Kirt Michaelis Named Next President of Mountainland Technical College

The Utah Board of Higher Education on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, unanimously named Kirt Michaelis the next president of Mountainland Technical College, the public technical college known as MTECH that serves Utah, Wasatch and Summit counties. Michaelis, who has spent 18 years as the college's vice president and chief financial officer, takes office Dec. 1, according to the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE). He succeeds Clay Christensen, who led MTECH for about 20 years and announced in May that he would step down.

The board voted at a public meeting held in the Diesel Technology Bay of the Trades and Technology Building on MTECH's Lehi main campus, USHE said in a release announcing Michaelis as the final candidate earlier that day.

"It's an incredible honor to be selected to lead MTECH into its next chapter," Michaelis said in the USHE announcement.

Who Kirt Michaelis is

Michaelis is a Utah native with more than 26 years in Utah technical education, USHE said. He began his career at Utah Valley University, then held leadership roles at the Utah College of Applied Technology before his long run at MTECH.

The Daily Herald reported that he joined the college in 2004, when it was still called Mountainland Applied Technology College and leased space from Utah Valley State College. MTECH's leadership page lists his title as vice president of administrative services; USHE's announcement describes the job as vice president and chief financial officer. Either way, the portfolio was broad. USHE says he oversaw finance, development and alumni services, facilities, human resources, student services, institutional research, financial aid and technology.

USHE and KSL credit him with several specific pieces of the college's growth:

• Overseeing more than 500,000 square feet of campus facilities.
• Growing the workforce to more than 700 employees across six campuses.
• Pushing for student access, including securing Pell Grants.
• Building industry partnerships such as the MTECH-Norco welding collaboration.
• Helping keep 99% of graduating cohorts free of educational debt.

He earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Utah Valley State College, now UVU, and an MBA from Utah State University.

What board members and leaders said

Jeremy Hafen, the Board of Higher Education member who sat on the search committee, said, "After a rigorous and highly competitive search, we are thrilled to welcome President Michaelis." KSL reported that Hafen called Michaelis "part of the heart and soul" of the college.

Julie King, chair of the MTECH Board of Trustees and of the search committee, said Michaelis "has a deep understanding of its campus culture and values." Commissioner of Higher Education Geoffrey Landward described him as "a pragmatic leader who knows how to build those partnerships."

Speaking to KSL, Michaelis called MTECH's offerings "some of the finest technical programs in the country" and credited faculty, staff and industry partners. Asked about the college's completion and job placement numbers, he said, "We can always do more."

Why the job opened

Clay Christensen announced on May 20, 2026, that he would leave the presidency, and USHE said the departure would take effect in September. He had been appointed president in 2006. "Serving as the president of Mountainland Technical College has been an honor and the highlight of my professional career," he said at the time. Neither USHE nor KSL gave a reason for the decision. KSL noted that his announcement came the same day Bridgerland Technical College announced the retirement of its president, K. Chad Campbell.

Under Christensen, USHE said, MTECH opened its Payson campus, opened a Heber Valley campus this year, built the Clyde School of Trades with Clyde Companies, and signed transfer agreements that let MTECH graduates continue into Utah Valley University programs. In 2024 he was inducted into the Council on Occupational Education Hall of Fame. MTECH's president page still listed Christensen as of Nov. 14. Neither announcement says who has been running the college day to day since September; MTECH's administration can answer that question.

How the search worked

The search ran about three and a half months, and most of it was confidential by design.

• July 29: The board opened public input, with a virtual session on Aug. 6 and an in-person session on Aug. 7 at the Lehi campus, plus an anonymous online comment form.
• Aug. 14: An eight-member search committee was named and applications opened. Members included King, trustee and co-chair Brian Hulet, Hafen, trustee Scott Barlow, Vice President of Instruction Holly Peterson, dental assisting coordinator Julie Francis, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Keri Banbury and 2026 Student of the Year Holly Chun.
• Sept. 12: Applications were due by 5 p.m. for full consideration, according to MTECH's search page.
• Nov. 13: USHE announced Michaelis as the final candidate and the board voted on him at a public meeting in Lehi the same day.

The board had said the committee would recommend at least three prioritized finalists, with applicant names kept private under Utah law. USHE said candidates were judged on credentials, leadership, technical education experience, commitment to student success, industry partnerships, community engagement and a vision for MTECH. The board did not name any other finalists.

