September 2024

Institutional Update

As I mentioned during Fall Assembly, my summer was dotted with nods to Americana. There was a lot of buzz about the 2024 presidential race, our family saw the Broadway play Hamilton in Salt Lake, and, of course, we cheered on Team USA during the Olympics. All of this led to the Olympic-based theme for our back-to-school meetings, and I hope you enjoyed seeing the #teamSNOW posts on social media as much as I did. Thanks to those of you who participated in that challenge! Here are a few excerpts from your posts:

• “Snow College has gold medal employees and it shows through to our students.”

• “It’s rare to work in an office without drama. I am lucky to work with my friends in the best office helping Snow College students.”

• “Best department in the world!” (with accompanying photo, of course)

• “I get to work with amazing people. We all have our moments, but we come together every day and make a great team.”

• “I get to work with the best people at Snow College!”

• “When you work with people that create beautiful things, are good to their core, and make you laugh until your sides hurt…that’s living the good life at Snow College.”

Thank you for your positive influence on each other and our students. Just like Team USA is comprised of swimmers, runners, surfers, and breakers, Team Snow is comprised of experts in a broad range of areas. We’re counting on everyone to use their expertise, wisdom, and specialized skills to help Team Snow stay on top! We’re looking for gold medal moments and performance – whatever that means in your area. And we see impressive gold medal actions from our employees all the time.

I’ll close with a quote from Hamilton. In the song “History Has Its Eyes on You,” George Washington says, “I know that we can win, I know that greatness lies in you. But remember from here on in, history has its eyes on you.” All of our current actions, decisions, and achievements impact the future – the future of our students and their families, as well as the future health and viability of the college. You’re making history in what you’re doing every day; thank you for truly making a difference!

Stacee

Academic Affairs

The Office of Academic Affairs is pleased to introduce the four new members of our leadership team. We have two new faculty fellows this year: Michael Anderson will serve as the co-director of the Honors Program, and Andrew Bashford has been selected as the co-director for Faculty Development. Additionally, we have added two new data analysts to the Institutional Research Department. Michael Lewellen has joined us from the Library, and Stefan Ruminski has joined us from the Purchasing Office.

We are also pleased to announce that, through the efforts of our grant coordinator, Emily Ross, we have received a grant from Talent Ready Utah to start a Respiratory Therapy program. The grant will pay nearly $250,000 during the first year, with $150,000 added to our permanent budget each year after that.

Finance and Administrative Services

As many of you know, the Budget Task Force has been working over the past 16 months on a new framework for internal budgets. This has been a lot of work from all members of the task force, including many faculty and staff. This update is to let you know of the next few steps in this process.

Consolidated budgets have been created in the following four areas:

• Computer replacements
• Equipment (over $5,000)
• Software/Contracts (over $5,000)
• Furniture and Furnishings

Lists have been populated with the information that we’ve received through the Budget Framework survey and subsequent emails sent out to budget holders regarding items in each of these areas. We are now ready to enter into the next phase of the project.

Each piece of equipment, computers, contracts, and furniture have a lifespan. Prior to the end of its anticipated life, you will receive an email which will ask you about the status of the item. If it needs to be replaced on schedule, you will only need to let us know that. If the item is still in good condition and does not need to be replaced, please let us know that. In the event that something doesn’t need to be replaced, it will be bumped to the following cycle and you will receive another check-in email at that time. In the case that an item breaks prior to its expected lifespan, please let the Budget Task Force know.

Starting this week, people who have items on the list that are scheduled to be replaced this cycle will begin receiving these emails. There is also an email regarding the software and contracts system that we will be using to simplify the tracking and notification of expiring contracts. Please be on the lookout for those emails. If you do not receive an email, either your item is not scheduled to be replaced or we do not have a record of your item. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Budget Task Force.

Thank you for your support. We know that this is a big change and our goal is to make it easier to manage your budgets.

Technical Education and Industry Connections

As we welcome faculty and students back to our technical education programs we are also welcoming two new technical programs, Commercial Driver’s License Class A, and Electrical Apprenticeship, to our technical education certificate offerings.

A principle objective of Snow College’s Technical Education program offering is to be responsive to industry needs. Through numerous industry conversations and support from Millard County Economic Development a Snow College CDL program is now available in Delta with enrolled students. This new program joins Automotive Technology and Diesel Technology in the Transportation Department. Sifting Central Utah job data shows there is a high demand for commercial drivers, 180 annual openings and a projected 1.6% growth.

Electrical Apprenticeship is driven by industry and an honest and frank conversation with an invitation from Mountain Land Technical College President Christensen collaborate to roll out the program in Nephi. The Nephi offering is a very easy lift since the demand from industries in Delta opened the opportunity to offer the program there. Electrical Apprenticeship is housed in the Construction Technology program. The interest, the enrollment, and the industry support are significant. Sifting Central Utah job data indicates that there is a high demand for electricians, 204 annual openings and a projected 4.0% growth.

As Snow College Technical Education, we are appreciative of the Curriculum Committee and Academic Affairs office for working with us to quickly ramp up these programs.

Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

This year, significant changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) have led to nationwide challenges across colleges and universities. The revisions, which were meant to simplify the application process, have instead introduced unexpected complexities and delays, affecting millions of students seeking financial aid for their education.

As a result of these challenges, Snow College's FAFSA completions are down by approximately 10% from fall 2023. Nevertheless, our financial aid team has experienced record-breaking months in completed applications per month since July. Other USHE institutions are experiencing similar declines.

Looking ahead, further delays are anticipated, but there is hope that as the new process is refined, the application will become more streamlined and accessible. In the meantime, our Financial Aid team is working tirelessly to assist students in overcoming these challenges and securing needed financial aid. We would ask for everyone’s support in encouraging students to complete the FAFSA despite the obstacles. It’s not too late! Please direct them to the Financial Aid team for one-on-one guidance and support.

The 2024-25 athletic season is already in full force and our teams have gotten off to a stellar start across the board. Our fall sports teams have gone a combined 17-1 through the first few weeks of the season.

Football has started the season 3-0 and has outscored their opponents by a combined score of 188-0. They are currently ranked third in the nation.

Men’s soccer is 3-0 and women’s soccer is 4-0 and both recently started their conference schedule with victories over Utah State University Eastern.

Volleyball has started the year with a 7-1 overall record. They recently won all four games at the Starr Corporation Invitational during which they did not lose a single set.

Our new men’s and women’s cross country programs have started their inaugural season and participated in the UVU Invitational where the men finished in sixth and the women finished ninth.

Richfield Update

During the recent Sevier County Fair in Richfield, Snow College played a vibrant role in engaging the community’s youth through hands-on science activities. Science Outreach Coordinator Mark Waegner and Snowmobile Director Mike Rowley spearheaded an array of exciting events designed to spark an interest in physics. Children delighted in shooting ping pong balls through stacks of soda cans, witnessing firsthand Newton’s Laws of motion, air pressure, and particle dynamics. They also experimented with programming robots, fostering an understanding of coding and engineering principles in a fun, interactive environment. Additionally, under the fair’s enchanting theme, "There’s Magic in the Fair!", the duo led a station where kids crafted their own magic wands. These activities not only entertained but also imparted valuable lessons in science, making learning an engaging adventure for all participants. Snow College’s involvement exemplified the power of community education and the joy of exploring the wonders of physics through play.

By The Numbers