House approves changing Dixie College’s name to Dixie State College of Utah after debate over heritage and alternatives

The Utah House approved House Bill 164 to change Dixie College’s name to Dixie State College of Utah, passing the measure 71–0 after floor discussion about costs, regional higher-education policy and alternative names.

Sponsor Representative Hickman described the change as a formalization of an earlier decision: when an institution begins offering four-year degrees, regional policy typically calls for the inclusion of “State” in the institution’s name. He said the campus and community wished to retain the word “Dixie” for historical reasons and added “of Utah” to clarify the geographic identity. Hickman told members the community raised about a half-million dollars to cover transition costs and that the bill carries no fiscal note.

Several members asked whether the change presages university status and if it will increase taxpayer funding. Hickman responded the change indicates only that the campus can offer some four-year degrees and is not a move to full university status; he said enrollment-driven funding follows the student and that any future budget increases would result from enrollment growth, not the name change.

Representative Sidaway offered an amendment to delete the word “Dixie” and replace it with “Southwest Utah State College,” arguing national controversy over the word “Dixie” and associated symbols could be avoided. The amendment was debated, with supporters noting parallels to previous regional renamings (for example, Carbon College to College of Eastern Utah), but the amendment failed. Supporters of retaining “Dixie” argued for local history and community preference.

After deliberation the House voted 71–0 to pass HB 164; the bill will be referred to the Senate for further consideration.