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CAMPUS NEWS 2005 Spring semester classes at Dixie State College begin the following week on Tuesday, Jan. 9. Registration for classes without instructor permit will continue through Jan. 11. The last day to add a class for spring semester is Feb. 3, 2006.
Registration can be done on the Internet at www.dixie.edu/reg and in person at the registrar’s office in the Student Services Center. For questions about registration, call 652-7708. For help selecting courses, call 652-7690.
Petersen received the honor, in part, for his work in unveiling and promoting DSC’s new Eccles Fine Arts Center during its very successful inaugural year. He has served as executive director of cultural arts at Dixie State since July 2004 in which capacity he oversees, schedules, markets, and promotes all artistic events in the Eccles Center, the Cox Auditorium, and Burns Arena.
During the dedication month for the new center, more than 20 performances were featured in the center in all of the arts disciplines. Also that year, Petersen successfully conducted the college’s first
major theater season ticket drive in many years, resulting in over 500 season ticket holders. Cultural arts events at Dixie State College increased in attendance to nearly full houses and several productions and concerts were completely sold out, including the college’s banner production of “Jekyll and Hyde,” which was selected to compete in the prestigious American College Theater Festival this past year.
Petersen’s career in the public relations and marketing field has spanned 26 years. He worked for six years in the College of Fine Arts at Weber State University. He spent two years as marketing coordinator at Ogden-Weber Applied Technology Center. He most recently spent 18 years as director of public relations at Dixie State College. Petersen is an alumnus of Weber State
Students of the Semester Named at Dixie State College (ST. GEORGE, UT – Dec. 19, 2005) With fall semester having drawn to a close at Dixie State College last week, 16 students recently received Student of the Semester honors. Individual departments on campus made the selections based on academic and extracurricular achievement of the students.
Keith Huang, from Taiwan, received the honor in the area of art. Ragan Springer, from St. George, was named Student of the Semester in the department of business. In the area of communications, Wendi Epps, from San Francisco, Calif., received the award. Britni Maglish, from West Jordan, received the award in the area of developmental studies.
Jen Pehrson, Monticell, Utah, was named dental hygiene Student of the Semester. Aaron Reep, from St. George, received the award in the area of elementary education. In English, Chelsea VanDam, from Orem, won the award.
Jessica Torgerson, from Washington, Utah, received the award in the area of education and family sciences; Erika Staples, from Hawaii, in humanities; Patrick Shukait, from Wurzburg, Germany, in humanities (Hurricane Center); Yovonda Hall, from Hurricane, in mathematics (Hurricane Center); Reuben Evans and Braydon Nielsen, Spanish Fork, in nursing; Susanne Green, from St. George, in science; Cynthia Heaton, from Moccasin, Ariz., in social sciences; and Jennifer DeVilliers, from St. George, in visual technology.
DSC Christmas Project Now in Final Stages (ST. GEORGE, UT – Dec. 12, 2005) It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas on the campus of Dixie State College. The college’s annual “Gift of Dixie” Christmas tree is surrounded by gifts for children in need this holiday season and the annual project is now in its final stages. This year, over 250 stars representing 65 different area children adorned the Gift of Dixie tree. Each star on the tree had the name and age of a child on it, along with an indication of a gift requested for the holidays. For the past two weeks, people throughout campus and the community have had the opportunity to pluck one or more stars from the tree, thereby “adopting” a child for the holidays. “It's a big deal for us. This is our big campus wide push for Christmas. This is something we do every year to try and do our part,” DSC students gathered today for final gift wrapping and sorting in preparation for delivery later this week. The project is done every year on campus in conjunction with KONY Coins for Christmas and has been a tradition on campus since 1994. New VP Begins Work at DSC (ST. GEORGE, UT – Dec. 7, 2005) Dixie State College’s new vice president of advancement assumed her new role this month after being named to the position earlier this fall semester. Christina Schultz will oversee the college’s advancement division, which includes institutional fundraising, alumni relations, cultural arts, and public relations.
Schultz brings to the position vast experience in higher education and non-profit fundraising and 21 years of experience working in marketing, public relations, development, and management.
“Christina brings a broad background in all areas of institutional advancement,” said DSC president Dr. Lee Caldwell. “The search committee was especially impressed with her professionalism, her ability to start organizations from the ground up, and her graciousness in dealing with donors. We’re excited to have her on the Dixie State campus.”
Schultz worked for seven years at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. During that time, she served as director of development in USC’s School of Fine Arts & Theatre. She also served stints as associate director of marketing in the General Alumni Association as a liaison to the institution’s 250,000 alumni base and as assistant director of volunteer training and development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in communications management, both from USC.
She was later recruited to become the director of development for The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center at Cal State University on the Long Beach campus.
In addition, Schultz has also been the director of development for both the CLARE Foundation, Inc., a drug and alcohol treatment center in Santa Monica, Calif., and the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), a world-renowned architecture school in Los Angeles. She has been responsible for raising tens of millions of dollars, but is quick to deflect the credit.
“The key to fundraising is that it is a team effort,” Schultz said. “It’s not just one person, you have to have a lot of people working on this process that has a lot of different stages along the way.”
Throughout her career in the Los Angeles area, Schultz has worked on fundraising projects with various celebrities and luminaries, including actors John Ritter, Dennis Franz (NYPD Blue), Anthony Edwards (ER), film director Joel Schumacher (Batman), and author Ray Bradbury.
While her southern Californian roots run deep, she is enjoying the change in scenery. For starters, what was a two-hour commute to work every day in some cases has been reduced to five minutes. But she has also discovered some commonalities between Dixie State and her alma mater that make her feel right at home.
“The first thing that hit me right away is that the sense of school spirit is very strong here,” Schultz said. “It’s evident that people have a passion about Dixie. That is something that is very similar to the Trojan spirit at USC. It will serve our fundraising efforts very well because that kind of passion is necessary in order to be successful.”
Schultz and her husband, Tony, aren’t exactly new to southern Utah. They first became acquainted with the area eight years ago after visiting nearby Kanab during the holidays for some volunteer work. They purchased a home in Kanab the following April and have called southern Utah home, albeit part-time, ever since.
“We’ve basically spent the last eight years driving back and forth between Los Angeles and Kanab,” Schultz said. “I’ve considered southern Utah home because I would work in L.A. and wait several weeks on end to ‘get home’. I think it was time to come home permanently. We love it here, and have for many years, and we love the people here. We just love everything about southern Utah.”
DSC Art Students to Host 30th Annual Christmas Ceramic Sale (ST. GEORGE, UT – Dec. 6, 2005) The lobby of the North Plaza Building on the
campus of Dixie State College will transform into its own “pottery barn” of sorts this week. The Dixie State College art department will hold its annual pottery and ceramic sale Dec. 7-9 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the North Plaza (west entrance) located at 55 South 900 East.
An annual tradition at the college, the sale is now in its thirtieth year. Many DSC art students use the sale to help pay for their college education. Hundreds of hand-made pottery pieces will be on sale at reasonable prices. Twenty percent of all proceeds will go to support the DSC art department.
“We have some students doing work that you would normally see at the graduate level or beyond,” said DSC art professor Glen Blakley.
The department holds a similar sale toward the end of spring semester as well. For more information about the pottery sale, call DSC art professor Glen Blakley at 652-7795.
DSC Wins 20th Annual Dixie Rotary Bowl (ST. GEORGE, UTAH – Dec. 3, 2005) The last time Garden City Community College (Kan.) and Dixie State College (Utah) met up in the Dixie Rotary Bowl in 1994, a Garden City running back by the name of Corey Dillon won the MVP award (Dillon would go on to play in his second Dixie Rotary Bowl in 1995 after transferring to Dixie.)
While it remains to be seen whether or not Dixie State tailback J.T. Diederichs, also a Seattle native, will follow in Dillon’s footsteps and become a Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowler, he looked every bit the part in Saturday’s 20th annual Dixie Rotary Bowl. The Rebels used Diederichs’ three touchdowns and 100 yards rushing and capitalized on several Garden City turnovers to defeat the Broncbusters 35-31.
Garden City led the entire game behind the running and passing of quarterback Rod Windsor – who likewise looked the part of a future NFL star – and was poised to put the Rebels away after leading 31-28 with less than six minutes left in the game. A Windsor fumble, however, with 5:12 remaining in the fourth quarter – one of four fumbles given up by the Broncbusters – was scooped up by Dixie State defensive back Keauntea Bankhead who ran it back for the Rebels’ first go-ahead score of the game and for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.
The Broncbusters had two opportunities even later in the game to retake the lead during an eventful, but fruitless series of plays. A big gain by Garden City tailback Marcus Cross took the Broncbusters deep into Rebel territory, but Cross fumbled the ball on the tail end of the play. The ball was again scooped up by Dixie’s Bankhead and returned deep into Broncbuster territory, but was turned back over to Garden City after a failed lateral. Garden City was unable to capitalize, however, on the ensuing drive and Dixie State went on to capture its fourteenth Dixie Rotary Bowl championship in 19 tries.
