Snow College President

Snow College is Growing

2011-10-11T15:44:00.003-06:00

The third-week enrollment numbers for all colleges and universities were released today. There are no surprises in the two schools with the most growth. They are Utah Valley University (3.65%) and Dixie State College (4.52%)—soon also to become a University. These two schools are situated in growing counties and have seen significant change in their missions. UVU was a two-year college until 1993; Dixie was a two-year college until 2000. UVU recently became a university and both have been adding bachelor’s degrees at a fairly good pace.

Snow College is listed third behind UVU and Dixie for growth in full-time equivalent students (2.62%) followed by Utah State University (2.48%), the University of Utah (2.23%), and Weber State University (0.88%). Southern Utah University (-3.74%) and Salt Lake Community College (-4.29%) saw enrollment dips.

There are many factors that contribute to the enrollment changes for the various institutions. But it is worth pausing to note that Snow College, situated in the most remote and rural setting, offering no more than two-year degrees, is still a strong draw for students right out of high school. We see continual growth in students coming from across rural Utah, and also from the urban Wasatch Front.

It is typical during downturns in the economy for students to stay home, keep their jobs, and attend a college or university within driving distance of home. Snow College continues to buck this trend. It is primarily a residential college. 90% of our students make a decision to temporarily relocate to attend. The only other non-metropolitan institution in Utah is Southern Utah University, which dropped in enrollments this year.

Why do students continue to choose Snow College over more convenient colleges and universities? It is because of the wonderful opportunities at Snow College. It is because students are successful in reaching their academic goals here. I have mentioned data that support this claim in prior posts and I will continue to publish facts that tell the Snow College story.

Snow College is a Top 10 College

2011-10-10T16:40:00.002-06:00

The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence was announced at the first White House Community College Summit last October. Following October a national committee analyzed publicly available data on student outcomes at all two-year colleges in America (there are 1,200 of us). The committee considered three criteria: (1) student performance in retention, graduation and transfers; (2) improvement of completion performance over time; and (3) equity for disadvantaged students.

The committee recently announced that Snow College is among the top ten percent of all two-year colleges in America. We are the only College in Utah and one of only a few in the Intermountain West found in the top ranks. This honor is a recognition for which we did not apply. I just woke up one morning and found an email in my inbox with congratulations! Very fun.

This recognition for being in the top 10 percent is acknowledgment that our faculty and staff are really doing a great job. I have been telling people Snow College is one of the best two-year colleges in the West. Now I have proof.

Snow College is First In Graduation Rates

2011-08-29T11:48:00.003-06:00

Snow College is first in graduation rates among its comparable colleges in the nation. Not exactly a new revelation, of course. It has been long understood that our excellent faculty and staff help Snow College students succeed. But what is impressive is how much more successful Snow College is over its peers nationwide. Snow College’s four-year graduation rate is 58% compared to its next closest peer, Centralia College (Washington State), with a graduation rate of 36%. The average rate among all its peers is 23.75%. Snow College’s rate is two and a half times higher than average and 22 points above the next closest. Seriously—wow!

The gap is larger for the two-year graduation rate where Snow College students succeed at a rate of 39%, which is more than three times the average rate among all its peers. The average is 12.25%.

Two-year associate and community colleges, as a general rule, have a lower graduation rate than universities. There are many reasons for this including two obvious ones. First, Two-year colleges admit students for vocational programs who have no interest in working toward graduation. These students are looking for a job and want to acquire the skills necessary to get into the workplace as quickly as possible. Secondly, students who are not admitted to a university, because they didn’t apply on time or are not yet academically qualified, go to two-years colleges. Snow College has no admission requirements. We take all comers, regardless of how well prepared they are—and then our faculty and staff lead them to success at exceptional rates. Having said all this—most students who attend Snow College are very prepared for college study. They have many choices in universities to attend. But they choose Snow College for various reasons, including the quality education and opportunities they find here.

Why do I point out the fact that two-year colleges have a lower graduation rate than universities? Is it to explain why our graduation rate is lower than most universities in Utah? Well, not exactly. It is to set up the next set of data and further drive home my point of how successful Snow College is in leading students to graduation.

Drum roll please . . .

Snow College is not only the leader in graduation rates among its two-year peers—it is the leader among all regional universities in Utah. Snow College’s graduation rate is four points higher than Southern Utah University, six points higher than Weber State University, 15 points higher than Dixie State College, and 26 points higher than Utah Valley University. Only the research universities in Utah have a higher rate than Snow College. University of Utah and Utah State University’s rates are only nine points higher than Snow College’s rate.

