INSTITUTIONAL COMPARISON PART 2 1

Institutional Comparison Part 2:

Comparing the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Utah

Lesly Beas

Higher Education Administration Leadership, California State University, Fresno

Dr. Jonathan Pryor

Fall 2022, HEAL 220

September 29, 2022

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Comparing the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Utah

Public universities in the United States have made it possible for individuals with

different financial statuses, ethnic backgrounds, and social identities to obtain a higher education.

It is important to note, however, that many of these public institutions would not exist if it was

not for the Morrill Act of 1862. This act granted various American states between “90,000 and

990,000 acres” to build colleges across the nation (Lee and Ahtone, 2022). In this institutional

comparison, I will be comparing two land grant, public institutions: the University of California,

Los Angeles and the University of Utah. The reason I chose these two universities is because of

their prestigious reputation as well as the various programs they offer students. I was also curious

to do research regarding diversity due to the distinct locations that these institutions are located

at.

University of Utah

The University of Utah is a public, 4 year doctoral university located in Salt Lake City,

Utah. According to the Carnegie Classification website, it classifies as a land grant institution

with very high research activity ("Carnegie Classifications | Institution Lookup", n.d.). The

University of Utah was founded on February 28, 1850 by the General Assembly of Deseret as an

institution that trained individuals to be elementary school teachers (Balls, 2022). According to

the article “The Beginnings of the University of Utah”, the university was first “available to men

only, but by the second term both genders were welcomed” (Balls, 2022). Due to immigration

positively impacting the economy, enrollment numbers and the subjects taught in courses

increased. By 1892, the Legislative Assembly decided to change the name from the University of

Deseret, to the institution it is known for today, the University of Utah. Currently, this university

has a student population of more than 33 thousand students ("Carnegie Classifications |

INSTITUTIONAL COMPARISON PART 2 3

Institution Lookup", n.d.) and is ranked 40 in the world’s most innovative universities ("About

the University | Utah Global", 2022).

Background

The mission statement states that the University of Utah “fosters student success by

preparing students from diverse backgrounds for lives of impact as leaders and citizens”

("University Mission and Values - Office of the President", 2022). Additionally, the institution

withholds 7 core values: student success and engagement; research and teaching excellence;

diversity; sustainability; global vision and strategy; community; and leadership ("University

Mission and Values - Office of the President", 2022).

Their institution’s mission and values are reflected through the many services they

provide their students within student affairs. The major division of student affairs at the

University of Utah is split into 4 parts: Equity & Inclusion, Health & Wellness, Engagement &

Leadership, and Places & Spaces (see Figure 1 for UCLA’s Student Affairs Organizational

Chart). For example, some of their student services include an International Center, TRIO

Educational Opportunities Program, Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action, Office of Equity

& Diversity, LGBT+ Resource Center, and the Women’s Resource Center. Student affairs is

essential to a student’s personal and academic development. These services can also lead

individuals into becoming impactful leaders and/or citizens in their communities.

Demographics

The demographics at the University of Utah is 64.7% White, 12.5% Hispanic or Latino,

5.83% Asian, 4.94% Two or More Races, 1.33% Black or African American, 0.399% Native

Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders, and 0.393% American Indian or Alaska Native ("University

of Utah | Data USA", 2022). Students enrolled at University of Utah in full-time Undergraduate
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programs are most commonly White Male (35.2%), followed by White Female (30.1%) and

Hispanic or Latino Female (7.7%) ("University of Utah | Data USA", 2022). Students enrolled in

full-time Graduate programs are most commonly White Female (32.2%), followed by White

Male (30.5%) and Hispanic or Latino Female (4.24%) ("University of Utah | Data USA", 2022).

Moreover, 25% of the undergraduate students at The U identify as first-generation ("Office for

First Generation Access - The University of Utah", 2022).

In Salt Lake City, the percentage of adults with a high school diploma (or equivalent) is

90% whereas in the state of Utah it is 93% ("QuickFacts", 2022). The percentage of adults with a

college degree in the city is 48.7% whereas in the state it is 34.7% ("QuickFacts", 2022). The

median income in the city is $63,156 whereas the median income in the state is $74,197

("QuickFacts", 2022). In the city of Salt Lake City, individuals that identify as White alone are

73.3%, followed by 65.2% White alone (not Hispanic or Latino), Hispanic or Latino is 21.2%,

5.3% Asian alone, 4.6% Two or more races, 2.6% Black or African American, 1.8% Native

Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, and 1.3% American Indian and Alaska Native

("QuickFacts", 2022). In the state of Utah, individuals that identify as White alone are 90.3%,

followed by 77.2% White alone (not Hispanic or Latino), 14.8% Hispanic or Latino, 2.8% two or

more races, 2.7% Asian alone, 1.6% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, 1.5% Black or

African American alone, and 1.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone

("QuickFacts", 2022).

