President's Annual Report 2021-22

TRAILBLAZER NATION

Utah Tech University’s 2021-22 academic year was one for the history books. We not only increased the depth and breadth of our educational experience by adding more high-impact learning opportunities and 27 new academic programs, we also saw student enrollment grow for the sixth consecutive year. We engaged with our community by hosting more than 100 public events, brought the number of secured patents up to 100, and competed in athletics on the Division I level — all while transitioning to our new Utah Tech University brand. If these accomplishments don’t demonstrate the power a handson, career-focused education wields, I don’t know what does.

However, the highlight of this past year’s achievements is knowing we are serving our community well. We are preparing our students for rewarding careers and meaningful futures. We are setting the regional economy up for continued prosperity by training the workforce needed to meet labor demands. We are enriching the lives of thousands of Utahns with cultural activities and civic engagement.

Back in the summer of 2014, shortly after I had been named the 18th president of the institution, The Spectrum newspaper’s editorial board urged me to carve out a niche focus for the University that would allow the institution to stand out among the other universities in Utah. The board offered this encouragement: “We urge the new president to lead Dixie State down the path of becoming Utah’s preeminent technology university. We want the St. George campus to become “the place” for Utah students to come if they want not only to learn about the latest technologies but to develop the new technologies that will become as big of a part in our lives as items provided right now by Apple and Microsoft.”

With the programs we have added, students we have reached, and active learning experiences we have implemented over the past eight years, we are well on our way to fulfilling this goal. It is very important to note that this growth would not be possible without the support of visionaries statewide. The partners we have had along the way have been invaluable. Thank you for your support of our institution, our students, and our community.

Together, we will continue to blaze trails and make every day a great day to be a Trailblazer.

Sincerely,

Richard B. Williams Utah Tech University President

ACADEMIC DISTINCTION

ADDING ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

During the 2021-2022 academic year, Utah Tech added:

3 BACCALAUREATE DEGREES

American Sign Language/English Interpreting

Geological Sciences

Mechatronics

2 ASSOCIATE DEGREES

American Sign Language

Biotechnology

5 CERTIFICATES

Functional Genomics

Genetic Sequencing

Protein Characterization

Recreation Management

UI/UX Design

8 FLEXIBLE ONLINE BACCALAUREATE DEGREES

Communication Studies

Communication Studies – Applied Leadership Emphasis

Communication Studies – Health Communication Emphasis

Design – Digital Design Emphasis

Individualized Studies

Integrated Studies

Enterprise Management

Management

1 FLEXIBLE ONLINE ASSOCIATE DEGREE

Management

8 ONLINE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

Accounting and Information Systems

Design

Entrepreneurship

Gerontology

Health Communication

Marketing

Retail Management

Supply Chain Management

FOSTERING STUDENT SUCCESS

To ensure our students are receiving the support they need to succeed in college, we have increased our focus on retention initiatives that cater to Trailblazer’s individual needs.

28% increase

Students graduating with their bachelor’s degree within 6 years increased by 28% in the past three years.

PERSONALIZED APPOINTMENTS

By taking advantage of one-on-one appointments with academic advisors, peer coaches, career counselors, the international student office, and our dean of students, Utah Tech students not only take ownership of their education and fully engage in Utah Tech’s “active learning. active life.” experience, they also increase their likelihood of finishing their degrees.

9,442 1,808

TRAILBLAZER CONNECTIONS

Trailblazer Connections is a credit-bearing course that sets students up for a successful college experience by helping them develop strong study skills, familiarity with campus resources, and a support system. Last fall, 2,000 students participated in this dynamic class.

83% Retention

83% of students enrolled in Trailblazer Connections returned for the spring semester.

CREATING & ADOPTING OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

Faculty have worked to adopt Open Educational Resources in their courses, and at times, have involved students in the creation of these resources. Resources are free for students and customized to the specific learning objectives at Utah Tech. Some custom resources that have been created can be accessed and used by anyone. Not only is the process of creating these materials active learning at its finest, these efforts will save our students $35,000 in textbook costs every year.

We’re continuing to build our library of open resources and have already completed or are nearing completion of projects in:

Math

Biology

Chemistry

English

Family Studies & Human Development

LEARNING BY DOING

When students participate in hands-on experiences, the lessons really resonate with them. That’s why we’re committed to offering a wide variety of high-impact learning practices, such as internships, service learning, study abroad experiences, and undergraduate research in all academic programs.