But before I finish, I need to add one additional point of comparision with the universities. It is within the mission of Snow College to help students working toward a bachelor’s degree to transfer to a four-year school. Universities do not generally have transfer within their mission. Students who want a bachelor’s degree either go directly to a university, which offers the degree, or to a two-year college with the intention of transferring to a university after their time at the college. Many students come to Snow College having earned a semester or more of college credit while in high school. They have a great experience at Snow College and then after a year are prepared to transfer to a university. These students don’t graduate from the College. But they are successes. If we add the graduation rate and the transfer rate prior to graduation Snow College’s completion rate is 78.6%. And then if I add the vocational students, who come only for a certificate or a few classes, well more than 80% of all students who come to Snow College complete their academic goals.

Snow College is the most successful institution in Utah, and nationally among its peers, in leading students to graduation.

Of course, graduation rate is only one measure of success. There are many others, and I will address them all in future posts.

(The source for this post is 2010 data from the IPEDS Data Center and the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.)

Maple Canyon With The Student Body Officers

2010-07-25T18:32:00.003-06:00

The Snow College student body officers spent a week in Ephraim this month training and preparing for the school year. They asked me to join them for an afternoon hike up Maple Canyon, a work class rock climbing destination, a few minutes from Snow College. Of course it didn't take me long to say yes to that request. We had a great day; some of the students faced significant fears (of heights) and did very well. We hiked up Box Canyon, climbed the "water fall" and then rappelled back down. These are a couple shots I took. What a fun day. Spending time with good students is among my favorite things about being a college president.

College Wedding

2010-07-25T15:56:00.002-06:00

All in the day of a college president's family. Two of our students from Hong Kong were married last week. And without any family on this side of the Pacific, Kathy and I hosted them for the day at our home before and after the temple. All of our family were involved from Allie doing the bride's hair to Naomi and Abby serving at the wedding breakfast/open house. They were married in the Manti Temple a few miles from campus. We served Cantonese and American food. It was a very fun day. And, of course, I took more than a few pictures. Here are two of the pictures taken at our home.

Our New Karen H. Huntsman Library!

2010-07-01T09:56:00.003-06:00

I took these pictures of our new Karen H. Hunsman Library this morning. It is almost complete. It has dozens of small group study rooms, a Borders-like cafe (you can eat anywhere in the library), a large outside terrace off the third level for good weather studying or group events, a large fireplace surrounded with beautiful fossil stone, updated technology, two high tech auditoriums, oh, and, books! It is expected to be a Gold LEED certified building (very green). In front of the library is our Heritage Plaza and in the middle stands our namesakes, Lorenzo and Erastus Snow. I should mention the project came in several million dollars under budget.

Snow College Commencement 2010

2010-05-26T11:07:00.001-06:00

The best day of the year is Commencement. I am indebted to Greg Dart for these pictures.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

2010-05-26T09:37:00.002-06:00

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Former president of Brigham Young University and member of the Quorum of The Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, delivered our commencement address this year. Many of our students transfer to BYU after completing their studies at Snow College. It was such a delight to have Elder Holland on our campus, and to hear his encouragement and advice to our graduating students.

Elder Holland's address was entitled, "Voices from the Past" and he pulled together a beautiful collection of life suggestions from such people from the past as Thomas Wolsey, Rudyard Kipling, and John Doone.

Towards the conclusion to his commencement address became more personal. He said, "Above all else you have learned here, may you leave this great school secure in the promise of God's unfailing love for you. You undoubtedly will, as Donne says, have days ahead when you may feel dark, cold, clouded, or eclipsed. But if you desire God's mercy, I promise that help will come to you, "not in the dawning of the day, not as in the bud of the spring, but as the sun at [full] noon. . . . [banishing every] shadow." All occasions invite divine mercy, and in heaven it is always harvest time."

American Government 2010 Tour

2010-05-25T14:49:00.005-06:00

At the end of each spring semester my American Government class finishes up the year with a tour of American government and history sites on the East Coast. We spent a day in Boston, New York and Philadelphia and two days in Washington D.C. In route from historic Philadelphia to Valley Forge we stopped at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to run the "Rocky Steps," a place of debatable significance in American history but a fun diversion nevertheless.

Pyramid Skylight

2010-03-26T09:45:00.003-06:00

One of three identical pyramid-shaped skylights in the ceiling of the fourth floor of the Karen H. Huntsman Library.

Cleaning the Brick

2010-03-26T09:36:00.002-06:00

A worker cleans the brick on our new Karen H. Huntsman Library. Contractors tell us they are well ahead of schedule, they should be mostly finished in five weeks.

Legislative Session and Budget Update

2010-02-18T12:57:00.005-07:00

The Legislative appropriations subcommittees have finished their hearings and new revenue estimates have been released. Here is an update on the session and our state budget challenges.

First, a brief bit of recent history. Our base budget for this fiscal year (2010) was reduced by 17% and then built back up to nine percent with federal stimulus funds, for this year only. In December, the Governor reduced our base budget by an additional three percent and then, relying on the most current state tax revenue estimates available to him at the time, put together a budget proposal for next year (2011) that would keep all the colleges and universities at nine percent down. (His proposal is based mostly on one-time state funds and has the effect of extending the federal stimulus funding for one more year.) Last month, in the first days of this legislative session, the Legislature took the base budgets for all colleges and universities from 17% to 19% down.