Benefits

There are various benefits to attending the University of Utah. As a high research and

doctoral university, the University of Utah is also known for their clinical practice research as

well as their healthcare system. In fact, The U is “the only university health care system in the
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state of Utah and provides patient care for the people of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and

much of Nevada” ("University of Utah Health: Patient care, education, & research expertise in

the mountain west", 2022). According to their official website, they have an expense budget of

4.8 billion dollars, receive about 428 million dollars in grants for research, and trained more than

1,450 health care providers in 2021 ("University of Utah Health: Patient care, education, &

research expertise in the mountain west", 2022). Along with healthcare, The U’s top programs

include engineering, business, and computer science. It was particularly ranked by Forbes to be

in the top 10 cities in the United States for business and careers ("About the University | Utah

Global", 2022).

Along with these educational programs, they are also known for their athletics. The

University of Utah has a successful athletic program that consists of 10 women’s teams and nine

men’s teams in NCAA Division 1 ("University of Utah - Colleges & Universities", 2022). These

teams have all earned “75 national championships and 56 conference team championships since

1983” ("University of Utah - Colleges & Universities", 2022).

Overall, it is evident that the University of Utah appeals to someone who has interest in

healthcare, engineering, business, and/or computer science. This institution may also attract

those that seek to excel in athletics as they have a long history of team wins and national

championships.

Challenges

The University of Utah is dealing with challenges surrounding race. As mentioned

before, the enrolled student population at The U is primarily White (64.7%), with the rest of the

races that students identify being under 13% ("University of Utah | Data USA", 2022). As the

gap between people of color and White individuals is so large, it does make one question
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whether the school is progressing with enrolling more students of color and truly enforcing their

institution’s core value of diversity. This challenge is related to the institutional type as the

University of Utah is a Predominantly White Institution, also known as a PWI.

For many years, The U has had a long history of issues related to racism. For example, in

1990, over 50% of students were surveyed and stated that they witnessed discrimination; in

2011, various students running for student government underwent a series of bias incidents

against them on campus; and in 2014, racist and sexist lyrics of The U's fight song were

officially removed ("Incidents & Updates", 2022). In addition, this year, there were numerous

racist incidents that occured at the University of Utah. According to their website, these

problematic events consist of racist slurs being said to students of color on campus, physical

assaults, and a bomb threat targeting the Black Cultural Center on campus ("Incidents &

Updates", 2022).

The university has handled this challenge by gradually implementing new initiatives.

These changes consist of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy Council, Racist and Bias

Incident Response Team, and Anti-Racism Task Force. The university has also acknowledged

their controversial history by including these incidents on their website in the section that covers

their past timeline instead of easily hiding it. They stated that The U “continues to evolve over

time and space” and that these past events have “become vehicles for effecting profound changes

to our campus community” ("Getting to Know U - Office of Inclusive Excellence - The

University of Utah", 2022). In essence, these initiatives all have the same goal-- to create a safe,

equitable, and inclusive college campus for all students.

University of California, Los Angeles

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After the first World War, many young people had a high demand for an institution to be

built in their local city. Therefore, on May 23, 1919, the University of California, Los Angeles

was founded after the governor of California, William D. Stephens signed Assembly Bill 626

(cite). UCLA first began as a junior college that offered students undergraduate degrees in

educational studies and formed elementary school teachers (Roderick, 2019). However, on May

5, 1925, Proposition 2 was passed (Roderick, 2019) which officially helped this institution

branch out into granting more types of degrees to students and be renamed as the institution it is

called today, the University of California, Los Angeles. The University of California, Los

Angeles is now a public, 4 year institution with 44,589 students enrolled ("Carnegie

Classifications | Institution Lookup", n.d.).

Demographics

The demographics at the University of California, Los Angeles is “33% Asian and Pacific

Islander students, 26% White students, 21% Hispanic students, 5% African American students,

with 4% of other ethnic descent” ("Facts & Figures", 2022). 41% of students identify as Male

and 58% of students identify as Female ("Facts & Figures", 2022). 31% of the students at UCLA

also identify first-generation college students ("Facts & Figures", 2022). The age of students

enrolled at this university vary from 18 to over 35 years old. 30.6% are 20-21 years old, 27.6%

are 18-19 years old, 16.8% are 22-24 years old, 15.3% are 25-29 years old, 6.1% are 30-34 years

old, and 3.6% are 35 years old or over ("Facts & Figures", 2022).