Windsor finished the game with 114 yards rushing, 191 yards passing, two rushing touchdowns, and two passing touchdowns, garnering MVP honors for Garden City. Diederichs went on to become the only two-time MVP in Dixie Rotary Bowl history with his performance. In the 2004 bowl game, the Rebels used Diederichs’ 187 yards on the ground to defeat Grand Rapids Community College.
“(J.T.) has been the heart and soul of our offense for two years, so it’s appropriate (for him to win the MVP),” said Dixie head coach Greg Croshaw. “He had a tougher challenge this year than he had last year. We had five guys on our offensive line a year ago that all went on to play four-year football, and we had to break in a whole new group this year. But he’s been every bit as much our leader on offense as Misi (Tupe) has been on defense. (J.T.) is going to be a guy that I really will miss. If he had been a horse for the Pony Express, I’d have ridden him until he died because he’s a big horse, and we rode him.”
Dixie State, ranked 16th coming into today’s game, finished the game with 399 yards of total offense: 143 yards rushing and 256 yards passing. Tight end Ryan Mattice finished the game with 99 yards receiving. Wide receiver Quinton Lopez had 84 yards receiving. Quarterback Derek McAllister led the Rebels with 133 yards through the air and one rushing touchdown after replacing an injured Corey Slater in the second half. Linebacker Misi Tupe led the Rebels all day on the defensive side of the ball.
Garden City, ranked 15th coming into today’s game, finished with 392 yards of total offense in the contest, with 191 yards passing and 201 yards on the ground. In addition to Windsor’s stellar performance, Garden City tailback Marcus cross rushed for 81 yards. Receiver Damian Atkins scored two touchdowns on 52 yards receiving.
The Rebels cap the season with a record of 9-3. Garden City finishes with a 7-4 record. For more information about today’s bowl game, visit www.rotarybowl.com.
DSC Trustees Approve New Baccalaureate Degree (ST. GEORGE, UT – Nov. 22, 2005) Dixie State College took its first big step toward fulfilling its new mission to begin offering baccalaureate degrees common at four-year institutions across the nation.
The college’s board of trustees last week approved baccalaureate degrees in criminal justice, dental hygiene, English/English education, and biology/biology education. The boa
rd also approved a secondary teacher licensure program, which would operate hand-in-hand with the English and biology degrees, and other programs eventually, to prepare students to teach those subjects at the junior and high school level. The programs now await approval by the Utah State Board of Regents.
In June 2005, the board of regents approved a new mission for Dixie State College, which, in essence, paves the way for more and more baccalaureate programs at Dixie. Since 2000, the college has offered a limited number of baccalaureate degrees in high demand areas. A clause in DSC’s new mission now allows Dixie to begin offering baccalaureate programs in core or foundational areas consistent with four-year colleges. The college currently offers degrees in business administration, computer & information technology, elementary education, nursing, and communication & new media.
“These degrees currently on the table are core to the county’s economic development foundation,” said DSC president Dr. Lee Caldwell. “This community is desperate for these degrees.”
The current emphasis on teaching degrees, Caldwell said, is due in part to Washington County School District, which needs 1,000 teachers over the next four years.
“This community can’t grow and thrive with
out teachers,” Caldwell said.
The population of St. George alone is currently 67,000 and is expected to reach 134,000 by 2020. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, St. George ranked number one among the nation’s fastest growing metropolitan areas (population over 50,000), with a growth rate of 86.1 percent between 1990 and 2000.
Washington County once again maintained its title as the fastest growing county in the state, with a growth rate of 8.4 percent in 2005, as reported by the governor’s office earlier this month. Approximately 125,000 residents currently live in Washington County, with 1,000 new residents arriving each month. Washington County’s population growth is projected to have the highest average annual rate of change through 2050 of any county in Utah, with a projected population of over 600,000, according to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget’s 2005 Baseline Projections. Furthermore, Washington County’s population is expected to surpass Weber County by 2030 and Davis County by 2040 (same source).
President Caldwell said the college, over time, will focus on offering the same 10 or so degrees that have accounted for over 80 percent of all degrees awarded nationwide over the past 30 years – degrees in areas such as English and languages, biological and life sciences, visual and performing arts, social sciences and history, psychology, education, health related sciences, and business. Caldwell expects a portfolio of approximately 15-20 degrees to be available to DSC students within the next five years.
“I am very committed that whatever we add must become of the highest quality possible,” Caldwell said. “Our focus is going to be more on the plain vanilla degrees that are most in demand, and we’re going to do an extraordinary job on those plain vanilla degrees. We’re not going to do all the fancy variance. But we will do the mainstream degrees, and we’ll do them extraordinarily well.”
DSC Students to Hold CANSTOCK for Dixie Care & Share (ST. GEORGE, UT – Nov. 21, 2005) Everybody has heard of Woodstock ‘69, but have you heard of CANSTOCK ‘05? Dixie State College students, faculty, and staff will hit the pavement Wednesday, Nov. 30 to collect canned food donations for St. George’s Dixie Care & Share between the hours of 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. for what has been dubbed CANSTOCK ‘05. The service event will be this semester’s Campus to Community project, a service campaign that was instituted by the DSC student government in 2001.
Following the service project, on the eve of Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) play, those in attendance will be formally introduced to this year’s men’s and women’s basketball squads, who will also compete in CANSTOCK ‘05.
“A little less than a month ago, Dixie Care & Share reported that its shelves were nearly empty,” said DSC student body president Tony Cronk. “We want to make sure their shelves are well-stocked for the upcoming holidays, and we thought we would make a little competition out of it.”
Volunteers will mobilize at the Burns Arena at 6 p.m. and organize into teams. A geographic assignment will be given to each team. Teams will then disperse to the neighborhoods of St. George to collect as many canned goods as they can. Volunteers will return to the Burns Arena around 7:30 p.m., load all donations in a DATS truck trailer (for delivery the following day), and then enjoy a soup dinner and live entertainment as the basketball teams are introduced. The team that collects the most cans will receive “Jump for Judkins” T-shirts.
The Campus to Community service program was organized at Dixie State College in 2001. Campus to Community is Dixie State’s version of a nationwide trend known as service learning, designed to get college students involved service and give them opportunities for practical application of textbook learning.
Campus to Community consists of one large-scale community service project each semester. Other projects have included a yard sale to benefit a near drowning victim, planting trees for the new Southern Utah Water Conservation Garden in St. George, a book drive to benefit literacy in local schools, assisting with the Confluence Project in Hurricane and LaVerkin, removing weeds and debris at the Santa Clara Arboretum, collecting money for Washington County School District leveled libraries, and planting bushes and shrubs at the Canyons Softball Complex in St. George.
As always, community members are invited to take part in all Campus to Community projects. Those wishing to drop off canned items can do so in the student government room at DSC (Gardner Student Center, second floor).
Students to Get Jumpstart on Their Careers at DSC Career Day (ST. GEORGE, UT – Nov. 7, 2005) Daytime classes on Tuesday, Nov. 15, have been cancelled at Dixie State College, but the campus will be abuzz nonetheless between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Students from approximately 25 Utah, Nevada, and Arizona high schools, as w
ell as DSC students, will attend over 70 career workshops scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on campus. The event, a DSC staple for 28 years now, helps provide students with valuable information related to their career choices.
"Career Day is intended to help students make informed career choices,” said DSC Career Planning and Placement Center Director Kathy Kinney. “It offers group career counseling in a way that cannot be duplicated. It’s an incredible vehicle for career information."
Local professionals from throughout the St. George area will present information regarding job descriptions, education and training needed for a given career, salary information, and things the presenters like or dislike about the job. With over 20 different presenters each hour, students will be able to choose three workshops to attend throughout the day.
“We encourage students to explore career options in a variety of ways so they can select an appropriate academic major and be certain they are heading in the right direction as far as education and training are concerned,” Kinney said. “It is imperative to our success as a college to help our students find satisfying employment in career fields suited to their interests, talents and abilities.”
Studies have i
ndicated that students that set career goals, even if they change their goals at a later date, are more likely to stay in school, and their grades tend to be better.
In addition to the workshops, a general assembly has also been scheduled for 9 a.m. in DSC’s Cox Auditorium to welcome the students to campus and orient them.
Workshop schedules will be available on campus and in the college’s Career Center located across from the library. The Career Day schedule is also posted on-line at the Career Services website at http://dsc.dixie.edu/career/index.php.
Morning and afternoon classes at the college have been cancelled, not only to make way for the high school students, but to allow DSC students to attend Career Day as well. Evening classes (after 5 p.m.) will continue as scheduled.
