USU Eastern annual supplement

75 Years of Transforming Lives

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Transforming

Livesof

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Change is afoot at UsU eastern (and embraCed)The ability to adapt is the legacy of the old Carbon College that today has

transformed into Utah state University eastern.

Born 75 years ago in the depression years of the 1930s and reborn in the

recession years of the late ‘00s as USU Eastern, it is a product of its surroundings, grounded in the toughness and work ethic of those who built the mines around it – people not afraid to work and certainly not adverse to risk. They may have to tunnel through tons of sedimentary rock to reach their goal, but they’ll get there, eventually.

These are the people who have sent their sons and daughters to this homegrown college for them to grow their own opportunities at home and away. Glance through the list of alumni and one readily sees how successful this endeavor in higher education has been for Eastern Utah and how it has

transformed lives and changed the world in the process.

Nelson Mandela said that education is the most pow-erful weapon at a person’s disposal for changing the world. It is a force for good and a power that USU Eastern not only respects, but also fully embraces.

“We are very much a transition college,” said UsU eastern Chan-cellor Joe Peterson.

“We don’t need to out Y the Y or out U the U. Our value prop-osition has to do with trans-formation. It’s the thing we do that others don’t do as well.”

USU Eastern gladly takes in a student demographic that is often not prepared for college or not often decided about

professional and life goals. It is a role that the college specializes in and has since it first opened its doors. It comes from understanding that not all students are alike. Some are late bloomers while many others were simply not given the same opportunity and access to rudimentary education.

The fact that USU Eastern provides an environment that nurtures extraordinary students while fostering students with extraor-dinary challenges is a distinctive attribute.

It is the value proposition that Peterson talks about. It’s a college for prepared students who want to become great students and a college with an open door for less prepared and undecided students to

transform into prepared and decided. The formula seems to be working with USU Eastern graduating nearly twice as many of its students compared to all of its peer institutions and earning a top three in the nation recogni-tion for student graduation and transfer rate success.

Peterson said a second transformation distinction of the college has to do with workforce education. The college is unique in its two-fold mission of providing higher education and work-force education on its two campuses. Its technical offerings provide a way for students to transform from unskilled, unemployed or underemployed to skilled and employed at higher,family sustaining wage levels.

The original three buildings at Old Carbon College, circa 1938.


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It’s all about changing lives in a way that changes the community and the world for the better, and that is not a hard sell for Peterson to make among community members.

He has rolled out a two-prong plan to revive the Eastern Utah region over the past 18 months, including the Four-in-Four program; a joint university/community initiative to increase college enroll-ment to 4,000 in four years that builds new community alliances in the process. A second program he launched earlier this year is an ambi-tious building program for the college. USU Eastern’s Building Vitality Campaign lays out the college’s vision for economic and educational vitality. It

makes a case for community partnering with the campus for much-needed building upgrades to improve the college’s overall curb appeal.

As the community changes, adapts and grows, Peterson said, the college will be there every step of the way.

It is a promise he can make because he knows that USU Eastern is, as USU President Stan Albrecht envisioned, part of one university that is geographically dispersed. The spirit of that message is

that a baccalaureate offered in Price or Blanding is a USU baccalaureate.

“it is our win,” he said. “it is our victory. it’s the university’s victory if Price and Blanding are able to rise up and provide this.”

The potential of USU Eastern is to be a destination baccalaureate institution in the same way that Logan is a destination baccalaureate and graduate institution, he said. “We talk about the Four-in-

Four goal,” he said. “If we start cranking out 40 to 60 baccalaureates every year, people will start thinking of us not in terms of a small community college, but in terms of an emerging bac-calaureate producer, like the young Weber State and Utah Valley University.”

Tons of sedimentary rock have never stopped anyone before in this region. If they support it and want it as badly as their chancellor does, they’ll roll up their sleeves and get there, eventually._____________Writer: John Devilbiss

USU Eastern (John DeVilbiss photo)

“As the community changes, adapts and grows... the college will be

there every step of the way.” --Joe Peterson

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UsU eastern Week of Celebration Commences oct. 21

UsU eastern to honor 21 stalwarts at its annual founders Celebration oct. 25

The Diamond Jubilee of a grand little college is worth

a big community celebration and Utah State University Eastern is ready to party Oct. 21-26.