GRADUATING CAREER READY

64% Participation

64% of students completed a job training experience such as internships, student teaching, practicums, and clinicals during the 2021-22 school year.

Within 6 months of graduating, 91% of our bachelor’s and master’s graduates were employed, attending grad school or serving in the military. Among the employers they went to work for are:

Walt Disney Company

Hinton Burdick

Amazon

Chicago Cubs

Yellowstone National Park

Zion National Park

Zonos

Vasion

RAM Company

Wilson Electronics

Intermountain Healthcare

Washington County School District

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL CAREERS

EQUIPPING STUDENTS FOR AN INCREASINGLY DIGITAL WORLD

The University entered into a partnership with Pluralsight this year, and now the Utah Tech community has access to more than 7,000 self-paced technology programs. Students in all areas of study can increase their technology-based skills and digital fluency, preparing them to incorporate the latest technology into everything they do.

PREPARING FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

As part of the statewide Learn & Work in Utah initiative, we created UT CARES, a tuition-free, short-term program for Utah residents who need to re-route their careers. Featuring tracks in Information and Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, and Programming Languages, these completely free programs are fully online so participants can study and learn around their current job schedules and other responsibilities.

LEARNING FROM INDUSTRY LEADERS

Taking advantage of the vast knowledge and experience in our community, we are assembling advisory boards for each of our academic colleges. Industry leaders provide insight on the most important information to teach in the classroom, available community partnerships, and what hands-on learning experiences are most beneficial to our students. This past year, we formed three new boards:

College of Health Sciences Advisory Board

College of Humanities & Social Sciences Advisory Board

College of Science, Engineering & Technology Advisory Board

EXPANDED STUDENT RESOURCES

REVAMPING THE CAMPUS LIFE EXPERIENCE

To ensure our students know exactly where to go for educational services, resources, and any support they need, we have reorganized campus life into one comprehensive, fully immersive experience including:

Testing Center

Disability Resource Center

Veterans and Military Center

Center for Inclusion and Belonging

Campus Recreation

Clubs

Student Resource Center

Nontraditional student support

First-generation student support

Women and family support

As the newly formed Student Leadership Council, leaders from 18 student groups come together to unify the Utah Tech campus life experience.

KEEPING TRAILBLAZER NATION SAFE

The Utah Tech Police Department earned international accreditation from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators in July of 2022. Held by only 7 percent of universities in the country, IACLEA Accreditation denotes that the UTPD meets a high standard in its policing policies and procedures. Additionally, the association honored UT Interim Police Chief Ron Bridge with the Administrative Excellence Award.

TENDING TO STUDENTS’ HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Utah Tech is keeping a close eye on our students’ well-being amid the national increase in mental health concerns. This past year, we hired two new counselors to meet the needs of our students, and 520 members of the University community have earned the Question, Persuade, & Refer suicide prevention certification. Additionally, the on-campus Booth Wellness Center continues to offer students free medical and mental health appointments.

BOOTH WELLNESS CENTER USAGE

MEDICAL

997 students served

1,917 appointments

COUNSELING

609 students served

2,287 appointments

120% increase from last year

EXPLOSIVE GROWTH

WELCOMING MORE STUDENTS THAN EVER BEFORE

Utah Tech has experienced a consistent influx in enrollment since 2014 as students see the value of our education that features hands-on learning, prepares them to graduate career ready, and offers the lowest university tuition in Utah.

ENROLLMENT INCREASE

RECEIVING UNPRECEDENTED SUPPORT

Generous community partners and sponsors make it possible for us to elevate our academic offerings and keep tuition affordable for students. Financial support was up during the 2021-22 academic year. In fact, the University received $3,565,608 in total giving this year, compared to $2,684,776 the previous year. We are so appreciative of our community and partners’ continued support.

NUMBER OF GIFTS: 4,994

NUMBER OF DONORS: 1,273

SCHOLARSHIPS: $1,238,431

ATHLETICS: $563,068

FOUNDATION EVENTS: $483,299

EMPLOYEE PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS: $29,828

GREATER ZION STADIUM: $908,914

VASION & ZONOS DONATION TO SMITH COMPUTER LAB REMODEL: $100,000

LYMAN GEOSCIENCE CENTER: $100,000

BUILDING TRAILBLAZER NATION

To meet the needs of our growing student body, we are continuing to expand our physical footprint in St. George and beyond.

