Featured Post from Southern Utah University

Transparency and Accountability - Week Two of the 2019 Utah Legislative Session

Feb 5, 2019

2 min

It is week two of my sixth session representing Southern Utah University with the Utah State Legislature. As I reflect on the task at hand and what I've learned over the last five years, I continue to have a greater understanding and greater respect for the effort our state leaders put into transparency. We, as individual constituents, have an opportunity to understand the process and contribute to it.


Appropriations committees continue to meet this week. At our first meeting, the legislative analyst presented an outline for the Higher Ed Appropriations Committee meetings scheduled. Pages three and seven get very specific about what we are going to discuss at each meeting. This allows the presidents of each of the eight state institutions to prepare. Meetings are also held with individual legislators so there is a greater understanding of what they are trying to achieve. President Scott L Wyatt will present to this committee next week, on February 13. It's easy to listen in.


President Wyatt will also be presenting this Friday, February 8 to Infrastructure and General Government Appropriations Committee (IGG). This committee has enormous budgetary responsibilities as they deal with everything from compensation to transportation to technology and, what we are most interested in, state-funded buildings. We have the responsibility to convey to this group why an investment in SUU now is the right thing to do with one-time state funds. This committee will prioritize and recommend funding during the February 14 meeting, I'm hoping it's a real Valentine for SUU.


Additional requests for funding will be made by the Utah Shakespeare Festival (USF) and the Utah Summer Games (USG) to the Business, Economic Development and Labor (BEDL). Yes, it's all initials, all the time. USF has been receiving ongoing funding for the last two years. This year, for the first time, they have been asked to return and report on how those funds have been used to benefit the state of Utah. As an economic engine for our community and region, the Festival has an amazing story to tell. As does the Utah Summer Games. State support for these auxiliary enterprises is very important as they seek private funds to accomplish their missions and benefit our campus and community.


It's a great show! Listen in to committees or watch the debate on the floor. While my focus is on the funding, bills, and policies that affect higher education in Utah; the debated bills are likely to impact you or someone you know.



You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Southern Utah University

2 min

Fervo Energy, Southern Utah University, and Elemental Impact Launch Geothermal Drilling & Completions Apprenticeship Program

Fervo Energy (“Fervo”), the leader in next-generation geothermal development, along with Southern Utah University (SUU), an institution known for its personalized approach to learning, and Elemental Impact (“Elemental”), a non-profit investing platform that invests in climate companies and projects with deep local impact, today announced the launch of a geothermal apprenticeship program to help oil and gas workers and Southwest Utah residents join the rapidly growing enhanced geothermal industry. The first-of-a-kind geothermal apprenticeship program advances labor momentum spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act. The program, administered by SUU and funded in part by Elemental, will provide those seeking new skill sets with the opportunity to learn geothermal directional drilling and well completions, while combining on-the-job training with college-level coursework on geology and energy systems. This unique approach offers pathways for traditional college students as well as adult and working learners interested in careers in the geothermal energy industry. “Thousands of Americans work in upstream oil and gas, and with the right tools, they can easily apply their skill sets to geothermal production,” said Tim Latimer, Fervo CEO and Co-Founder. “We can harness the full potential of this existing talent pool and attract new talent beyond current fossil fuel workers by providing on-the-ground and in-classroom training opportunities. We believe that our apprenticeship program with SUU can ignite that process, supporting local job growth across Southwest Utah.” Already, 22 individuals working with ten different oilfield service providers operating in the area have registered for the geothermal apprenticeship program. By the end of 2024, the program aims to enroll at least 40 apprentices, providing them with an opportunity to fill an immediate workforce need upon completion of the apprenticeship. “Southwest Utah has the resource potential to become a national clean energy hub, and we have the human potential to make that vision a reality,” said Dr. Bill Heyborne, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Professor of Biology. “Our new apprenticeship program will prepare Utahns to drive much-needed energy innovation in the communities they call home.” Funding from Elemental Impact, a nonprofit investor in climate technology and community focused initiatives, enabled Fervo to offer this workforce training program. "Demand for electricity is surging and expected to double in the US by 2030; geothermal sources, like those being deployed by Fervo, have the potential to meet that demand while boosting local jobs,” said Dawn Lippert, Founder and CEO of Elemental Impact. “We are thrilled to support this geothermal apprenticeship program and help power the transfer of valuable skills from oil and gas professionals to the geothermal industry. This initiative, in partnership with SUU, is an essential bridge to building a local workforce and advancing the clean energy transition." Dr. Heyborne is available to speak with the media. For more information click on his icon to arrange an interview.

