It is a constant refrain heard from politicians, economic development officials and business leaders -- any place hoping to stay competitive in today's economy must have an educated work force.

On Thursday, UVSC president William Sederburg said Utah isn't keeping up.

"There are a variety of indicators ... that say that Utah is going in the wrong direction," Sederburg told an audience at the Big Business and Technology Expo taking place at UVSC.

"We are seeing a smaller percentage of young people going on to college. ... The truth of the matter is, we're getting weaker in our commitment to higher education."

That's problematic because many of the jobs being created require at least some college instruction, and most of those require a four-year degree, according to Employment Policy Foundation statistics.

And an educated work force also needs people with advanced degrees to educate the next generation, Sederburg said.

Ten years ago, 41 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds in Utah were enrolled in college, according to figures from Measuring Up 2004. That number dropped to 35 percent in 2004 -- and only half of Utah college students completed a four-year degree program within six years.

The number of working-age adults enrolled part-time also dropped, to 3.7 percent in 2004 from 3.9 percent a decade ago.

Both figures are below national norms, which showed 40 percent of college-age residents enrolled in school and 5.4 percent of working-age adults taking classes.

What's more, Sederburg said, at one point UVSC had 50 percent female enrollment -- a number that has dropped to 42 percent. The national average for similar schools is 58 percent, he said.

"We have gone downhill in the percentage of young ladies seeking a college degree, and that occurs in the majority population," he said. "It isn't a Hispanic phenomenon, it's not any other issue. It's sociologically, for some reason, the young ladies are dropping out of college, wanting to get married."

In fact, he said, one of the biggest events at the McKay Events Center -- where the business expo also takes place -- is an annual bridal show.

It's "a huge industry, a great thing to get into," Sederburg said. But "I don't know if it's in the long-term economic benefit to the state of Utah to have so few a percentage of young ladies enrolled in college."

The Utah Legislature this year appropriated money for the Utah Science, Technology and Research Initiative, which will pump money into state universities to support research and application development. UVSC also is in line to receive funding for a long-sought new library.

Those are important programs, Sederburg said -- but since the state had significant funds this year, lawmakers should have done more.

"With a $1 billion surplus, there should've been improvements in the work force development capability of all the institutions here in Utah," he said.

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said what the Legislature did accomplish was meaningful.

"There's always something we would like to have done better," he said. "We wish we could do more, but I felt like we did very well this year."

One bill that didn't make it through the Legislature would have allocated almost $11.5 million to small universities and colleges across the state, including UVSC, to expand degree programs or establish new ones. It passed the Senate but stalled in the state House of Representatives.

The legislation got locked up in a debate between legislators and the state board of regents, Valentine said, over whether the Legislature was trying to usurp the regents' responsibilities.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D6.