The board voted Wednesday on whether to approve each of the eight technical colleges\u2019 proposed reinvestment plans, taking into consideration Landward\u2019s recommendations<\/p>\n<p>Included in the Davis Technical College plan was a $141,000 reinvestment request for expanding the school\u2019s nail technician program<\/p>\n<p>But the UBHE memorandum summarizing Davis Tech\u2019s reinvestment plan noted that the school\u2019s nail tech program \u201cmaps to a one- to two-star job outlook\u201d \u2014 signaling that the occupation had limited expected growth or reliability<\/p>\n<p>In the memo, Landward recommended approval of Davis Tech\u2019s reinvestment plan \u2014 but added that such approval be conditional on the board\u2019s determination that the nail tech program \u201cmeets the objectives of strategic reinvestment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During Wednesday\u2019s meeting, Landward said that Davis Tech\u2019s nail technician reinvestment request doubled as an opportunity for the board to tackle a key policy question regarding reallocations. The intent of strategic reinvestment, he said, is \u201cto build confidence\u201d with lawmakers and taxpayers that they are realizing a positive return on their investment in their public higher education institutions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re looking for program-types for reinvestment that provide higher levels of value than other programs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Such programs, Landward added, will propel the state\u2019s economy in emerging industries, while also providing positive wage outcomes for graduates<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not a question of whether or not institutions or technical colleges should have nail tech programs \u2014 that\u2019s not what we\u2019re debating,\u201d said Landward. \u201cWhat we\u2019re debating is, for strategic reinvestment, is this the best place for a reinvestment of those dollars for that question of \u2018return on investment\u2019 for the taxpayers?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what makes it strategic in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The commissioner noted there\u2019s high demand for nail technicians in some areas. And he doesn\u2019t question the profession\u2019s merit. But, he asked, does the nail technician training program fit within the objectives of the state\u2019s strategic investment plan?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo that\u2019s why we have a softer recommendation from the commissioner\u2019s office, simply because we felt like that, in our view, this does not meet the criteria for the kind of strategic reinvestment that I think we had initially envisioned,\u201d he said<\/p>\n<h3>High demand for a scrutinized \u2018beauty program\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>During remarks to the board Wednesday, Davis Tech President Darin Brush said that nail technician is a state-licensed program, adding \u201cit\u2019s our highest demand program \u2014 and we consistently exceed the graduation, job placement and licensure targets for the program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nail technicians and other so-called \u201cbeauty programs\u201d offer flexible employment and second incomes for many Utah households, Brush noted. And the K-12 school districts near Davis Tech have asked for the nail technician program to be implemented at area high schools<\/p>\n<p>Board member Danny Ipson supports including nail technician programs in Utah\u2019s strategic reinvestment, asserting that the profession offers flexibility and generates entrepreneurship<\/p>\n<p>Ipson\u2019s daughter is a nail technician, and it\u2019s provided her family with a supplemental income<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any other economic qualifier that could have been more beneficial to their family than to be able to have this training and to be able to have this background,\u201d he said<\/p>\n<p>Board member Javier Chavez Jr. said Wednesday that he\u2019s witnessed nail technician financial success stories. Strategic reinvestment, he added, should look beyond just, say, high tech or engineering. It\u2019s also \u201cother entrepreneurship, non-tech businesses that we should create an infrastructure to develop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, UBHE Vice Chair Jon Cox asked for a revision to Davis Tech\u2019s reinvestment plan<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have 4- and 5-star (job outlook programs) that we\u2019re trying to prioritize,\u201d said Cox<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI recognize everybody comes at these things from different places. And by no means do I want to devalue those <a href=\"https:\/\/justfineinfotech.com\/fr\/google-regional-differences-in-search-experience\/\" title=\"Google Regional Differences In Search Experience\">experience<\/a>s. But I do think that for the exercise we\u2019re going through, I\u2019d like to be able to prioritize those higher demand industries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The board ultimately voted to approve Davis Tech\u2019s reinvestment proposal \u2014 including the funds for expanding the nail technician program. Cox cast the lone opposing vote<\/p>\n<h3>The opportunities \u2014 and pain \u2014 of strategic reinvestment<\/h3>\n<p>The remainder of the technical colleges\u2019 strategic proposal was also approved Wednesday by the board<\/p>\n<p>But like the strategic reinvestment process for the degree-granting institutions, Wednesday\u2019s reallocations were not painless. Programs are slated for extinction and some jobs are being cut<\/p>\n<p>The software development and business programs at Tooele Technical College, for example, will be eliminated, prompted by dips in industry and enrollment demands<\/p>\n<p>The faculty positions connected with those positions will be eliminated at the end of those program teach-out periods, according to Tooele Tech Interim President Kent Thygerson<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both;margin:30px 0 15px 0\">\n<p>\n    <strong>Related:<\/strong><br \/>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/yoursite.com\/automation-training-benin\/\" title=\"Digital Automation Training Benin: 5 Winning Skills Employers Demand in 2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n      Digital Automation Training Benin: 5 Winning Skills Employers Demand in 2026<br \/>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/p>\n<p>\n    &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/yoursite.com\/automation-africa\/&quot; title=&quot;<a href=\"https:\/\/justfineinfotech.com\/fr\/whatsapp-drops-android-lollipop-support-what-users-can-do\/\" title=\"WhatsApp Drops Android Lollipop Support: What Users Can Do\">WhatsApp<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/justfineinfotech.com\/fr\/marketing-automation-software-market-companies-size-trends-2026-2035\/\" title=\"Marketing Automation Software Market Companies, Size &amp; Trends 2026-2035\">Marketing Automation<\/a> Africa: 6 Dangerous Mistakes Brands Make in Nigeria&#8221;&gt;<br \/>\n      WhatsApp Marketing Automation Africa: 6 Dangerous Mistakes Brands Make in Nigeria<br \/>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;margin:30px 0;padding:25px;background:#f8f9fc;border:1px solid #ddd;border-radius:8px;text-align:center\">\n<h3>Want to learn this practically?<\/h3>\n<p>Join <strong>Justfine Infotech<\/strong> and build real digital skills in AI, automation, web development, digital marketing, office productivity, e-commerce, freelancing and cybersecurity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Available Programmes:<\/strong><br \/>\n  6 Weeks Certificate \u2022 3 Months Professional Certificate \u2022 6 Months Diploma \u2022 Full Professional Diploma<\/p>\n<p><strong>WhatsApp:<\/strong><br \/>\n  +229 01 57 57 99 15<br \/>\n  +229 01 66 68 11 60<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?phone=2348132690270&amp;text=Hello\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll Now<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"ani-source\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deseret.com\/education\/2026\/09\/09\/nail-technicians-utah-strategic-reinvestment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">www.deseret.com<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Utah Board of Higher Education\u2019s typical meeting agendas involve macro discussions about billion-dollar budgets, university president hirings, and state and federal legislative briefs<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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