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Senate committee recommends business leader Jeremy Hafen for Utah Board of Higher Education
Summary
The Senate Education Confirmation Committee unanimously recommended Jeremy Hafen, a construction-industry CEO and former trustee, to the Utah Board of Higher Education after he emphasized workforce alignment and balance between liberal education and technical training.
Jeremy Hafen, CEO of Clyde Companies and a former trustee on both university and technical-college boards, received a unanimous favorable recommendation from the Senate Education Confirmation Committee for a seat on the Utah Board of Higher Education.
Hafen told senators he hires employees across a range of education and skill levels — from advanced-degree engineers to technical mechanics — and said higher education must strike a balance between general education and market-driven workforce training. “We hire anybody from masters of engineering all the way to ready mix truck drivers and laborers and equipment operators and diesel mechanics that need technical education,” he said.
Committee members questioned how Hafen would protect faculty and institutional missions. Hafen said boards should provide governance and oversight without micromanaging campus experts and that boards should solicit input while placing guardrails rather than dictating daily operations. Senator Reidy moved to forward Hafen’s nomination with a favorable recommendation; the committee approved the motion unanimously. Hafen’s nomination is now headed to the full Senate for confirmation.