February tax revenue estimates (official estimates used to complete state budget work) are out and unfortunately project that tax revenues will be $50 million less next year than what was projected from last December (when the Governor put together his budget proposal). It is not all bad news--although the December estimates projected stronger growth for next year than is projected in the estimates released this week--the current estimates still project tax revenues will grow in fiscal year 1011 by $140 million over fiscal year 2010. Maybe we have hit the bottom and are starting back up, albeit more slowly than hoped.

Based on state tax revenue estimates released this week the Executive Appropriations Committee voted on a plan to reduce the budgets of all colleges and universities by an additional five percent--we understand this five percent to be on top of the 17% for a total cut of 22%. This is apparently our bottom-level starting point for building next year's budget. From now until March 11th, the last day of the legislative session, the Governor and legislative leadership will be working to find sources of funding, including rainy-day funds, that they can use to reduce the 22% budget cut. We don't know yet where we will land but apparently the floor has been set at 22% and the ceiling is somewhere around 12 or13%. We have reason to hope that ultimately our final budget next year will only be down by 15 to 17% over where we started a couple years ago.

To keep all these numbers in perspective back at home, we have implemented a budget plan for next year at Snow College that is approximately 16% down.

We are at the low point for this coming year; things are bound to improve from here. Governor Herbert remains committed to help us and in the legislature we have many sympathetic friends.

International Students Trip to Salt Lake City

2009-12-20T21:50:00.004-07:00

I took 20 Asian students, who are away from their families over the Christmas holiday, to Salt Lake last Tuesday. We had a great day shopping, eating dim sum, and looking at the lights on Temple Square. The international students are among my favorite things about Snow College.

After 15 Months of Budget Cuts We Are More Efficient But We Have Not Compromised Our Ultimate Inefficiency.

2009-12-12T11:27:00.011-07:00

The last final exams were administered Friday and most of the students have now gone home for the Christmas Break. Some of the career and technical education programs at our Richfield campus continue for a bit longer. But things are becoming quiet on our two campuses--if only for a few weeks

2009 has been a very long year full of massive state budget cuts (17% down), lay-offs (12% of all employees-mostly staff positions), and record enrollment increases (24% up). Our intent in working through our state budget reduction was to focus everything we had on our core values, impact the least number of students possible, and prepare for institutional and student growth. We have spent more hours than I would want to recount in careful, deliberative, data driven, strategic planning. Despite the institutional and personal pain shared by many over the past 15 months we have become a more efficient and focused college prepared for the challenges we face in the next decade.

Although we are more efficient we have not compromised our ultimate inefficiency--small classes taught by real professors. We have no graduate student instructors like the universities, we have no large auditorium classes, we still have relatively few adjuncts faculty members, and most of our adjuncts help us--not to save money--but to be more responsive to particular student needs. Freshman and Sophomore opportunities at Snow College are better than anywhere else in the Intermountain West.

Few of our students know of our difficulties this year. To the casual observer it looks like everything is moving along better than even in the best of years. We just dedicated our new Heritage Plaza; our new, beautiful Karen H. Huntsman Library is on schedule for completion this summer; we are planning for significant expansion this year in our nursing program; will are advertising for our first full-time general education instructor in Richfield; we are hiring several replacement and new faculty members to relieve stress in core general education courses; and we are proposing our first, narrow focused four-year degree program, in music education.

Yesterday Governor Gary Herbert, by executive order, further reduced the budgets of all colleges and universities in Utah by 3%. We are halfway through the current budget year. The actual impact of this 3% cut, halfway through the budget year, is 6% on the remaining half. And when approximately 80% of our funds are spent on personnel this could have been one more devastating announcement. I don't know what other institutions will do to meet this new cut. But implementing the new reduction at Snow College was simple. From the first announcement of budget cuts 15 months ago we have been ahead of the curve. The first cut of 4% was announced in October 2008. We knew it would grow deeper so we started with an 8% cut and with each successive announcement we have remained ahead the economic downturn. I called the college's chief financial officer, Marvin Dodge, from Salt Lake City yesterday after the Governor's announcement, and within a few minutes we had resolved the new cut without any additional layoffs or reduction in course sections. We were able to do it because we anticipated this possibility and were prepared for it.

I don't want to suggest our preparation for and implementation of these cuts, including yesterday's executive order, has come without significant pain. Because it clearly has. I don't think anything illustrates this point more than to say I have had to layoff six members of my own LDS ward, including my next door neighbor and one of my vice presidents. Snow College's campuses are in two small towns and we have felt the cuts more personally than any other institution.