In the city of Los Angeles, the percentage of adults with a high school diploma (or

equivalent) is 78.3% whereas in the state of California, it is 83.9% ("QuickFacts", 2022). The

percentage of adults with a college degree in the city is 35.6% whereas in the state, it is 34.7%

("QuickFacts", 2022). The median income in the city is $65,290 whereas in the state it is $78,672
INSTITUTIONAL COMPARISON PART 2 8

("QuickFacts", 2022). 20.4% of city residents are under 18 years old with female persons being

50.5% of the population ("QuickFacts", 2022). 22.4% of state residents are under 18 years old

along with there being 50.0% female persons ("QuickFacts", 2022).

In Los Angeles, individuals that identify as White alone are 48.9%, 48.1% are Hispanic

or Latino, 28.5% White alone (not Hispanic or Latino), 11.8% are Asian alone, 8.8% are Black

or African American, 7.0% are two or more races, 0.7% are American Indian and Alaska Native

alone, and 0.2% are Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone ("QuickFacts", 2022). In

California, individuals that identify as White alone are 71.1%, 40.2% are Hispanic or Latino,

35.2% are White alone (not Hispanic or Latino), 15.9% are Asian alone, 6.5% are Black or

African American, 4.2% are two or more races, 1.7% are American Indian and Alaska Native

alone, and 0.5% are Pacific Islander alone ("QuickFacts", 2022)..

Benefits

There are many benefits to attending the University of California, Los Angeles. As an

institution with very high research activity, UCLA allows many research opportunities for their

students with over “$1B in per year in external research grants” ("Statistics & News", 2022). The

University of California, Los Angeles offers research centers for undergraduate students-- the

first division being Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences and the second division being

Sciences. Graduate students also have a center where they are able to “work with faculty mentors

on the entire spectrum of research projects” ("Student Research", 2022). With access to these

resources, students can venture into exploring important topics that they are passionate about and

make influential contributions to society. Evidently, this aligns well with the mission of UCLA.

According to their official website, the mission of their institution is the “creation, dissemination,

preservation and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society … These
INSTITUTIONAL COMPARISON PART 2 9

values underlie our three institutional responsibilities: education, research, and public service”

("Mission & Values", 2022).

UCLA is also full of diverse individuals with different backgrounds and ways of life. The

university’s enrollment statistics consist of “33% Asian and Pacific Islander students, 26% White

students, 21% Hispanic students, 5% African American students, with 4% of other ethnic

descent” ("Facts & Figures", 2022). To help assist students of color throughout their college

journey, the student affairs division at UCLA provides various identity-based resources and

cultural centers on campus (see Figure 2 for The U’s Student Affairs Organizational Chart). A

few examples include the Cross-Cultural Center (also known as the Community Programs

Office), the LGBTQ Campus Resource Center, and the Black Bruin Center. Students at UCLA

also have a variety of clubs and student organizations with topics ranging from social justice, the

arts, to religion, and the environment. With these statistics in mind, students are bound to learn

about new cultures, identities, and perspectives.

UCLA has also ranked the number 1 public university for Veterans by the US News and

World Report for five years straight (Fricano, 2021). What makes this institution so great for

Veterans and their families is that they are able utilize numerous resources ranging from legal,

wellness, and academic support services on campus at no cost whatsoever. These resources

include the UCLA School of Law’s Veterans Legal Clinic which offers free legal services to

marginalized Veterans; The Veteran Family Wellness Center, a center that offers Veterans

wellness support such as mental health counseling and recreational activities; and The Veteran

Resource Center, which provides Veterans academic support, career opportunities to student

Veterans (Patel, 2022).

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Overall, the type of student the University of California, Los Angeles is trying to appeal

to is someone who welcomes diversity and/or comes from diverse backgrounds. This institution

also appeals to Veterans as they offer a variety of helpful services with no cost. Most importantly,

this institution attracts undergraduate students and graduate students who are interested in doing

research projects on different types of topics.

Challenges

The University of California, Los Angeles is facing various challenges pertaining to their

high tuition costs, living expenses, and student homelessness. For students who were admitted

this current Fall semester, the institution’s tuition is estimated for 4 years to be “$53,112 for

California residents and $174,042 for out-of-state students” with additional living costs and

personal expenses calculated to be “$149,465 for California residents and $270,395 for

out-of-state students” ("Paying for University of California-Los Angeles", 2022). This is an

unfortunate reality for residential students despite the fact that the city’s median income is

$65,290 and the state’s median income is $78,672 ("QuickFacts", 2022). This is a huge financial

burden to individuals as there is a current housing crisis going on in both Los Angeles and

California which is resulting in high numbers of student homelessness. A 2020 survey found that

“7% [of students] reported literal homelessness since arriving at UCLA” ("Rise Survey on

Student Homelessness at UCLA - Rise", 2022).