CAMPUS VIEW SUITES II

Opened in fall 2021

Home to 534 students

Suite-style apartments with community spaces

Close access to campus resources

CAMPUS VIEW SUITES III

Set to open in fall 2024

Future home to 563 students

Third on-campus housing added since 2016

Suite-style apartments with community spaces

Close access to campus resources

GREATER ZION STADIUM

WEST GRANDSTAND

Opening in fall 2022

Home, visiting, and coaches’ locker rooms

Player’s lounge

New ticketing and merchandising building

Press box

Suites, club seating, and loge seating

Greater Zion Welcome Center

Utah Tech University is committed to fueling the local economy and our partnership with Greater Zion Convention and Tourism office has given us new opportunities to host visitors from around the globe.

GENERAL CLASSROOM BUILDING

Set to open in fall 2025

45 classrooms

105 faculty offices

20 study rooms

SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY BUILDING

Opened in fall 2021

27 labs

8 classrooms

Specialized equipment needed for active learning experiences

EXPANDING ACCESS

EXTENDING CAMPUS TO RURAL COMMUNITIES

We are increasing our presence in our surrounding communities by adding new community education centers that offer concurrent enrollment and college-level classes.

WATER CANYON CENTER

Opened: Summer 2022

Location: Water Canyon High School

KANAB CENTER

20% of the Kanab High School 2022 graduating class earned a General Education Certificate or associate degree from Utah Tech

PANGUITCH CENTER

Opening: September 2022

Location: Panguitch High School

WE ARE UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY

BLAZING FORWARD

This fall, the Utah Board of Higher Education, Utah State Legislature, and Governor Spencer Cox granted Dixie State University final approval to change the institution’s name to Utah Tech University. This landmark decision came after a yearlong process of studying the impact of the Dixie name and testing new name ideas with nearly 15,000 stakeholders.

The Utah Tech name, which officially took effect July 1, 2022, highlights our commitment to ensuring all students are prepared for today’s tech-driven workplace, denotes our statewide impact and reach, and easily identifies our location to national audiences.

CREATING OUR NEW VISUAL IDENTITY

Utah Tech Marketing & Communication partnered with Torch Creative to design institutional and athletic logos that capture the essence of who we are as an institution. The creative process involved months of testing six design concepts with 400 community members and getting feedback on the final concept from another 200 focus group participants. Refined until it was perfect and revealed in May 2022, the Utah Tech University logo includes hidden gems that highlight key components of the University.

PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE

With support from the Utah State Legislature, the Utah Tech Board of Trustees established a Heritage Committee this year to preserve the heritage, culture, and history of the Dixie region. Under the direction of Co-Chairs Steven Snow and Lyman Hafen, the committee has met regularly to consider options for educating visitors and the University community about Dixie history.

MAKING OUR MARK

During the summer of 2022, we began rebranding the campus and Washington County community to prepare for the first class of Utah Tech University Trailblazers to come to campus in the fall. University Marketing & Communication, with the help of campus and community partners, transitioned outdoor signage, interior branding, and our digital presence to make campus bold and inviting just like the UT brand.

PARTNERING WITH THE COMMUNITY

ENGAGING TRAILBLAZER NATION

We love welcoming our community onto campus to show them what resources their University has to offer. Throughout the academic year, we’ve hosted more than 100 community events for hundreds of thousands of participants from the Southern Utah region and beyond.

CREATING A STEM TALENT PIPELINE

To provide the youth of Southern Utah with hands-on learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math, we have opened a makerspace catered to kids, where budding entrepreneurs can innovate and create. Additionally, Utah Tech offers kindergartners to college seniors more than a dozen STEM summer camps and after-school programs in coding, computer science, math, biology, geology, mechanical engineering, and more. Through these programs, participants acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to eventually take college-level STEM courses and fill careers that fuel the regional economy.

DURING THE 2021-22 ACADEMIC YEAR:

The K-12 STEM Outreach Center served 3,241 youth

UT offered 154 STEM pipeline programs

11,344 youth participated in UT’s STEM pipeline programs

AT A GLANCE: ATWOOD INNOVATION PLAZA BY THE NUMBERS

Offering resources for business and idea development to the entire community, Utah Tech’s Atwood Innovation Plaza is Southern Utah’s hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. Innovation Plaza offers no-cost consultations and incubator workspace through the Business Resource Center; resources to create prototypes and perform small-run manufacturing though the Makerspace; assistance with research, patents, trademarks, and copyrights through Innovation Guidance & Solutions; and help getting businesses up and running through the Startup Incubator.