Governor Herbert's proposed budget for fiscal year 2010-11 lights our first real ray of hope. I fully support his proposal. It will restore the 3% cut ordered yesterday and will replace one-time federal ARRA funding. We are doing well but cannot continue indefinitely. We have several people working full and part-time at Snow College without pay this year to help us get through. For example, Dave and Pat Willmore rented a small, student apartment in Ephraim and travel back and forth from their comfortable home in American Fork, all at their own expense, to cover the workload of other employees who were let go as a result of the budget cuts. Ralph Brenchley retired a year ago and has continued teaching full-time without pay. Other employees have taken on extra assignments and classes without pay to get us through this crisis.

Institutions, like people, come out out of significant challenges weaker or stronger. We are coming out of this challenge stronger. And, I hope, with a deeper appreciation and respect for the service of so many wonderful people at our college.

I know this college president has a new found respect and appreciate for the people of Snow College. And a burning optimism in our future.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-02T21:57:00.003-07:00

Stop by the SVC at the Snow College Richfield campus to see Christmas Tree Lane! Snow College departments and various community and business groups have come together to decorate about 50 Christmas Trees. It is really fun. Many of the trees will be taken down soon. But the College trees will remain up through the season--and they are delightful.

Great Education, Good Friends and Ambiance

2009-11-24T12:19:00.003-07:00

Three weeks ago Snow College dedicated its new Heritage Plaza. Here is a picture taken by one of the contractors on the Library project of students warming themselves by one of our two natural gas fires on the Plaza. As far as I know, no one else has warming fires on their college campus. Great education, good friends and ambiance. How Cool Is That!!!

Class Lunch With Congressman Chaffetz

2009-11-21T18:22:00.002-07:00

Congressman Jason Chaffetz come to Snow College and had lunch with students in my American Government class. It was a great experience for all of us. Thanks Congressman Chaffetz!

Star Wars

2009-11-16T22:38:00.003-07:00

Snow College choirs were honored to be selected to sing with the symphony in the largest interactive concert touring the United States--Star Wars. It was a pile of fun. Here our students pose with Anthony Daniels the narrator and only actor who appeared in all six Star War episodes. He played the part of C-3PO. Steve Meredith, director of choral activities at Snow College, gave me this photo.

Autumn Color at Snow College!

2009-10-17T18:48:00.003-06:00

Autumn has arrived at Snow College! I walked around campus this evening and took a few pictures and visited with students. Earlier in the day Kathy and I watched the Snow College Badgers school Eastern Arizona in a 30 - 24 victory in perfect football weather. Last night we attended Star Wars in Concert at Energy Solutions Arena where 60 Snow College choral students were honored to perform Star Wars music in a large interactive concert with the Symphony. It was great. The lady badgers Volleyball team won three straight games against the College of Eastern Utah last night. And homecoming is next week. Life is good here.

Heritage Plaza

2009-10-15T21:20:00.013-06:00

I grabbed a couple shots of the work being done on Snow College's new Heritage Plaza this afternoon. In the top photo workers put finishing touches on the Heritage Wall of Honor which surrounds the plaza. The inspiration for this wall comes from the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Washington D.C. The names of hundreds of people who have donated money to the College for scholarships are engraven on the granite wall. When a student stands in the plaza and looks at the sea of names around her she will be reminded of the sacrifice that hundreds of people made to help her and others succeed. Scholarship money does not fall out of the sky--it comes from the pockets of people who selflessly give for others' dreams.

You can see the landscaping work in the lower photo. As part of our goal to obtain a LEED certification for the Karen H. Huntsman Library, the landscaping associated with the library is designed to minimize water use. Around the plaza workers are planting shrubs and ground cover rather than grass. And the plants will be watered with a underground drip system rather than sprinklers. I asked the landscape contractor today how many plants they are putting in--18 trees (flowering Pear in the middle ring and London Plane on the outside); approximately 300 shrubs of 15 varieties; and (I am not kidding) approximately 12,000 separate ground cover plants of three varieties. Wow.

The plaza should be mostly finished next week. The fence will be removed by Homecoming next Saturday, October 24th.

Snow College Experiences Unprecedented Growth

2009-10-11T10:47:00.005-06:00

Well--drum roll please--the third-week enrollment numbers are in and Snow College's growth this fall is the most impressive of any college or university in Utah. There are a variety of ways to look at the numbers but the most meaningful is the budget-related FTE (full-time equivalent) student count. The FTE number is counted by adding all credits taken at the college and dividing that number by 15 (15 credits is one full-time student). In other words, a student who is taking 15 credits is considered one FTE student; three part-time students who are taking five credits each are considered together as one FTE student.