The University of California, Los Angeles is dealing with this challenge of student

homelessness via different avenues. Some examples include the creation of the Bruin Shelter,

whose primary goal is to offer “a shelter for students experiencing homelessness in the greater

Los Angeles area” as well as the Homeless Healthcare Collaborative project whose purpose is to

“expand access to efficient, equitable and high-quality health care for people experiencing
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homelessness in Los Angeles” (“Homeless Healthcare Collaborative | UCLA Health”, 2022). It

is evident that the institutional type of this university plays a major factor in how UCLA is

dealing with this issue. As a doctoral, public university with high research activity, students in

medical programs have used their resources and knowledge for the greater good.

Regarding lowering housing costs, fewer actions are being made. Nevertheless, various

student organizations on campus such as Abundant Housing LA, have been advocating to make

UCLA have affordable housing. The president of this student group expressed that their mission

is to potentially eliminate the boundary between students and access to the university that is the

expensive costs of housing (Kaiser, 2022).

The University of California, Los Angeles is also dealing with challenges regarding

racial inequities, particularly with African American students. Black students do not feel that

they have sufficient resources compared to their peers and it is displayed with both the

acceptance and graduation rates of Black students in the institution. In the Daily Bruin, the

online student newspaper at the institution, a recent article writes about how various Black

students do not feel truly supported by UCLA and feel that students of color are immensely

underrepresented. This is evidently reflected in how disproportionately low the Black student

enrollment and graduation rates are. The news article states that “in Fall 2020, the undergraduate

enrollment rate for Black students at UCLA was about 5%, which means that out of 31,636

undergraduate students, only 1,723 students are Black or African American” (Wheeler, 2022). In

2017, it was also reported that the graduation rate for Black, male UCLA students was 60%,

whereas their White and Asian peers had graduation rates of 89% and 86% (Wheeler, 2022).

Consequently, on September 21, 2021, the Black Ruin Resource Center was created.

Although it was a small victory, there are various issues within its development. Many Black
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students felt that it was performative because the center came only as a result of the passing of

George Floyd (and the uproar of protests that followed) instead of the many years of vigorous

effort from Black campus community members. A research article published last year titled

“Disdained: An Examination of Anti-Blackness and Administrative Inaction at UCLA” stated

that it felt “like a slap in the face to the students who had been tirelessly advocating for more

support for Black students” as the creation of the center suddenly happened in the snap of a

finger (McAdoo, 2021). Many Black students who use this resource at UCLA also note that the

Black Ruin Resource Center is underfunded and “fails to invest in high-quality services”

(Wheeler, 2022).

Findings

After doing extensive research for this institutional comparison, I was surprised to find

that these two universities are more similar than different to one another. To start, both

universities are public, 4 year institutions with high research activity. Both institutions also began

as teaching schools with the primary goal to create and train individuals into becoming

elementary school teachers. Additionally, both universities appeal to students who are interested

in doing research within the science field.

A notable difference between the two universities is the demographics of the city and

state where the institutions are located. UCLA, as well as its city and state, has a more diverse

adult population in contrast to the University of Utah. The city that the university resides in as

well as the state is primarily White with a small percentage of racial minorities. What

specifically stood out to me was how both institutions emphasized diversity in their mission

statement and values, however they were both dealing with major challenges related to that area.
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References

About the University | Utah Global. University of Utah. (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022, from

https://utahglobal.utah.edu/about-utah/.

Balls, J. (2022). The University of Utah, Utah’s First University. History to Go. Retrieved 1

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Carnegie Classifications | Institution Lookup. Carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu. Retrieved 1

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Facts & Figures. UCLA. (2022). Retrieved 4 October 2022, from

https://www.ucla.edu/about/facts-and-figures.

Fricano, M. (2021). UCLA ranked No. 1 public university for fifth straight year by U.S. News &

World Report. UCLA. Retrieved 1 October 2022, from

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port-2022.

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Kaiser, A. (2022). Abundant Housing LA’s new UCLA chapter hosts 1st meeting. Daily Bruin.
INSTITUTIONAL COMPARISON PART 2 14

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ing.

Lee, R. & Ahtone, T. (2020 March 30). Land-grab universities: Expropriated Indigenous land is

the foundation of the land-grant university system. Hcn.org. Retrieved 1 October 2022,

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McAdoo, G. (2021). Disdained: An Examination of Anti-Blackness and Administrative Inaction

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Patel, J. (2022). UCLA ranked No. 1 public university in US and best for veterans. ABC7 Los

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rans/12240919/.

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uition/.

QuickFacts. Census.gov. (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022, from

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https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/CA,UT/AGE775221.

Rise Survey on Student Homelessness at UCLA - Rise. Rise - Students fighting to put college

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support for Black students. Daily Bruin. Retrieved 1 October 2022, from

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to-resources-support-for-black-students.
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University of Utah Student Affairs Organizational Chart:

Figure 1.

University of California, Los Angeles’s Student Affairs Organizational Chart:

Figure 2.