DURING THE 2021-22 ACADEMIC YEAR, INNOVATION GUIDANCE & SOLUTIONS:

Held 803 appointments

Served 118 new clients

Submitted 40 patents

Submitted 4 copyrights

Submitted 33 trademarks

DURING THE 2021-22 ACADEMIC YEAR, THE BUSINESS RESOURCE CENTER: Held 531 consultations

Served 473 community members

Served 25 students

Served 33 faculty

Served 136 new entrepreneurs

Helped form 18 entities

To date, 195 patents have been submitted and 100 granted as part of the entrepreneurial efforts at Atwood Innovation Plaza. In addition, 104 trademarks and 22 copyrights have been secured.

BUILDING CITY ALLIANCES

Our budding City Alliance program pairs students’ desire to gain real-world active learning opportunities with local communities’ needs for workforce and solutions to challenges. Each year, the University selects a local community to enter into a three year-cycle of planning, implementing, and reviewing creative answers to local issues. Having just completed our implementation year with the City of St. George and entering into it with Santa Clara this fall, a variety of projects have improved our community and bolstered our students’ résumés.

CITY ALLIANCE PLANS FOR SANTA CLARA

Update the General City Plan

Study environmental impacts along the Santa Clara River

Revive the downtown commercial district

Encourage community involvement

Prevent further slope deterioration

CITY ALLIANCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR

ST. GEORGE

Developed a mathematical model to predict crime trends so the St. George Police Department can create an optimal staff schedule

Created new bike path routes to make all of St. George accessible via biking or walking

Employed drones to identify areas on golf courses where water can be conserved

Designed signage for the IRONMAN World Championship

Completed a social media audit of the city’s promotions and digital marketing

TRAILBLAZER ATHLETICS

TAKING THE REINS

In March 2022, Utah Tech was proud to announce Ken Beazer as our new Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. With a strong background in athletics as Southern Utah University’s athletic director from 2006 to 2015 and a rich history at Utah Tech as our Executive Director of Development since 2015, he is leading athletics in a great direction. Ken will continue to lead the transition into Western Athletic Conference Division I as we become eligible for conference postseason play in the 2022-23 season.

NOT JUST STUDENT-ATHLETES, SCHOLAR-ATHLETES

Utah Tech is not only preparing student-athletes to be fierce competitors but also to be strong students. Our Trailblazers give it their all in practice and in the classroom, and their commitment is evident.

UT Athletics posted a 3.25 cumulative GPA

13 sports posted at least a 3.0 season GPA

Women’s tennis held the highest cumulative GPA with a 3.75 186 student-athletes were named to Academic All-WAC teams

PARTNERING WITH DŌTERRA

Utah Tech Athletics entered a five-year partnership with dōTERRA this summer to create the dōTERRA Nutrition Center. Located next to our weight training facility in the Habibian Athletic Center, the dōTERRA Nutrition Center will provide our studentathletes with the nutritional resources they need to compete at the Division I level.

VOICE OF THE TRAILBLAZERS

Trailblazer Athletics got a new voice this summer, when longtime Utah sportscaster Rod Zundel came on board to provide playby-play announcing for Trailblazer football and men’s basketball games. UT also entered into a multimedia partnership with Canyon Media Corporation in which all football and men’s basketball games and comprehensive pregame and postgame coverage will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Southern Utah this fall through the 2026-27 season.

STANDING OUT OF THE STAMPEDE

Utah Tech Trailblazers are bringing their A-game to Division I Athletics and these stand-out athletes and coaches are leading the way to victory.

MORE TRAILS TO BLAZE

INNOVATION DISTRICT

Utah Tech is in the planning stage of developing Innovation District, an ecosystem in which students can network with entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders. Set to be located on the University’s Desert Color property in the south end of St. George, this highimpact learning environment will welcome industry partners in laboratories, research and development facilities, and business incubators to accelerate graduates’ career readiness.

TRAILBLAZER CHILD AND YOUTH PROGRAM

As part of a $30 million grant Utah Tech received from the U.S. Navy, we are sending students across the nation to plan and lead camps for children of Navy personnel. Over the course of five years, Utah Tech students will gain hands-on learning experience while taking UT courses to earn college credit. We currently are building programs in California, Washington, and Hawaii with plans to expand in other states and countries soon.

DOCTORAL DEGREE

Utah Tech is working toward offering our first doctoral degree, a clinical doctorate in occupational therapy. The program received approval from the Utah Board of Higher Education in July 2022 and is being reviewed by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities for final approval. If the program is approved, the first cohort will start in fall 2023 and graduate in spring 2026.