Snow College's student FTE grew this fall over last fall by 24.4% or 578 students--a full two-and-a-half times the average growth rate for colleges and universities in Utah. Snow College had 2,369 FTE students last fall--2,947 this fall. The total number of full and part-time students (we call this the headcount number) at Snow College is 4,368. Dixie State College is the only institution that grew by a higher percentage than Snow College. Their growth was 25.14% but according to the System press release, (October 5, 2009) Dixie's growth was largely a result of adding four-year programs. Much of their growth came, not from new freshman students, but from sophomore students who can now stay on for two more years to finish a bachelor's degree. Behind Snow College, the next largest percent growth in student FTE was seen at Salt Lake Community College. SLCC realized a 14.62% increase of students, or approximately 60% of Snow College's growth rate. SLCC has ten separate campuses in Salt Lake County.

Snow College is the second smallest institution in Utah. Consequently, a smaller percentage growth rate at a large university might still result in more students at that institution. Nevertheless, take a look at the numbers for all other rural institutions: Snow added 578 new students (24.4%); CEU added 174 (12.91%) and Southern Utah University added 393 (6.83%); Utah State University added a combined total of 621 in Logan and all its rural, regional campuses combined (3.93%). USU has three regional campuses and fifteen educational centers accross Utah, in additon to their main campus in Logan.

The percentage growth rate for the urban institutions is as follows: The University of Utah 4.26%; Weber State University 10.31%; Dixie State College 25.14%; Utah Valley University 11.98%; and Salt Lake Community College 14.62%. The sluggish economy naturally drives students back to college in urban areas. The students coming to Snow College are less economy motivated, which suggests a more permanent growth trend.

It has been difficult for employees at Snow College, particularly in the student success offices, to accommodate this year's growth but they have worked very hard and have done an excellent job. Additionally, the growth has forced the college to add large numbers of sections of high demand classes pushing a fair number of our faculty and our financial resources. With state budgets being cut by 17% this year the massive growth has required us to work harder and smarter than ever in the past. We teach our students how to improve and grow--this year we get to model what we teach. I asked our student body officers how students feel about the growth this fall and was told they feel a great deal of excitement and energy they did not feel last year.

As a college we are expecting our growth to continue. We have created a strategic task force consisting primarily of the Academic Deans, Faculty Senate, College Council, President's Cabinet and students to work on the issues needed to accommodate growth while maintaining the small class size and individual attention that has made Snow College the best place in Utah for freshman and sophomores to prepare for life, further academic studies and the workforce.

Wind River Mountains, Wyoming

2009-09-02T19:36:00.004-06:00

This is a shot of my two Snow College students and me on a 70-mile backpacking trip in the Wind River Mountains this past summer. The tallest mountain in Wyoming, Gannett Peak, can be seen on the skyline behind us and a little to the left. (I climbed it a few years ago.) We had a fabulous time!

Snow College Students Score High

2009-09-02T14:21:00.003-06:00

The CAAP test results are in: Once again, the average Snow College Student starts college with a score below average on the math portion of the ACT and finishes college well above average on the math portion of the CAAP test. The same is true for the other two "R"s--reading and writing. Snow College is a great place to get a quality education.

Back in School

2009-09-02T11:13:00.002-06:00

We are back in school this fall with close to 20% increase in students over last fall--despite the fact that our state budget has been cut 17%, due to the decline in state tax revenues.

The Second Floor

2009-07-10T14:17:00.000-06:00

Here workers place the decking for the second floor of the Karen H. Huntsman Library. There will be one more floor about this one by the time they finish. The steel work should be completed by the end of next month.

The Basement

2009-07-10T14:13:00.000-06:00

Here is a shot of the basement in the Karen H. Huntsman Library with the circular staircase in the background.

The Circular Staircase

2009-07-10T14:03:00.001-06:00

This is a shot of the contractors at work putting together the frame for the circular staircase in the Karen H. Huntsman Library. This staircase leads from the basement up all the way up to the third floor and will have a beautiful glass handrail. The four floors of open space will be a nice little “wow” in the library. Layton Construction tells us 1/3 of the library is completed and they are on schedule for a June completion.

Bachelor's Degree at Snow College?

2009-05-30T14:12:00.001-06:00

This is fun. Yesterday the Board of Regents amended the definition of Snow College to include language from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions which includes the following: “Comprehensive Community Colleges (Associate’s Colleges) generally include institutions where all degrees are at the associate’s level, or where bachelor’s degrees account for less than 10 percent of all undergraduate degrees.” This language is consistent with the emerging trend generally referred to as Community College Baccalaureates.

This amendment makes possible a limited number of baccalaureate programs at Snow College while maintaining its primary mission as a two-year college. Approval of baccalaureate programs for Snow College will still take considerable effort. But it is now possible. We will bring forward a proposal within the next 12 months to begin our first bachelor’s degree—most likely a music education degree.

Mount Everest

2009-05-30T13:36:00.004-06:00

53 years ago yesterday Sir Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first to summit Mount Everest. Last week one of my old climbing partners, Bruce Parker, summated Mount Everest completing his goal to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. We did two of them together--Mount McKinley and Kilimanjaro. This photo is of us on McKinley--he is in red, I am in yellow. Congratulations Bruce!!!