2 min

Billion dollar business - does winning matter anymore in the NFL?

A recent rankings released by Sportco earlier this month showed that the Dallas Cowboys have come the first sports franchise to hit the 10 billion dollar mark. It was announcement that took the sports media by storm. The Cowboys, owned by Jerry Jones, were valued at $10.32 billion, far and away the most valuable franchise in the league and an increase of over a billion dollars on the previous estimate of $9.2 billion in February. Jones, 81, purchased ‘America’s Team’ in 1989 for an estimated $140 million (roughly $355 million in 2024) and has turned the organization into a financial powerhouse. Also serving as the team’s general manager, he oversaw initial success and helped create one of the 90s’ most dominant teams, winning the Super Bowl in the 1992, 1993 and 1995 seasons. However, the Cowboys have struggled to replicate that magic in recent years and have only mustered five playoff wins in the 28 years since they last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. Most recently, Dallas suffered an embarrassing loss in the Wild Card round against the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 postseason, despite finishing as the second seed in the NFC and having MVP runner-up Dak Prescott on the roster. August 14 - CNN Professional sports is big business. No longer are legacy teams family-owned but most franchises are now conglomerates or essentially companies that operate like any other in corporate America. As franchises continue to evolve - what's changed? Does winning championships matter anymore? Have TV and streaming deals made seats sales less relevant? Does location matter anymore for local fanbases? Will this bubble one day burst? There are a lot of questions out there and if you're looking for an expert to help with your coverage - we can help. Dr. David Berri has spent the last two decades researching sports and economics, while publishing works on a variety of topics including the evaluation of players and coaches, competitive balance, the drafting of players, labor disputes, the NCAA, gender wage gap in sports, and distribution of wealth and power. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.

3 min

Dr. Kevin Stein Receives Fulbright Specialist Award to Spain at Universidad de Murcia

Southern Utah University is pleased to announce Dr. Kevin A. Stein has received a Fulbright Specialist Award to consult as an expert in communication and journalism at the Universidad de Murcia in Spain. Dr. Stein is a professor of communication, director of the Master of Arts in Professional Communication program, liaison for the SUU Office of International Affairs, and published author.  His project will aim to exchange knowledge and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions and communities both in the U.S. and overseas through a variety of educational and training activities within the field of communication. "It is such a tremendous honor at this stage of my career to be deemed worthy of a Fulbright Specialist Award,” said Stein. “I've worked with several Fulbright Scholars over the years and have always aspired to do what they've done in creating meaningful cultural connections between SUU and our partner universities abroad." Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected based on academic and professional achievement, as well as a record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields. The Fulbright Program is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Dr. Stein joins over 800 U.S. citizens who will teach, conduct research, and/or provide expertise abroad for the 2024-2025 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Having grown up in a culturally diverse region of central California, Dr. Stein finds the opportunities provided by this award very personally important to him. "My Jewish bloodline makes me particularly sensitive to the intolerance and racial strife facing many regions of the world,” said Stein. “Because of this strong sense of my own heritage, I believe I have an inherent desire to generate understanding and sensitivity between people of differing cultures.” Stein’s expertise mainly focuses on the rhetoric of attack (kategoria), defense (apologia) and persuasive responses to defense (antapologia). He has published numerous articles addressing a variety of apologetic contexts, as well as books and peer-reviewed articles on different types of political campaign messages. He is the webmaster for Public Apology Central, which archives crisis summaries, transcripts, videos and audio of public apologies (apologia) of public figures in all facets of media. Dr. Stein has presented his academic work at regional, national and international conferences, including presentations at the University of Athens in Greece and the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. While on a year-long sabbatical in China, Dr. Stein directed the American Studies Center at Hunan Normal University in Changsha. Since then he has returned several times as a liaison for the SUU Office of International Affairs and as a teacher in a dual degree communication program offered by Wuhan Polytechnic University and SUU. Dr. Stein has since spent his time directing the MAPC program and participating in SUU's innovative Jumpstart program, which had seven faculty from different disciplines teaching freshmen students all their general education classes as one cohort. “I would like my students to learn the basic theories and research methods in our field and to apply those skills in professional communication industries,” said Stein. “When they leave our program they should be masters in the construction and critical analysis of messages, whether they be in public relations, journalism, politics or business.” Other SUU faculty members who have received the Fulbright Scholar Award include David Schwalb (Ukraine), Jim Aton (China and Indonesia), Jon Smith (Portugal and Swaziland) and Bryce Christensen (Taiwan). Interested in learning more about Dr. Stein's work?  Simply click on his icon now to connect and arrange an interview today.

View all posts
Powered by