Community members are invited to attend workshops as well. For more information, call the DSC Career Center at (435) 652-7736.
Four DSC Students Honored As Governor's Scholars (ST. GEORGE, UT – Nov. 7, 2005) Four Dixie State College students were among 44 college and university students throughout Utah to be named Governor’s Scholars on Friday in conjunction with the newly launched Governor’s Scholar Award program. The program is aimed at encouraging higher standards and greater scholarship among some of Utah’s most promising higher education students.
Daniel N. Evans, a sophomore from St. George; Jared L. Fletcher, a freshman from Salt Lake City; Dolores Heaton, a sophomore from Hurricane; and Blair Jorgensen, a sophomore from St. George were the four Dixie State College students honored at a luncheon Friday hosted by Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. at the Governor’s mansion.
Specifically, the Governor’s Scholar Award is designed to encourage more Utah students, early in their college experience, to prepare and apply for prestigious post-graduate scholarships such as the Gates, Marshall, Truman, and Rhodes scholarships.
Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. honored four students from each of Utah's colleges and universities who have demonstrated academic excellence. Each scholar recognized is in his or her first or second year of higher education.
The Governor told the students that they should find their "genius inside" early and to develop it to the fullest. He encouraged a continued commitment to the academic excellence that brought them to the mansion for the luncheon.
“This is a tremendous honor for these students to be recognized in an arena such as this,” said acting vice president of academic services Dr. Donna Dillingham-Evans. “I speak for all of us at Dixie State College when I say we are very proud of these students and their commitment to academic excellence. They’re an inspiration to all of us.”
DSC X-Club to Wash Cars For a New Cannon (ST. GEORGE, UT – Nov. 3, 2005) The traditions and service-based X-Club at Dixie State College will host a car wash this Saturday, Nov. 5, to help raise funds toward the purchase of a new cannon for Hansen Stadium.
The free car wash will be located in the parking lot of the new Eccles Fine Arts Center (100 South 700 East) and will run between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. In exchange, the club is asking for donations of any amount.
Like many colleges and universities, Dixie State has a tradition of firing a cannon to celebrate touchdowns at football games. The cannon that was last used several seasons ago has fallen into disrepair. Since that time, several temporary solutions have been used.
As a follow-up fundraiser, the X-Club will be collecting donations at the final home football game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 1:30 p.m. to benefit the cannon. Those who donate will become eligible to win a variety of prizes, among which will include game balls signed by head coach Greg Croshaw and several DSC football players. Overall, the club hopes to earn $5,000 for the cannon.
The X-Club is a student service organization whose mission is to promote, preserve, and revive Dixie State traditions. Members of the club are held to a high academic standard (3.0 GPA) and are selected for their exemplary participation and activity in school activities, extra-curricular activities, and social service.
DSC to Induct Three Into Rebel Hall of Fame (ST. GEORGE, Utah – Oct. 7, 2005) Dixie State College will honor three individuals as inductees into the college’s Hall of Fame as part of homecoming activities next weekend. Each inductee will be presented a medallion at the eighth annual Hall of Fame ceremony held in conjunction with the Homecoming Founder’s Day Assembly on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 10:30 a.m. in the St. George Tabernacle. Honored in the area of Education will be Dr. Douglas Alder, who served as Dixie’s 14th president from 1986 to 1993. “An Academic Climate” was the slogan for the campus during Dr. Alder&rsqu o;s tenure, and he became known for his emphasis on the importance of academic rigor. During his presidency, the Val A. Browning Learning Resources Center was completed, as were additions to the Browning Library and the Science Building. The Udvar-Hazy Business Building was begun, as was the Gardner Student Center. The College Inn was developed for the college’s Elderhostel program. The college’s National Advisory Council (NAC) was also established during his tenure. Dr. Alder received the 1991 Governor’s Award in the Humanities for his work in organizing conferences, lectures, and book groups dealing with history, literature and public issues throughout the state. An accomplished author and noted local historian, he has written histories of both southern Utah and the college. Following his presidency, he returned to full-time teaching in history and continues to teach history classes for Elderhostel and the Institute for Continued Learning (ICL). Dr. Alder has continued to support Dixie State both in service and monetary investment, having taken a special interest and role in the Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show. His service to both his community and state is unparalleled, and he continues to serve on numerous boards and committees at both levels. Dr. Ron Garner, who has served on the faculty at Dixie State College for the past 50 years, will also be honored in the area of Education. Honored in the area of Public and College Services will be the late Rulon (Rudy) Iverson, a man who is known as one of the all-time great promoters of the “Dixie Spirit.” He graduated from the college in 1947, following his devoted service in World War II. He returned to the college in 1962 to serve as its director of housing and food services and is credited with opening the college’s first on-campus housing unit, Shiloh Hall. In 1970, he was appointed dean of students and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1984. It was Iverson’s belief that every student should have the privilege of attending college, and he did whatever possible to see that everyone had that opportunity. Upon retirement, he began doing volunteer work for the college’s Alumni Association, in which capacity he continued to raise scholarship funding by establishing the Golden Generation Organization and Scholarship Fund, the dean’s endowment scholarship fund, and many other scholarship endowments, as well as securing the Alumni House on 100 South. Iverson was known for his great personality and enormous capacity to love and serve the students of the college. The Iverson Lounge on the second floor of the Gardner Center was dedicated in his honor in 1999. Additional details of the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of the these three Hall of Fame honorees will be given at the Founder’s Day Assembly. The Hall of Fame was introduced at Dixie State College in 1998 at which time 18 individuals were inducted as charter members. The photos and plaques of this year’s inductees will join the past 65 inductees on the Wall of Fame located in the Avenna Center, Cox Auditorium. DSC Football Coach Hospitalized With Blood Clot (ST. GEORGE, UT – Oct. 4, 2005) Dixie State College head football coach Greg Croshaw is in good condition today after being hospitalized Sunday with a blood clot in his right leg and undergoing a procedure late Monday to remove it.
Following Dixie State’s 38-23 victory over Arizona Western Saturday night, Croshaw began noticing swelling in his leg on the return trip home from Yuma, Ariz. He checked himself into Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah, Sunday at approximately noon.
Croshaw underwent a procedure late Monday evening to flush out the clot and will remain under observation through Saturday. He will not coach this Saturday in the Rebels’ contest versus Pima CC at Hansen Stadium, said DSC athletic director Dexter Irvin. Assistant coach Gordon Jolley will assume head coaching duties during Croshaw’s recovery.
“We’ll take it week by week and monitor his progress and follow doctor’s orders,” Irvin said. “Our first priority, obviously, is Greg’s health. That certainly takes precedence over what happens on the football field.”
Croshaw is in his 24th season coaching the Dixie State football team. Since he took over the coaching helm, the Rebels have finished the season ranked No. 2 or No. 3 in the nation 13 separate times. The Rebels currently have a record of 4-1.
Second Season of DSC Street Fair Opens This Weekend (ST. GEORGE, UT – Oct. 3, 2005) After a successful inaugural year in 2004-05, the Dixie State College Street Fair will reopen for business in 2005-06, beginning this weekend. The Street Fair will be open Friday, Oct. 7, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and again on Saturday, Oct. 8, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the college campus around the Administration Building just off of 700 East in St. George.
Patterned after an open-air style market, the DSC Street Fair was established in September 2004 to help raise money for student scholarships. In addition to retail merchandise, the DSC Street Fair also includes a food court and live entertainment.
Philosophically, revenue generated through Street Fair vendor space rental fees, which amount to $50 a week per vendor, directly benefits the Dixie State College scholarship fund. All revenue brought in by vendors, in turn, goes directly into individual vendors’ pockets. Over 150 different vendors rented booth space at 10 different Street Fair events over the course of last year.
“We felt like it was successful enough, particularly during the warmer months, to bring it back again this year,” said DSC Street Fair director George Whitehead. “We’re thankful to our vendors,
sponsors, and customers last year who supported us. If we can build off what we accomplished last year, this event has the potential to be a significant fundraiser for college scholarships.”
Other Street Fair dates for 2005-06 will include Nov. 12, 2005, and every Saturday during February, March, and April 2006.
In addition to art, crafts, jewelry, and other items, this weekend’s Street Fair will feature new crop pine nuts. Parking at all Street Fair events is free.
Those interested in becoming a Street Fair vendor this year can email streetfair@dixie.edu or call George Whitehead at 435-652-7536 or Erin Thatcher at 435-652-7633.
Forecast Snowy for DSC Homecoming ST. GEORGE, UT – Oct. 3, 2005) Even though it’s early fall in St. George, the forecast is “Snowy” for Dixie State College’s Homecoming Week next week. Rival Snow College will be in town Saturday, Oct. 15. Prior to the Rebels and Badgers meeting up on the gridiron, however, will be a week filled with activities for students, alumni of the college, and the community. Most notably, Homecoming 2005 will help commemorate the 20-year anniversary of Dixie’s first-ever national championship run in 1985 (men’s basketball).