Washington D.C.

2009-05-15T21:06:00.004-06:00

Here are a few shots I took in Washington during our two days in D.C.

The first picture is of the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial at night with the Washington Monument in the background.

The second shot is of our group in front of the Capitol Building. We toured the building but sadly enough our tour started at the same time 5 million or so 8th graders from Michigan arrived. I don’t think I need say anything more (nothing against Michigan or 8th graders).

The third picture is a night shot of the Jefferson Memorial. It had been stormy and as we were leaving the memorial I turned, looked back and caught this incredible, colored sky which really lit up the scene.

The fourth image is of the Supreme Court Library. Because I am a member of the Supreme Court Bar I was able to take our group into the Justice’s Library. (If we had an additional 10 million dollars we could make the new Snow College library look like this.)

Gettysburg

2009-05-10T21:16:00.004-06:00

Several members of my American Government class and I went on a 6-day tour of significant sites from New York to Washington D.C. last week. Here are two pictures from our visit to Gettysburg. We arranged for a Gettysburg historian to take us around the battlefield and had a great experience. The top shot is a picture of our group standing on Vincent's Spur on Little Round Top. This is the exact spot where Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain stood while he and the 20th Maine held the extreme left position of the Army of the Potomac on day two of the battle. The second shot is a random image I took of the battlefield. The three day battle at Gettysburg is generally regarded as the turning point in the Civil War—which was a turning point in civil rights and due process in America.

2009-04-26T16:55:00.003-06:00

The library is progressing on schedule. I have heard people suggest the box in the front right corner of the photo is a form for an elevator (northeast corner); it is actually a window well. The basement should be well lit. Notice the square concrete pier caps scattered throughout the ground level. These pier caps take the place of footings (there are no footings).

They are building the tunnel westward and as soon as they have cleared the perimeter of the plaza they will begin the plaza with the objective of completing it prior to the start of school this fall.

Hoodstock 2009

2009-04-21T12:27:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday the Richfield campus put on a great car show for the students and community. There was a nice showing of cars, music (complements of Andy Morgan and company), food and games. It was all great. I just wish we could have all thrown our car keys into a hat and drawn out something new (actually old) to take home.

It Snowed Last Week.

2009-04-20T07:26:00.002-06:00

This is my view of the Noyes Building when I arrived at work last Thursday morning. It snowed the night before--leaving the college covered in a blanket of white Thursday morning. We did not get as much snow as the Wasatch Front and it was mostly melted off by the end of the day. Right now it is sunny and warm and we are still on course for summer.

One Huge Screwdriver

2009-04-05T16:25:00.005-06:00

The largest screwdriver I've seen -- placing piers in the ground to support the new library above our collapsible soils. 750 piers will be placed in the ground, each capable of supporting 100,000 pounds. Apparently the library and everything in it, including people will not exceed 75 million pounds.

Placing The Piers

2009-04-05T16:04:00.004-06:00

Not wanting to be foolish and build our new library on sand (actually collapsible soil), contractors here are literally screwing 750 steel screws down through the soil to solid ground. Concrete caps will be poured on the piers and the library built on these caps. One of the piers can be seen in the upper right with two large threads for screwing into the ground. I understand the average pier length is about ten feet.

The View From Angels Landing, Zion Canyon

2009-03-30T22:56:00.003-06:00

Ok, this picture has nothing to do with Snow College--except that it is a three hour drive from the Ephraim campus and a two hour drive from the Richfield campus. But after the Board of Regents meeting at Dixie State College last Friday I drove through Zion Canyon National Park on my way home, hiked Angels Landing and took this picture from the top. It was a beautiful afternoon.

Erastus Snow

2009-03-24T23:24:00.000-06:00

I dropped by the Adonis Foundry in Alpine which is bronzing Brad Taggart’s sculpture of Lorenzo and Erastus Snow for our new Heritage Plaza. The sculpture was case in 35 separate pieces and they are welding them together now. When completed, the seams will not be noticeable and a beautiful patina will be applied to finish off the work of art. We expect the sculpture will be done in a month and hope the plaza will be completed before Founders Day, this coming November, for a dedication ceremony. I took a number of snap shots of the Adonis welder at work on Erastus.

The Start of the Library

2009-03-18T11:14:00.003-06:00

The hole for our new library is nearly finished. In the process of digging, contractors uncovered two old cesspools left from pioneer homes that use to sit on our campus (picture taken on March 5, 2009). They are now installing piers to suspend the library above our collapsible soils.

Sisters Die in Tragic Accident

2009-02-16T18:57:00.006-07:00

The college was sadened to learn that two of our students, Micah and Shilo Edwards, died friday in a tragic accident. The two sisters were headed home to West Bountiful for the weekend. Apparently their car slid across the center lane into the path of an oncoming truck near Indianola.