What he says comes next

In an interview with the Daily Herald, Michaelis outlined several priorities:

• Workforce ties. Employer advisory committees guide what each program teaches. He gave the example of an IT advisory group that recommended less web development and more AI training.
• Access. Taking programs to where students live and work, a pattern already visible in the Payson and Heber campuses.
• Affordability. Keeping tuition increases small, finding efficiencies and raising more scholarship money. The Herald reported that the state approved a 4.17% tuition increase for MTECH after the college had proposed 10%.
• Capacity. Asking the Legislature in 2027 for more money to add faculty and expand programs, especially electrical apprenticeship.
• Time with students. Scheduling administrators and staff to spend time in classrooms.

The Herald also reported that MTECH's budget grew from $25.8 million in 2021 to $68.3 million in 2026. Growth in the region is part of the pressure: the Herald noted that Lake Mountain School District bought 100 acres in Eagle Mountain in May for a new high school planned alongside future MTECH and UVU facilities, a plan covered in our Lake Mountain School District guide.

What MTECH is

MTECH is one of Utah's 16 public colleges and universities and, by USHE's and KSL's description, the state's largest public technical college. It offers certificate programs rather than degrees, aimed at getting students into a specific job. USHE says it serves more than 6,700 students; KSL and a quote in the USHE release put the figure at more than 7,000 a year. USHE reports an 82% completion rate, an 89% job placement rate and a 100% licensure pass rate, and says MTECH had the largest graduating class of Utah's technical colleges in 2026. The top-enrolled programs are electrical apprenticeship, medical assistant and nursing assistant.

MTECH's programs page groups its offerings into five areas:

• Apprenticeship: electrical, HVACR and plumbing.
• Healthcare: dental assisting, EMT and advanced EMT, medical assistant, nursing assistant, pharmacy technician, phlebotomy, practical nursing, radiography, sterile processing and surgical technology, among others.
• Services: cosmetology, culinary arts, artisan baking, barbering and nail technician.
• Technology: data technology, digital marketing and analytics, iOS app development, medical coding and billing, networking and cybersecurity, software quality assurance and web programming.
• Trades: automation, automotive, civil construction, CDL Class A, diesel, machining, fabrication, welding and pipe welding.

For how these certificates compare with UVU, Neumont and bootcamps, and how some MTECH hours transfer into a UVU associate degree, see our guide to Utah Valley's trade and tech schools.

Campus locations

MTECH's contact page lists these campuses. Doors open at 7 a.m., and Student Services offices are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Lehi also has separate trades, apprenticeship and nursing buildings off Ashton and Triumph boulevards, and Spanish Fork has an automotive building at 897 West 1100 South. The Heber Valley campus, which opened in August 2026, offers apprenticeship, healthcare, cosmetology, culinary, digital marketing and trades programs, including diesel, welding and CDL.

How to enroll

The change at the top does not change how students get in. MTECH's how-to-apply page lays out the steps:

1. Apply for free through the MTECH Student Portal. Choose "undecided"; you pick a program after you're accepted.
2. Meet admissions requirements by taking the entrance assessment at a testing center or sending qualifying documents to transcripts@mtec.edu.
3. Finish any prerequisites your program requires.
4. Apply for financial aid. It isn't required to register, but MTECH strongly encourages filing the FAFSA. The financial aid office in Lehi is at 801-753-4105.
5. Register for your first course. Registration is first come, first served, and tuition and fees for the first course are due at registration.
6. Attend new student orientation, which is mandatory.

Cost: MTECH's tuition page lists $125 per credit hour for credit programs and $2.10 per course hour for non-credit courses, plus per-course fees listed on each program page. "Tuition is waived for all high school students, although high school students will be responsible for fees," the page says. High school students should start with their school counselor.

Licensed trades work differently: apprentices generally need an employer before the classroom. Our trades and apprenticeships guide explains that order. Prospective nurses can compare MTECH's practical nursing program with BYU and UVU in nursing in Utah Valley, and adults weighing a certificate against other classes can start with our community education guide.

Sources

This report draws on the Utah System of Higher Education's Nov. 13 announcements naming Michaelis as final candidate and as president, its May 21 release on Christensen's departure and its July and August search releases; KSL coverage from Nov. 13 and May 21; the Daily Herald's Nov. 13 interview with Michaelis; and MTECH's presidential search, contact, programs, tuition, admissions, financial aid and Heber Valley campus pages, all read Nov. 14, 2026.