Homecoming Week officially gets under wa
y Monday, Oct. 10, with the majority of the week’s activities taking place the following Friday and Saturday. All community members are invited to attend, regardless of their tie to the college. This year’s homecoming theme is “It’s All About the Pride.”
Homecoming activities get underway in earnest Tuesday, Oct. 11, with the Homecoming Queen Pageant at 7 p.m. in the Cox Auditorium. Cost is $6 a person, $3 for students.
Thursday, Oct. 13 will feature the annual Homecoming Powder Puff Football game at Hansen Stadium at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
Activities on Friday, Oct. 14 include the Alumni Assembly at 10:30 a.m. in the Eccles Mainstage Theater (no charge) and Golden Generation Luncheon and Program at noon in the Gardner Ballroom ($10). The ASDSC student council will host its annual “Rock the Mall” school song competition at noon on the Encampment Mall and an activity later that evening featuring hypnotist Bruce McDonald in the Gardner Center Ballroom at 8 p.m.
Saturday’s homecoming parade begins at 9:30 a.m. and will travel down Tabernacle Street beginning at 300 East and ending at 100 West. All entries must line up at the parade’s starting point (300 East on Tabernacle) at 8:30 a.m.
Immediately following the parade on Saturday will be the Founder’s Day Assembly and Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 10:30 a.m. in the St. George Tabernacle. Admission to both is free.
The Alumni Association tailgate party will precede the football game at noon, with a 1:30 p.m. kickoff. Tickets to the game are $6 and can be purchased at the box office.
The week wraps up Saturday night with the Alumni Homecoming Banquet at 7 p.m. in the Old Gym. Speaking at this year’s banquet will be three members from Dixie’s 1985 men’s basketball national championship team, including Brent Wade, Dan Bell, and Brent Stephenson. Cost is $11. The Homecoming Dance will follow at 9 p.m. in the Gardner Ballroom.
Tickets for the Golden Generation Luncheon and Alumni Banquet can be purchased from Kalynn Larson in the North Administration Building. She can also be contacted at 652-7535 or via email at larson@dixie.edu
Local Businesses Urged to Join DSC Homecoming Parade (ST. GEORGE, UT – Sept. 30, 2005) Dixie State College is extending an invitation to all local businesses and organizations to participate in the 2005 DSC Homecoming Parade, which will snake its way through the streets of St. George Saturday, Oct. 15. The theme for this year’s parade is “It’s All About the Pride.”
There is no charge for parade entries, and, free advertising aside, it’s a good way for businesses to get involved in the community, said DSC director of student activities Donna Stafford.
In addition to those in the business community, local schools are invited to participate, particularly by entering their bands in the parade. Parade entry forms must be submitted to Stafford’s office by Tuesday, Oct. 11. On the average, the parade features between 60 and 65 entries.
The DSC homecoming parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. All entries must begin to line up at the parade’s starting point – 300 East Tabernacle – at 8:30 a.m. The parade route will follow Tabernacle to 200 West. Entry forms are available by contacting Donna Stafford via fax: 656-4011, phone: 652-7513, or email: stafford@dixie.edu. For a full list of Homecoming Week activities, visit www.dixie.edu.
DSC Theatre to Present Moliere Comedy Tartuffe St. George, Sept. 27) — It's funny! It's farce! It's French! It is Tartuffe, Dixie State Theatre’s first offering in the 2005-2006 season, playing at 7:30 pm Oct. 13-15 and 18-22, in the Main Stage Theatre of DSC’s Eccles Fine Arts Center. Under the direction of Doug Bishop, Tartuffe is by France’s most famous playwright Moliere, and is a satire of religious hypocrisy disguised as a comedy. Tickets are on sale now in the central campus ticket office at the DSC Avenna Center, or call 652-7800. Senior and student discounts are available. Theater subscriptions for the entire season of upcoming plays are available through Oct. 16. Tartuffe pretends to be a religious, aristocratic hermit while trying to separate a family from its fortune and its women of their virtue. The title role will by played by Varlo Davenport, DSC director of theatre. Tartuffe is an odious hypocrite whose apparent piety has tricked the honest Orgon (played by Galen Chatterton) into taking him into his home. Orgon believes that Tartuffe's pious example will be good for the other members of the family. Meanwhile, Tartuffe is in the process of seducing Orgon’s wife, Elmire (Kate Semmens). But everyone else in the family, including even the outspoken servant Dorine (Kimberly Purcell), is perceptive enough to see through the impostor. With everyone else’s opinions against him, Orgon decides to show his family how serious he is and forces a marriage between Tartuffe and his daughter Marianne (Danalee Dial). However, Marriane is in love with Valere (Mason Petersen), so in order to have the ending they desire they must reveal Tartuffe for the hypocrite that he is. The a ntics that follow are some of the best live theatre has to offer. Bishop, who directs Tartuffe, is guest director for the production. A former director of theatre at Olympus High School in Salt Lake City for many years, he has directed numerous community productions in addition to his high school directing career. The design and technical team include: set designers Varlo Davenport and Josh Scott, master electrician Tera Peavler, sound engineer Jeremie Butler, stage manager Bekki Rasmussen, assistant stage manager Britta Hanson, property designer Megan Ward, costume designer Heather Lopez, and hair and make-up artists Laura Jacobson and April Davis. The talented cast also includes Jessica McKeehan as Mme. Pernelle, Travis Warner as Damis, Jarom Brown as Cleante, Isaac Spafford as M. Loyal, Heath King-Thompson and Josh Nay as police officers, and Rebekah Samuelson as Flipote. “Jean-Baptiste de Poquelin (Moliere) is a French 17 th centuray playwright,” said Bishop. He is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest dramatists the world has ever known. Moliere’s genius took the form of comedic plays that present serious social commentary.” Bishop pointed out that while Moliere was commenting on his own era, human nature has not changed over the interceding centuries. “His work still has a great deal to say about the human condition to modern audiences,” he said. The life of Moliere is a story of struggle, hard work, domestic unhappiness, death and burial in obscurity and almost shame. After years of failure, Moliere brought his company of actors to Paris and played for the first time in the presence of King Louis XIV, in the g uard room of the old Louvre. Moliere’s sense of humor was tickled by the absurdities of the salons and the literary ladies, whose chief aim was to promote culture. “Moliere seized upon the affected speech, the elegant gallantries and the learned sentimentality and caricatured them with infinite skill,” said Bishop. “In his own plays he created a new genre, attacking not only the sentimental blue stockings and the vapid swains of the salons, but nobles, actors, priests, doctors, and high flown writers of his time. He was definitely not popular in some of these circles. “We’re excited to use our talented cast to demonstrate how well Moliere made social commentary centuries ago that still applies to us today,” Bishop said.
Fall Enrollment Up 6% at Dixie State College ST. GEORGE, UT – Sept. 23, 2005) Dixie State College today announced third week enrollment totals for fall semester 2005. Overall enrollment is up six percent over last fall, with a total of 9,114 students, as compared to 8,564 last year.
“This is our largest fall third week enrollment total in our history,” said Vice President of Student Services Dr. Phil Alletto. “It certainly is an indication of our growing reputation for quality throughout Utah and the western U.S.”
In terms of FTE* (full-time equivalency), the equivalent of 4,495 student are enrolled, down slightly from last year’s 4,518.
“We have more students enrolled this semester, but they’re taking slightly fewer credit hours is what it amounts to,” Alletto said. “In a booming economy, such as we’re experiencing currently, schooling oftentimes takes a bit of a back seat to work. People just don’t have as much time to take as many classes.”
In terms of new transfer students, the college welcomed 391 students from other institutions, a one percent increase over last year. Alletto attributes the overall enrollment increase to increased marketing efforts and a new scholarship program that allots scholarships to a greater number of students.
Earning College Credit Abroad, in Costa Rica (ST. GEORGE – Sept. 16, 2005) When students at Dixie State College register for Geography 2990, they won’t find it scheduled in a specific classroom, or even in a specific building for that matter. In fact, it’s scheduled in a whole other country.
Instead of sitting in the classroom learning about the geography of Costa Rica, as many as 16 students will spend 12 days exploring Costa Rica’s tropical rain forests, beaches, volcanoes and culture first-hand and earn college credit while doing it. The two-credit Costa Rica trip will run Mar. 8-19, 2006, during the college’s spring break, and has been an annual occurrence since 2003. The deadline to sign up for the course is Friday, Sept. 23, 2005.
“Costa Rica is the jewel of Central America,” said professor Kelly Bringhurst who oversees the course. “Its stabile government, friendly people and variety of national parks make it the perfect place to study the tropics. Students will have the opportunity to see and learn things that the typical tourist misses.”