I have been told the occupants of the truck were taken to the hospital and are doing well.

The two sisters had many friends at Snow College and we join their family in mourning their loss. The College observed a moment of silence friday night at the basketball games in remembrance of Micah and Shilo. One of their brothers drove down to be present for the moment of silence.

We also plan to award associate degrees to both of the sisters this spring at commencement. Our thoughts and prayers will be with their family and friends.

Library and Heritage Plaza Groundbreaking

2009-01-31T14:07:00.003-07:00

We are breaking ground on the Heritage Plaza and Karen H. Huntsman Library Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at 1:00 p.m! Everyone is invited to attend. Layton Construction is the contractor and even before signing the deal with DFCM last week they were fully engaged in the project. They have installed the perimeter fencing and cleared ground. It was sad to see the trees and fountain go. Some of the trees were salvageable and we have put the fountain in storage with hope to find a new home for it on campus as some time in the future.

The architect’s rendering shows an aerial view of the library and plaza from the north.

The library includes a fireplace in the entry; a Borders-like café, a dividable two-hundred seat auditorium, a spiral staircase reaching group study rooms and open study spaces on four floors, and every high tech advantage and device for efficiency and learning. It will be Central Utah’s first LEED certified high performance green building.

The plaza will include the bronze Lorenzo and Erastus Snow sculpture by Brad Taggart in the center and the legacy scholarship wall around the outside. The plaza will be the ultimate gathering place in the fall and spring—think BBQ’s and music on Fridays, concerts and dances in the evenings and a place to hang-out or study during the day.

We are fortunate to have been successful in keeping this project going amid state budget cuts. Kudos to so many people on campus who helped with the planning and design and will remain engaged through its completion.

See you Tuesday.

2009-01-31T12:08:00.007-07:00

Here is a nice little story from the Salt Lake Tribune that covered the Rally at the Capitol last Friday:

Utah students rally against proposed ed-funds chop
Snow College president says invest in, don't cut, education

By Brain Maffly
The Salt Lake Tribune
Photo by Francisco Kjolseth/TSLT
January 31, 2009

Snow College President Scott Wyatt had been there before, on the steps of the Utah Capitol, speaking out against slashing college and university budgets. As student body president at Utah State University in 1987, Wyatt warned the cuts could corrode Utah's economic vitality.

That was the last time Utah slashed spending on higher education. This time it's worse, with proposed cuts of 15 percent for next year on top of retroactive cuts as high as 7 percent on this year's budget.

"Education is the solution, not the problem. It's not the cost, but the investment. We are the engine," Wyatt said Friday to a 400-strong contingent of students who converged on lawmakers. "For every dollar we invest, we get seven back. When times are tough, that's when you invest."
USU and Snow students, who traveled two hours by bus and carpool, dominated the festive rally with their sheer numbers.

"What's going to happen to our country in the coming years? These budget cuts are a stop-gap measure," said Emily Phillips, a Snow freshman from Salt Lake City. "They are cutting our future."

Phillips' Ephraim contingent carried signs announcing "It's raining at Snow," and sported blue and white umbrellas under a crystal blue winter sky. Snow students "Rickrolled" the rally with a rendition of Rick Astley's cheesy 1980s hit "Never Gonna Give You Up," an MTV video that would have disappeared down a memory hole if it not for an Internet gag that revived it.

Although few appreciated the students' Astley reference, the Web played a key part in Friday's display of student activism thanks to the Internet networking of USU senior Danielle Babbel. The anthropology and geography major launched a Facebook page to rally Utah students to the defense of higher education.

"It has been a great communication tool for us. We've been able to connect with students at every college," said Babbel's classmate, student vice-president Jackson Olsen, who organized the rally. He was pleased with Friday's showing, saying it dispelled "rumors of student apathy."
To uproarious approval, Snow's Wyatt urged lawmakers to tap more than $500 million in "rainy day" funds and issue bonds.

"We have access to $1 billion. That money can take the sting out of budget cuts," he said. "We can handle a 4 percent cut, but we can't handle 20 percent cuts."

USU English major Emily Arnold fears cuts of that magnitude will dismantle programs and increase class sizes. "This institution needs to be preserved the way it is," said Arnold, who graduates this year. "I'm here for the students who will come after me and for my children."
No matter where the budget ax falls this session, college students and employees can expect higher tuition, fewer class offerings and student services, and layoffs next year, with broad implications for access to and quality of a Utah college education. No other question looms larger than that of affordability.

Wyatt recalled how his mother earned 90 cents an hour as a USU student in 1955. At that rate, it took 117 hours to cover her $105 tuition. Now, a student has to work 672 hours to cover USU's $4,400 tuition.

"If you don't have your parents' backing, you can't get very far," said Snow's Emily Phillips, who chose the tiny Ephraim school because it offers high quality courses at a price half that of the University of Utah.

