Trustees at Dixie OK seeking a link with U.

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Oct 3, 2007 | by Wendy Leonard Deseret Morning News

Dixie State College is one step closer to being one with the University of Utah.

The St. George college's Board of Trustees on Monday gave the go- ahead to the U. to consider an extended and enhanced affiliation between the two institutions. An 8-0 vote was passed on the motion to petition the U. for the opportunity. One member of the board was absent.

If the U.'s Board of Trustees approves the petition during their Oct. 8 meeting, both institutions would appoint a representative task force to begin months of detailed discussions to work out the many details involved with the proposed affiliation. A formal proposal would have to be approved by the Board of Regents and then the state Legislature before action could be taken to merge the different missions of the schools.

"We still have a mountain of work ahead of us and this petition will allow us to continue to work toward coming up with toward coming up with an operating agreement between the two institutions," said DSC Board of Trustees Chairman Shandon Gubler.

DSC would become the University of Utah-St. George (UUSG), but locals would still be able to call it the "Dixie campus," said Steve Johnson, public relations director at DSC. Satellite campuses in Hurricane and Kanab would most likely be recognized as such.

Discussions involving further involvement with the U. began Sept. 7 and officials from both institutions have been gathering input from campus personnel as well as community leaders.

"The overall response has been pretty positive and there is a strong sense that economic development, business retention and attraction, and entrepreneurial activity will be enhanced through this affiliation with the University of Utah," said DSC President Lee Caldwell. "These are very important factors as our area continues to grow and becomes a viable economic player in the greater Las Vegas and southern California Interstate 15 economic corridor."

The area has seen significant population growth and Caldwell believes it is the college's job to keep up with the economic demand.

"The benefits of an affiliation with the University of Utah in speeding the availability and quality of these programs is understood and supported," he said.

U. President Michael Young has said that extending "Utah's university" beyond its own walls is privilege and opportunity he is very much in favor of.

UUSG, as outlined in the petition, would serve as a campus of the larger university, while still giving the president control. Caldwell's title would change to chancellor, and the college's board of trustees would become a board of directors. Exact details of a financial structure are not yet determined, but the campus would retain a direct fiscal line to the Board of Regents and legislature.

In terms of the school's identity, the petition asks that U. officials acknowledge and encourage locals to "strive to retain all the good that is revered and honored in the original Dixie College and Utah's Dixie heritage." The "D" on the hill, school and civic songs and school chants would remain unchanged.

Caldwell said the school is willing to work to maintain the U.'s nationally and internationally recognized reputation. He said a group made up of students, faculty and staff, alumni and community leaders would be charged with the task of developing a new identity, for both the institution and its athletic programs, that is "grounded in the pioneer heritage of the area and college."

E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com