In addition to visiting various geographical wonders, students can expect to see a variety of wildlife, hike, snorkel, and take part in a service project as part of the course. One year, Bringhurst and his students lugged 40 pounds worth of fiction and non-fiction books from the DSC library to a Costa Rican elementary school. Bringhurst anticipates again spending time with one of the country’s elementary schools this year.
The course is open to students, faculty and staff, and community members and can be applied as elective credit toward a degree. Cost of the trip is $1,995, which includes travel, lodging, meals, and guides. A $200 deposit is due at the time of sign-up. An orientation meeting will be scheduled for sometime in February 2006.
For additional information and to fill out an application for the course visit www.dixie.edu/travelstudy/index.html. Contact Kelly Bringhurst at 652-7768 or email bringhur@dixie.edu with questions.
DSC Readies to Strike Up the Band (ST. GEORGE, UT – Sept. 15, 2005) Now that Dixie State College has a new Rebel mascot patrolling the sidelines at athletic events, DSC’s student government is on a crusade to again have a pep band fill the air with music at all home football and basketball games. In the short-term, the student council is currently gauging interest in a wholly volunteer pep band that would be made up of students, alumni, and community members.
“This push to restore the pep band is a part of our bigger campaign to put the ‘D’ back in pride,” said Mitch Symes, ASDSC academic chair. “One of our main purposes this year is to revive the old spirit of Dixie and bring more excitement to sporting events. We feel like a pep
band is a big step in that direction.”
Anyone 16-years of age and older is eligible to audition for the all-volunteer band. Those wishing to participate in the pep band can call 435-652-7517 or email pepband@dixie.edu to express interest, indicating what instrument they play and whether or not they have an instrument at their disposal. The college will also provide several instruments. Specifically needed are people who can play the trumpet, trombone, baritone, tuba, sousaphone, and percussion. Ideally, the band would be made up of 40 to 50 people, Symes said.
“At this point, we’re looking for people who want to play simply for the love of it. We suspect that there are people out there looking for an opportunity to play their instrument again in a setting such as this. The more that come, the merrier,” Symes said. “We’re hopeful that funding will eventually be restored for the pep band in coming years.”
DSC president Dr. Lee Caldwell has already offered his services to play the euphonium on occasion, Symes said. Caldwell has also agreed to fund a part-time director for the band.
The first audition for the DSC pep band will be held Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 4 p.m., in the band room of the Cox Auditorium. Everyone is invited to audition.
Those interested in making donations in the pep band’s behalf, including instruments, can call the college’s advancement office at 435-652-7536.
New DSC Mascot Makes Debut (ST. GEORGE, UT – Sept. 13, 2005) Perched appropriately atop a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, Dixie State College’s new Rebel mascot made its debut this past weekend during the Rebels’ 61-13 romp over Air Force Prep. The mascot, whose costume has taken the form of a red hawk, has officially been named ‘Reb’, after the college’s Rebels moniker, which will remain in tact. The new mascot will roam the sidelines at all DSC home football and basketball games. "It's important to note that the Rebels will remain the Rebels despite the new mascot. The Utah Jazz have a bear and the Phoenix Suns have a gorilla and the Rebels now have a red hawk," said booster club president Timo Saarelainen. Incidentally, the red hawk costume was designed by the same company that designed both the bear and gorilla – Alinco Costumes in Salt Lake City. The debut ended a nine-month long selection process, which included soliciting nominations and comments from the college’s constituencies, collecting votes via a specially designed mascot web site, gaining final approval from the Dixie State college council and board of trustees, holding tryouts, and designing a costume. All mascot nominations were whittled down to 25 by a mascot steering committee made up primarily of DSC students, but which also included alumni, booster club, and faculty/staff representatives. The 25 mascot semi-finalists were voted on in March, during which time voters were able to rank their top three choices. Six top concepts emerged, and final voting got underway in April during which nearly 1,300 people either voted online or in person. The red hawk mascot concept emerged as the top vote getter with each of the college’s constituencies (students, alumni, faculty and staff, and community members). The mascot was recommended to and approved by the college’s board of trustees in July. A public tryout was held in August. 'Better Things to Do' This Year at DSC Health Fair (ST. GEORGE, UT – Sept. 7, 2005) Dixie State College’s Wellness Center will host its 16th annual Health Fair Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the college’s Encampment Mall where Mormon Pioneers first settled in 1861. The theme of this year’s Health Fair is “Better Things to Do.”
“Wellness is the quality of good health, especially as an actively sought goal,” said Health Fair coordinator Jerry Norton. “We know a lot more about health today than the pioneers did, but we almost have too many choices; some repetitive, non-productive and frequently addictive. At the Health Fair we will give people a laundry list of better things to do.”
Nearly 40 businesses and community clubs will be in attendance to offer fitness and health education, ranging from self-defense and hypnotherapy to art, midwifery and bicycling. Also, Utah State University and University of Phoenix will be fielding questions about their local master’s programs.
The Dixie State College dental hygiene program will be giving free dental quick checks and the nursing program will be on hand to do blood pressure checks and calculate body mass index for students and other patrons. A rock climbing wall will be on the premises as part of the Army National Guard’s counter drug program. As always, food and prizes will be given away. The entire community is invited to participate in the Health Fair.
Local businesses interested in having a booth at the DSC Health Fair can contact Barbara Johnson at 652-7755 or Jerry Norton at 652-7756.
DSC Hurricane Center Now Offering Day Classes (ST. GEORGE, UT – Sept. 2, 2005) For the first time in its five-year history, the Dixie State College Hurricane Education Center is offering daytime classes this fall semester in addition to its regularly scheduled evening classes.
Approximately one-third of the courses being taught this fall semester at the Hurricane Center have a start-time of 4 p.m. or earlier. Daytime course offerings range from the arts and English to computers, mathematics, and chemistry.
“It’s a sign that the educational needs of the Hurricane area are growing and that the Center itself is growing,” said Hurricane Education Center director Frank Lojko. “We had a lot of students who were traveling back and forth between the Hurricane and St. George campuses. Hopefully this has cut down on people having to do that. Our plan is to continue to offer more and more morning classes, so that we can accommodate more and more people and their schedules.”
The Center also recently added a full-time faculty member specifically assigned to Hurricane. Lojko anticipates that becoming a trend in coming years.
DSC first began offering courses in the Hurricane area in 1995. At that time, all classes were housed at Hurricane High School. As demand for classes grew, however, so did the need for a building the college could call its own. That need was met in September 2000 upon the dedication of the Walter C. Lichfield Building. A second building, the Jonna P. and Boyd C. Stout Building, was completed in 2002.
When DSC first began offering classes in Hurricane during Fall Semester 1995, 34 students total were enrolled in two courses. Enrollment for the following two fall semesters dipped a little and averaged 25 students. Fall enrollment grew to 85 and 90 in 1998 and 1999 respectively, jumping to 242 in 2000. Nearly 500 students are enrolled in 32 courses this fall semester at the Hurricane Center.
Students can register for all fall semester classes at Dixie State College through Sept. 21, 2005, as long as they get instructor approval. To register, call (435) 652-7910 (Hurricane only) or visit www.dixie.edu/reg . The Hurricane Education Center is located at 112 South 700 West in Hurricane, Utah.
DSC President to Speak to Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce (ST. GEORGE, UT – Aug. 31, 2005) Dr. Lee G. Caldwell, president of Dixie State College, will be the keynote speaker at the Hurricane Valley Chamber of Commerce’s noon luncheon Thursday, Sept. 1. The lunche
on will be held at the Dixie State College Hurricane Education Center.
Caldwell was named the 16th president of Dixie State College on July 12, 2005. He has worked at five different universities, and now one college, as a professor and administrator and has held executive level positions at three Fortune 500 high tech companies, including Unisys, IBM, and Hewlett Packard. He also spent six years with Novell, Inc. He served as the vice president of academics at Dixie State College during the 2004-05 academic year.
Recognized internationally as an expert in networking technology, Caldwell has 21 years of experience working with the Internet, has been a major driver behind Internet2 and next generation networks, and has authored a book on the subject with Prentice Hall that
was released in 2002.
He's had regular senior management interactions with global corporations such as Daimler Chrysler, British Telecom, Merrill Lynch, Royal Bank in Canada, General Motors, AOL Time Warner, and many others. He also has extensive government relations experience, including five years working with the Ministries of Education in France, Israel, Korea, The United Arab Emirates (UAR) and the Netherlands. Caldwell speaks Dutch, French, German, and some Japanese.
He also has 15 years of experience improving the planning, quality, and effectiveness of business schools on a world-wide basis through his long-time service on the board of AACSB International, an elite accrediting agency for higher education business schools.
Before coming to Dixie, Caldwell served as the associate dean for undergraduate business programs at Georgia Tech University in Atlanta, Ga. He holds a doctorate degree in business administration (strategic management) with a minor in economics from Texas A&M University. He also holds a law degree from Brigham Young University. In addition, he has done master’s work at USC, earned a bachelor’s degree at Utah State University and attended then Weber State College.