There is no need for a 19% budget reduction

2009-01-15T11:30:00.001-07:00

The Utah Legislature is poised to cut FY 2010 (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010) budgets at unprecedented levels on January 26 when they reconvene in general session. Legislative leadership and fiscal analysts have told state agencies (including all colleges and universities) to prepare for a 15% budget reduction, which is in addition to the 4% already cut in special session last September. The combined cut for next year is approximately 19%. These budget cuts are proposed for most areas of state government including colleges and universities, prisons, services for the poor and mentally ill, state parks, courts, economic development and etc.

I understand the current economic realities in this recession. However, a decision to cut higher education and other essential services by 19% is completely unnecessary. It is a choice that will lead to layoffs of thousands of public employees in Utah, which further hurts the economy. It is also a choice to reduce access to quality education programs. A good education helps people raise their income and builds the economy more than any other single thing. Of the alternatives to the 19% budget cut, let me illustrate two options, either of which would minimize the massive budget cuts proposed, and preserve quality programs for our citizens.

1. Rainy Day Fund. Like many families and businesses in Utah, the state has a savings account, called the rainy day fund, to help us get through tough times. Prior to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 the Legislature had built up the rainy day fund to $120 million. In the aftermath of the attacks, the legislature spent the fund down to below $30 million in order to moderate the impact of the revenue shortfalls that came with the economic downturn after 9/11. Since 2003 the fund has been built back up to approximately $400 million yet the Legislature is reluctant to use it. The fund was designed to grow during good times and be used during hard times; up and down, to moderate fluctuations in the economy and state revenues. As we approach the bottom of this economic cycle we should be using the rainy day fund as it was intended—to soften the blow of the present economic downturn.

2. Transportation Funds. When I was serving in the Legislature we put a considerable amount of money into road construction. Huge transportation funds and revenue streams were built up and massive projects undertaken, all good. But every time legislators proposed increasing fund balances and revenue streams for roads, they told us the money would serve two separate purposes: first, to build necessary roads, and second, in the event of an economic decline, as a second rainy day fund. And they pointed to the successes in 2001 and 2002 when transportation funds were pulled from roads to moderate the impact of declining state revenues in the aftermath of 9/11. Unfortunately, while we see significant declining revenues this year, there appears to be great resistance to using the funds as promised—to moderate the impact of declining state revenues.

The projected state budget shortfall for FY 2010 is $450 million; it is likely to continue to grow a bit before the economy hits bottom. Using the rainy day fund and delaying or bonding road construction projects could reduce or completely eliminate the current budget shortfall. I would suggest bonding for construction projects because the cost of construction is low right now and construction projects put people to work and help pick up the economy.

Library Update

2009-01-09T23:07:00.002-07:00

There are always a few wonderful things that come out of difficult times.

The slumping economy in Utah is partly the result of a significant drop in construction and loss of construction jobs. This has been disastrous for state revenues and a cause of our budget cuts. It also created the perfect climate to build a college library. All the big contractors in the state (and a number of the small ones) wanted to build our library and submitted bids. We have never seen so much competitive interest in any of our projects before. We opened the bids this week and interviewed contractors. And we were shocked by the bids—several million dollars less than expected. This means we can afford the library and a number of extras we thought impossible just six months ago. Additionally, the library will be a LEED certified high performance green building—a first for Snow College and Central Utah.

Layton Construction will be building our library and as soon as we get a ground breaking date we will let everyone know. Construction will begin in a few weeks and is expected to be completed a year from summer.

The library was funded two years ago. Many of us worried, with the declining state revenues, that they would take back the money and spend it somewhere else. But they didn’t. We are very fortunate. The other good news is that a project of this size will stimulate the local economy and provide good work for hundreds of people.

We should remember the two people who made this project possible: Mike Benson, our former college president, successfully raised the necessary private funds to get it going, and Rick Wheeler, a member of the Utah Legislature at the time, took it though the legislature and governor’s office for final approval. We would not be scheduling a ground breaking without Mike and Rick. Thanks.

See you at the ground breaking!

Welcome To My Blog

2009-01-06T09:28:00.004-07:00

I have been looking for a better way to communicate with faculty, staff, students and anyone else who might be interested. Ted Olsen suggested I blog. So, here I go—my first attempt at blogging. I got a quick orientation from a student yesterday, spent a little time last night playing around with layout, and now here’s the first entry. Expect to see regular postings on a variety of issues, ideas and happenings here.

And in addition to writing, I’ll post pictures I have taken. Ever since I put together my first pinhole camera as a kid I’ve enjoyed photography. None of my pictures are worth a thousand words, but they are interesting and fun for me.

Please help this first time blogger build this into a useful venture. Post comments and send me emails. I am open to suggestions for topics to cover here and welcome feedback on my work as your college president.