USU Tooele Opens its Doors for Tooele Technical College Students

TOOELE, Utah — Access to higher education is key to Utah State University’s land-grant mission. USU Tooele, part of the USU Statewide Campuses system, is furthering this mission by partnering with Tooele Technical College to host TTech students during building renovations while also holding its normal classes.

“With construction comes challenges, especially for students and faculty,” said USU Tooele Associate Vice President Jenn VanCott Cowburn. “To lessen the stress and inconvenience to Tooele Tech students, Paul Hacking, the president of Tooele Tech, came to me with the request to use spaces and classrooms we had available in our Science and Technology Building. This seemed like a great way to help our educational partner.”

More than 530 Tooele Tech students, along with faculty spanning over six different educational programs, will be utilizing several classrooms at USU Tooele’s state-of-the-art Science and Technology Building. Use of the building began May 2023 and will continue till the end of November 2024.

According to TTech’s President Paul Hacking, the school has doubled the number of students in recent years requiring the need for expansion. He added that utilizing the space at USU Tooele will minimize the impacts of the expansion process.

“By providing professional space for Tooele Tech to continue providing these educational programs, students will not be disturbed by construction noises and will not experience a loss of enrollment or delay in their graduation,” Hacking said. “We are also hopeful that using the science building for our programs during this time period will provide our students with greater exposure to USU Tooele’s offerings, and thus help both institutions and, ultimately, the community to realize the incredible benefits of higher educational opportunities in the Tooele Valley.”

Cowburn added the great importance to work together for higher education within the local community.

“There’s a united front to education in Tooele County,” she said. “We’ve always had a tremendous relationship with our educational partners, but this shows that unity on a much grander scale. With this strong partnership, we’re able to guide students to education excellence, no matter what their goals may be.”

Located in the valley of the Oquirrh Mountains, Utah State University Tooele offers students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university. With degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees, plus technical education offerings, USU Tooele offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at tooele.usu.edu.