A licensed pilot, Caldwell spends much of his downtime in the air. He was a navigator in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, but didn’t receive his pilot’s license until about five years ago. He’s now a licensed flight instructor and owns his own airplane and he flies two or three times a week. He and his wife, Bonnie, are the parents of two children.
The DSC Hurricane Education Center is located at 112 South 700 West in Hurricane. Those interested in attending the luncheon can call the Center at (435) 652-7910 for reservations.
DSC Sears Art Gallery to Explore the Western Way (St. George - August 30) — Western art lovers will be treated to one of the highest quality art exhibits ever presented in southern Utah at the new Sears Art Gallery in the Eccles Fine Arts Center at Dixie State College. Called The Western Way, the exhibit is open weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm and will run through November 3.
Most of the art will be for sale and includes a donation to the Sears Museum Gallery. Other outstanding events will accompany this art show. A cowboy poetry and music gathering on Friday, Sept. 9, will feature regional stars Kenny Hall, Jon Hall, Sam Deleeuw, Jerry Brooks and Don Kennington at 7:30 pm in the Eccles Main Stage Theatre. An Art Talk Seminar will be presented by several of the artists Sept. 15 from 7-9 pm in Room 155 of the Eccles Center. On Sept. 22-24, an oil painting workshop will be given by Bonnie Conrad. The cost is $200, and reservations may be made by calling Kathy Ciesliwicz at the college.
“This will be an amazing, top quality western art show,” said Ciesliwicz, gallery curator. “I’m thrilled with the artists who have agreed to exhibit their work for the college.”
The show includes a variety of pieces from artists Ryan Skidmore, Jeffrey Craven, Lynn Griffin, Jerry Hancock, Travis Humphreys, Bonnie Conrad, Sam Lawler, Dixon Leavitt and Jared Barnes. Sculptures will be shown by Jeff Wolf, Darwin Dower, Jerry Andersen and Maynard Sorensen.
“These are highly successful artists who have a wide reputation for the quality, creativity and beauty of their work,” said Ciesliwicz. “To have all of these artists represented in the Sears Museum Gallery is a tremendous honor.”
The Museum Gallery operates on a limited budget, and Ciesliwicz said that proceeds from the art sales will benefit future exhibits that will come to the facility.
“These are paintings and sculptures that would add significantly to any home, and at the same time will give us the opportunity to attract bigger and better exhibits for the future,” said Ciesliwicz. “I especially hope that everyone will join us for the opening artist’s reception on Sept. 2.”
DSC Names Acting VP of Academics (ST. GEORGE, UT – Aug. 25, 2005) One of President Lee Caldwell’s first orders of business when he took office this month was to find a replacement for himself. The position he vacated to become president of Dixie State College – the position of vice president of academics – has been filled by longtime Dixie State professor Dr. Donna Dillingham-Evans. She was recently named to that post on an interim basis. She has served most recently as chair of the college’s mathematics department.
“Dr. Dillingham-Evans has been associated with Dixie State College in a variety of capacities since 1982,” said DSC president Dr. Lee Caldwell. “She has been an extraordinary faculty member and administrator and has demonstrated significant leadership in state-wide initiatives. We are grateful for her willingness to assume this important assignment.”
Dillingham-Evans came to Dixie in 1982 as a mathematics instructor and has taught classes ever since. Since that time she has primarily taught mathematics and chemistry. She has also taught science and math methods for DSC’s elementary education program since it came on line in 2002. She has also taught part-time at both Southern Utah and North Mojave Community College.
She also has approximately 10 years of administrative experience. She has served as Dixie State’s Academic Support Center director and as director of the federally funded Student Support Services program during her career at Dixie. Dillingham-Evans was named f
ounding chair of the mathematics department in 2001 and continued serving in that position through 2005.
“I am so fortunate that my time at Dixie has brought me to this time at Dixie,” Dillingham-Evans said. “It is an honor to work with Lee Caldwell. His vision and pursuit of excellence are inspiring. His leadership, combined with Dixie State College's talented faculty and dedicated staff, made accepting his offer a simple decision.”
She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University, a master’s degree in secondary, post-secondary and vocational education from UNLV and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and mathematics from Austin Peay State University. She has also studied German at the Goethe Institute in Ebesberg, Germany.
She is married to Keith (Doc) Evans and they are the parents of five children, four of whom have graduated from Dixie. Her youngest is currently in the computer science program at Dixie State. The couple has four grandchildren. Dillingham-Evans will serve on an interim basis, with a national search to follow to permanently fill the position for the next academic year.
DSC Rolls Out theWelcome Mat (St. George, UT -- August 22, 2005) Week of Welcome at Dixie State College, affectionately nicknamed WOW Week, is underway on campus and there’s plenty of welcoming to go around.
For starters, the college officially welcomes a new president for the first time since 1993. Dr. Lee G. Caldwell took over as president last Monday. The college welcomes a new mission, which calls for the expansion of baccalaureate degrees. It will welcome its newest baccalaureate program in communication and new media. It welcomes back Joe Peterson as dean of arts, letters, and science after a one-year sabbatical. Dr. Donna Dillingham-Evans is being welcomed as Dixie’s interim vice president of academics, a post recently vacated by President Caldwell. Perhaps most important, the college will welcome its largest freshman class in its 94-year history.
Over 1,600 first-time freshman students from 34 states will begin classes on Tuesday, Aug. 23, an increase of seven percent over last year’s freshman class.
“We are excited to welcome a new group of students to experience the "Dixie Spirit" firsthand,” said first-year DSC president Dr. Lee Caldwell. “It is wonderful to be at a college where students really matter, where faculty really teach, and where the entire college community really cares.”
The vast majority of those students were on campus Monday for an orientation and to get their first taste of Dixie State College. Week of Welcome is a full week of activities geared specifically toward orienting, welcoming and getting new DSC students involved from day one. DSC director of student activities, Donna Stafford, is involved annually in the planning of “WOW Week” and places a lot of stock in this first week of school.
“This is one of the most important weeks of a student’s academic career,” Stafford said. “Everyone comes here with a clean slate. Everyone comes from their own individual institution to a situation where Dixie State College is now everyone’s institution. It’s important that students feel like they’re a part of the college community.”
WOW Week activities include a BBQ and live music Monday night at 6 p.m. at the outdoor amphitheater near the fountain. The Sandblast, a longtime Dixie tradition, will take place Wednesday at 6 p.m. on the Encampment Mall. On Thursday and Friday at 10 a.m., students will have the opportunity to join over 30 clubs that are available on campus during Club Rush, which will be held in front of the Gardner Student Center. Other highlights of the week include the First Chance Dance on Friday, Aug. 26 at 9 p.m. in the Gardner Ballroom.
DSC Testing Center Announces GED Testing Changes (ST. GEORGE, UT – July 19, 2005) The Dixie State College Testing Center today announced changes to its GED testing schedule. This testing service, which has been offered in the past on Tuesdays, will now be available only on Mondays on a weekly basis effective Monday, July 25.
The change in schedule is being made to help accommodate the many applicants who drive to Dixie State College from Las Vegas and Arizona to obtain their GED. These out of state applicants prefer coming to St. George because they can obtain their scores and GED certificate the same day. Other testing facilities may take three to six weeks to score GED Tests.
Additional information can be obtained by calling the Dixie State College Testing Center at 652-7696 or going online at www.GED123.org.
DSC Trustees Approve Red Hawk Mascot (ST. GEORGE, UT – July 13, 2005) The Dixie S
tate College board of trustees today held a special board meeting to vote on the college’s mascot. The board voted unanimously in favor of the red hawk mascot concept, which had emerged as the top choice among all of the college’s constituencies in May. The red hawk concept received unanimous approval from Dixie State’s college council in May, and the board today concurred with the council’s recommendation.
In terms of its nickname, the institution will continue to be known as the Dixie State College Rebels. The mascot itself – the character used to entertain the crowd at sporting events – was the only item up for vote.
“An important thing to point out to people is that we will remain the Dixie State College Rebels. This mascot will be our Utah Jazz bear, our Phoenix Suns gorilla, so to speak,” said Dixie State College spokesperson Chris Taylor. “We’ve tried to be all-inclusive in soliciting ideas from folks, and we feel like the process did what it was set up to do. Some very definite patterns emerged throughout this process, and that certainly helped render a final decision on this matter.”
Nearly 1,300 people either voted online or in person during final voting in late April and early May, which capped a five-month long process of soliciting ideas, nominations, and voting on the new mascot. The red hawk mascot concept emerged as the top vote getter with each of the college’s constituencies (students, alumni, faculty and staff, and community members) at that time.
The mascot selection process officially got underway in February. Nominations and comments from each of the co
llege’s constituencies were gathered via a mascot website. All nominations were then whittled down to 25 by a mascot steering committee made up primarily of DSC students, but which also included alumni, booster club, and faculty/staff representatives. The 25 mascot semi-finalists were voted on through March 30, during which time voters were able to rank their top three choices. Six top concepts emerged, and final voting got underway April 26.
The college will now begin the task of designing a costume and holding mascot tryouts. The college anticipates having the mascot in place for the first conference home game of the upcoming football season on Sept. 10. Mascot tryouts will be held the first week of fall semester. Further details regarding tryouts for the mascot will be forthcoming.
DSC Hosts Artist Seminar (St. George, UT June 20, 2005) — The Cultural Arts Office at Dixie State College will host a Utah Arts Council seminar and work session for visual artists on Monday, June 27, from 6-9 pm in the Concert Hall of the Eccles Fine Arts Center located at 100 S. 700 E. The session is intended for visual artists interested in the discussion, advice and experience of professionals in the field as well as a review of services offered through the Utah Arts Council. The artist session will feature discussions led by a prominent Salt Lake City gallery owner, Pam O’Mara, and successful sculptor Darl Thomas. O’Mara, owner of the Utah Artist Hands Gallery, has been working with artists for several years. Her gallery includes a variety of Utah artists in almost every medium. “Each month she features a new artist in her gallery,” said Laura Durham, visual arts coordinator for the Utah Arts Council. “She especially enjoys highlighting new work. She’s going to talk about being represented by a gallery: the contracts artist relationships, portfolios, and when an artist is ready to approach a gallery.” Darl Thomas, a sculptor based in Salt Lake City, works in many different media, but primarily metal. Durham said Thomas has several public art commissions through the Utah Public Art program, as well as several other commissions along the Wasatch front. “These two presenters will be informative,” said Durham. “These workshops are very important. I’ve been doing these in Salt Lake for three years and every time we do it we get more and more response. The universities are not as proficient in teaching artists about the business side of art in most institutions, so it’s important to learn about the marketing side of a career. It really does help for artists to represent themselves to galleries in a more professional manner. Only a third of an artist’s career is the creative, the rest is marketing and administration. They have to manage mailing lists, contacts, marketing, materials, etc. They need to show they can be professional when working with galleries.” Refreshments will be served at the upcoming artists seminar, and admission is free for artists and prospective artists. For more information, please call 652-7905. “This means that we’ll be able to start offering degrees in areas such as the liberal arts, math, science, for example, and other core areas, like you would see at any other four-year college,” said DSC president Dr. Robert Huddleston. “This is the biggest thing that’s happened to Dixie State College, outside of the institution being granted four-year status originally in 2000.”
Any new bachelor’s programs will be contingent upon available funding and resources. Dixie State College will also continue its ongoing commitment to its role as a community college.
The college was granted full accreditation at the baccalaureate level in 2003 by Northwest Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities. At that time, however, the accrediting agency recommended that the college review and make adjustments to its mission statement to more accurately reflect institutional realities. Given the projected growth of the St. George area, DSC administrators felt the timing was right to adjust its mission to more accurately reflect and accommodate the county’s growth.
During the State Board of Regents meeting in April, which was hosted on the DSC campus, college and city administrators – among which included Washington County School District Superintendent Dr. Max Rose, Washington County E
conomic Development Council Director Scott Hirschi, and St. George City Councilman Rod Orton – presented the Regents with data regarding the county’s future growth. Some of that data included:
1. Value-added businesses grew by an increase of 13 percent in Washington County in 2004.
2. Washington County School District is made up of 22,000 students – the seventh largest school district in the state. That number is expected to jump to 40,000 by 2019.
3. St. George’s current population of 67,000 is expected to reach 134,000 by 2020.
4. The number of dwelling units permitted in St. George alone currently exceeds 2,000, almost doubling the number of permits in Lehi. Washington City ranks fifth in the state in number of dwelling units permitted.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, St. George, Utah, ranked number one among the nation’s fastest growing metropolitan areas (population over 50,000), with a growth rate of 86.1 percent between 1990 and 2000. Las Vegas had the second highest growth rate at 83.3 percent, followed by Naples, Fla., at 65.3 percent. Washington County’s population is projected to surpass Weber County by 2030 and Davis County by 2040, according to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget’s 2005 Baseline Projections.
“We’re exporting far too many of our Washington County natives because of a lack of employment and educational opportunities,” Huddleston said. “It’s our hope that as we’re able to offer more and more bachelor’s degrees we can help slow that trend.”
DSC Students Raise Funds for Triple Deuce (ST. GEORGE, UT – June 13, 2005) For the better part of four months, Dixie State College students, in association with the college’s Skills-USA VICA club, have raised funds to support the families of the Utah National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery – more commonly known as the Triple Deuce. Given the 222nd’s current deployment status, the club is hoping to raise special awareness to its cause.
What started out as an on campus fundraiser, the club has put its skills to use by designing labels that now adorn donation cans in convenience stores throughout Washington county. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to purchase calling cards for members of the Triple Deuce, who, after a 10-day leave, will be on their way to Kuwait later this week and then Iraq.
Thus far, the club has raised in excess of $1,000. The club also organizes all can distribution, pick-up, and bank deposits. Donations can also be sent to Dixie State College to Jay Slade’s attention, who serves as the club advisor.
“This is our way of saying thanks, but it’s also a way to engage our vocational students in service in a way that utilizes the skills they’ve learned in their schooling,” Slade said. “Every penny goes to the calling cards. It’s worked out very well so far. Our thoughts and prayers our with these soldiers and their families, especially right now.”
With the Christmas season being the one exception – the club doesn’t want to compete with KONY Koins for Kids – Slade expects the fundraiser to continue year-round.
The Triple Deuce has spent the past several months training at Camp Shelby, Miss., and Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert. Following its current 10-day leave of absence, the Triple Deuce will serve for one year in Kuwait and Iraq.
DSC Business Student Finishes in Top 5 International Simulation Competition (ST. GEORGE, UT – May 17, 2005) Dixie State College made its strongest push ever this spring semester in the Capstone Challenge, an international business simulation competition. Competing against 298 teams world-wide, Jeff Hunt of Hurricane finished in fifth place overall in the final round of the Capstone International Spring 2005 Challenge. DSC has had students finish in the top 25 of the qualifying round of the competition before, but never in the finals competition.
“This is not only a great honor for your student, but a real tribute to you and to the Dixie State College of Utah,” wrote Dan Smith, President of Management Simulations, Inc., in a congratulatory letter.
Hunt finished the qualifying round ranked second overall. John Middlemiss of Salt Lake City also made a strong showing in the competition this spring, finishing eighth in the qualifying round of the competition.
The competition featured colleges and university teams from all around the world. Other institutions represented in the final top five included Curtin University of Technology, St. Andrews Presbyterian University; University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; and West Virginia University.
Once each semester, Illinois-based Management Solutions, Inc., which owns the simulation invites students using their simulation to enter the intercollegiate global competition. Students are normally either upper division business students or graduate business students.
Each team competing in the Capstone Challenge had to make decisions about research and development, advertising and promotion, production, and finance. Teams made simulated sales and accumulated profit based on their performance against five computer-managed teams. Finalists were selected by taking the highest team cumulative profit from each school, then selecting the six most profitable from that list.
DSC business professor Dr. Bill Christensen uses the simulation competition as part of the curriculum for the college’s strategic managem
ent course, the capstone course to DSC’s four-year business administration program. The goal is to give students the opportunity to integrate what they have learned in their various business courses in a near-real business experience. The simulation is sophisticated enough that it is also used to train top business executives around the country, Christensen said.
During fall semester, Dixie State's R.J. (Rory) Mathews and Neils Nisson earned eleventh place in the qualifying round, the highest ranking of any Utah college or university that semester. Another DSC team, composed solely of Kody Young, came in twenty-first place during the fall semester qualifying round.
DSC Students Place at National Marketing Competition (ST. GEORGE, UT – May 17, 2005) Five Dixie State College students earned national recognition at the Delta Epsilon Chi [DEX] Career Development Competition held in Anaheim, Calif., last weekend. Students from across the nation competed in approximately 20 different marketing and management events at the competition.
Business administration majors Eryka Sarria, John Berger, Jessica Bueno, Mark Lees and Stanton Roseman were all selected as finalists Saturday morning, finishing in the top 10 in their respective categories. Sarria, a sophomore from Miami, medaled with first place team in the National Management Institute team competition. She was a finalist last year in the Retail Management category.
Berger, a junior from St. George, continued to the finals round in the Financial Services category, after being awarded medals for top scores in the role play and comprehensive exam portions of his event.
Bueno, a sophomore from Salt Lake City and local chapter president, and Roseman, a junior from Spanish Fork, were both finalists in the Retail Management category. Bueno will serve during the next academic year as the Utah state DEX vice president.
Lees, a junior from Redding, Calif., was selected as a finalist in the Hospitality Management category.
Delta Epsilon Chi, also known as DEX, is the college division of DECA. More than 14,500 students are members of DEX, with about 1,400 that attended the international conference held May 4-7 at the Disneyland Resort and Conference Center in Anaheim, Calif. DEX Director Jeff Collins said students from about 35 states, Ontario and Puerto Rico participated in the conference. Seventeen DSC students attended the event. To qualify for the national conference, students had to place first, second, or third in their respective categories at the state level.
Delta Epsilon Chi is an international college level marketing club centered around turning business students into business professionals. In order to achieve this transformation, state and national competitions are designed to simulate real-life business scenarios, said DSC business chair and 26-year DEX adviser Philip Lee.
“DEX lets students put into practice the things they’re learning in class,” Lee said. “It lets them get out and test it before they get into the real world.”
Final Voting for DSC Mascot Complete, College Council Now Takes Over (ST. GEORGE, UT – May 12, 2005) Final voting for the Dixie State College mascot is complete and the ballots – both paper and electronic – are in and accounted for. With the mascot selection process now in its final stages, the results of the vote will be reported to Dixie State’s college council next week, which will consult the data to make a final decision. The college’s board of trustees will ultimately approve or disapprove the council’s recommendation.
Nearly 1,300 people either logged on to DSC’s mascot web site or cast their vote in person to make their preference known. The red hawk mascot concept emerged as the top vote getter with each of the college’s constituencies, including students, alumni, faculty and staff, and community members.
The red hawk received 33 percent of the total vote. The coyote and roadrunner received 22 percent and 20 percent of the vote respectively. The blaze/sun (11 percent), dragon/reptile (10 percent), and scorpion (four percent) were the other semi-finalists voted on in the final round of voting, receiving votes in that order.
“Most significant is that each group rated the red hawk No. 1 – students did so at greater than a two-to-one ratio,” said DSC vice president of students services Phil Alletto, who has chaired the mascot selection process. “There will be some who will be disappointed with the final outcome, but we listened to everyone, and we feel like the process is working. A pretty clear trend has developed up to this point.”
Just over 37 percent of all votes came from DSC students, followed by community members (30 percent), alumni (22 percent), and faculty and staff (11 percent). DSC students were allowed to vote in person over a four-day period. All other voting took place electronically through Friday, May 6, via the college’s web site.
The issue will now be turned over to Dixie State’s college council next week, which will take its own separate vote. The results will be presented to the college council in rank order by constituency. The college council will make its recommendation to the college’s board of trustees sometime this summer. It is hoped that a new mascot will be in place by fall semester 2005.
Regardless of the outcome, Dixie State College will remain the Rebels. The mascot – the character used to entertain the crowd at athletic events – was the only component open for vote.
The mascot selection process officially got underway in February this year. Nominations and comments from each of the college’s constituencies were gathered via a mascot website. All nominations were then whittled down to 25 by a mascot steering committee made up primarily of DSC students, but which also includes alumni, booster club, and faculty/staff representatives. The 25 semi-finalists were voted on through March 30, during which time voters were able to rank their top three choices. Six top concepts emerged, and final voting got underway April 26. At that point, several artist renderings of each mascot candidate helped aid voters in their decision.
DSC Students Win State Skills USA-VICA Honors (ST. GEORGE – May 11, 2005) Eight Dixie State College students recently received honors at the annual SkillsUSA-VICA state competition held in Salt Lake City. Collectively, students brought home four gold medals, three silver, and one bronze. The gold medalists will now represent Utah at the SkillsUSA National Championships June 23 in Kansas City, Mo.
Brian Doxford, who is currently serving as the SkillsUSA national president, received the gold medal in the Job Interview category. Jared Madsen earned the gold medal in the Job Skill Demo A (Fly Tying) category. In the Power Mechanics category Charlie Iverson won the gold. And Kaleb McCallson won the gold medal in the Graphic Communications category.
Winning silver medals were Heidi Barlow in the Prepared Speech category, Kelsey Madsen in the Job Skill Demo A (Vinyl Sign Making) category, and Alex Whetman in the Graphic Communications category.
Randy Bates, who also competed in the Graphic Communications category, received a bronze medal.
The Dixie State SkillsUSA-VICA chapter is advised by Mel Jensen, Robert McMicken, and Jay Slade.
Gold medal winners will now travel to Kansas City, Mo., to participate in the 40th annual SkillsUSA-VICA National Leadership and Skills Conference June 20-24. More than 4,000 outstanding career and technical education students—all state contest winners—will compete hands-on in 77 different trade, technical and leadership fields at the conference.
Community Education Channel Wins Awards (ST. GEORGE, UT – May 11, 2005) Washington County’s Community Education Channel, headquartered on the Dixie State College campus, has been awarded two Telly Awards for excellence in television production. CEC-TV was also just awarded an Award of Distinction at the Videography Awards 2005 Competition, and the station’s chief, Stan Everett, was just inducted into the National Television Academy's Silver Circle.
CEC-TV has now won three Telly Awards throughout its 10-year history. The first was awarded in 2002 for the channel's broadcasts of Dixie State basketball. These latest two awards were awarded for televised musical productions, the first of which was a choral concert performed by Lieto and totally produced by students involved in the CEC production program. The producer for that concert was Michael Durrant, a graduate of Dixie High School, who was assisted by Don Woods, a graduate of Snow Canyon High School.
The second award was given for CEC-TV’s production of a jazz concert at the Electric Theater performed by John Lee Hooker, Jr. On this occasion, the tables were turned, with Woods producing and Durrant assisting.
The Telly Award, one of the most sought-after awards in the TV, commercial, and video industry, is a national award given for excellence in the technical aspects of a total television production.
"This is a great honor for all of us, to see our students take on the responsibility of a live production and complete it at a level recognized by judges in the broadcasting industry,” said Stan Everett, executive director of CEC-TV. “I congratulate both of these young men. A competition of this kind is a wonderful measuring stick for our students to see how they stack up nationally, not only among their peers but against media professions.”
On a related note, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter, announced recently that Stanley Everett was selected by his peers to be inducted into the National Television Academy's Silver Circle. The Silver Circle Award recognizes and honors individuals within the television industry who have made significant contributions, had an impact on the television industry in their markets, and who have served in the industry for at lest 25 years.
A special luncheon to honor Everett and eight other inductees was held in Phoenix, Ariz., at the Arizona State University Downtown Center. Everett was the only educator and the only Utahn, to be inducted this year. He joins other Utah broadcasters Dick Nourse, and Mark Eubank of KSL-TV and Ken Verdoia of KUED-TV as members of the Silver Circle.
"I am honored to be inducted and held in association with some of the giants of our industry," Everett said of the award.
Lastly, this year marks the first year the station has won an Award of Distinction as part of the annual Videography Awards competition. The competition is an international award organization that helps set the standards for the video production industry. There were 2,293 entries from the United States and several foreign countries in this year’s competition. KCEC-TV garnered the award for its production of a DSC men’s basketball game. Its entry of a local Messiah performance received honorable mention in the same competition.
KCEC-TV covers an average of 63 college and high school sporting events each year. Programming also includes college events and forums, concerts, and community events and meetings.
The station was introduced in 1995 as a non-profit partnership between the college, Washington County School District and the cities of St. George, Santa Clara, Washington, and Ivins. Charter Communications and Skyview Technologies are also contributing partners.
Both college and high school students contribute heavily to the station, which also serves as the hands-on laboratory for Dixie State College broadcasting and production classes. In addition to Everett, Cory Clyde (producer) and Ben Tanner (engineering) help manage the station.
DSC Transitions to Summer Four-Day Workweek (ST. GEORGE, Utah – May 10, 2005) Dixie State College has again transitioned to a four-day work schedule, operating on a 10-hour a day workweek. The schedule will remain in effect during the summer months through Friday, Aug. 12.
Most college employees will work Monday through Thursday, with offices being open to students and the public from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Employees will have a 30-minute break for lunch. The college first experimented with the new schedule in 2003.
“We found that this measure has resulted in significant utility savings, and that was t
he primary motivation behind it originally,” said DSC President Dr. Robert Huddleston. “We’ve also done it to give our employees an extra day with their families in appreciation for the extra burdens our employees have shouldered during these lean budget years.”
The change in schedule will allow the college to cut down on air conditioning and electricity costs. The college’s executive director of business services, Scott Talbot, estimates that the four-day workweek saved the college $40,000 in utility expenses in 2003. The savings for 2004 aren’t yet known, but are expected to be substantial, Talbot said. The measure has coincided with a statewide push to conserve power. Last June, Governor Olene Walker plugged conservation as part of the state’s PowerForward alert system, a color-coded system that encourages electricity use during the summer a |