The college is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the day its doors were opened to the first 100 students in October 1938. Marking this milestone will be food, festivities, concerts and awards.

Activities begin Oct. 21 with the theater production of “Zombie Prom.” Cost is 75 cents per person or free for those wearing a 75th anniver-sary T-shirt.

Highlights for Oct. 23 include a free concert at 12:30 p.m. in the JLSC multi-purpose room by the USU Eastern Choir and a concert at 7:30 p.m. in the BDAC by “Hotel California, A Salute to the Eagles.” The concert is free to the commu-nity with a ticket. Tickets are

available at the BDAC, Reeves 114 and Enrollment Service’s Welcome Center.

On Oct. 24 there is a free anniversary luncheon for students and employees on the JLSC South Patio. The event includes a dessert contest with prizes given for the top-three dishes. Entertainment includes an oral history of Carbon College/College of Eastern Utah by retired Judge Boyd Bunnell. A book reading is planned for later in the day,

from 7 to 9 p.m., featuring the works of local authors and Eagle alumni at the USU Eastern library.

On Friday, Oct. 25, students, employees and the community are invited to participate in the college’s annual Founders Celebration. And capping off the week on Oct. 26, is women’s volleyball and men’s basketball, free to students, employees and the community in the BDAC.

Utah State University Eastern will honor donors,

alumni and community mem-bers in five-award categories at its annual Founders Celebra-tion, Oct. 25 in the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center on the USU Eastern campus.

a reception begins at 6 p.m. followed by a dinner and awards at 6:30 p.m.. students, faculty, staff, alumni and commu-nity members are invited. Tickets are $25 per person with a request to rsvP by oct. 18.

This event, held regularly since 1988, combines the celebration of the founding of the college with the Carbon

County Athletic Hall of Fame. The theme of this year’s celebration is “75 Years of Transforming Lives.”

This year’s Gold Circle Donors include Marc C. Bingham, Anthony J. Basso, Bobby Houston and Michael Milovich.

The college’s Outstanding Alumnus Award goes to Wayne Mathis.

The “Upon Their Shoulders Award” is being given to Brad King.

The “Athletic Hall of Fame” award is going to Chris T. Randall and to the Warburton sisters: McKell Warburton, Cassie Warburton Hahl,

Chelsey Warburton and Mor-gan Warburton Nelson.

Distinguished Service Awards is given to the “Building Vitality Campaign” steering committee and the “Save Carbon College Campaign” 1954 Student Council.

Steering committee honorees include Renee Pressett Ban-asky, chair; Frank J. Peczuh, Erroll Holt, Jason P. Dunn and Albert Barnett. Members of the 1954 student

council who will be honored include Richard Saccomanno (posthumous), Dominic Albo, Jr., Kazuko Niwa Okino, Dee Miller and Rex Guymon.


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UsU eastern eagles bring to CampUs: mUsiC of the eagles

Hotel California: “a salute to the eagles” band is appearing at UsU eastern in commemoration of the 75th anniversary on Wednesday, oct. 23, in the BDaC at 7:30 p.m.

Hotel California is a five-man group dedicated to the

timeless music of the Eagles, the American rock band formed in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1971 by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner.

The original Eagles band produced seven No. 1 singles, won six Grammys, five American Music Awards and six No. 1 albums.

The concert is free to attend as a present from the UsU eastern administration honoring the 75th birthday of the college.

Chancellor Joe Peterson said, “The 75th birthday celebration commemorates more than just 75 freshman classes — it also commemorates 75 years of great com-munity involvement. Over the years, the community has poured its heart and soul into the college, and this free concert is a small way to say thank you to the people of Southeast Utah for all those years of Eagle pride.”

Tickets are available at the USU Eastern BDAC._________Writer: susan Polster

75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

M T W Th F S

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Zombie Prom • 7:30 pm

11:00

12:00

1:00

2:00

3:00

4:00

5:00

6:00

7:00

8:00

Choir Concert • 12:30 pm

Hotel California Concert •7:30 pm

Anniversary Luncheon • 11:30-2pm

Alumni Book Reading • 7pm

Founders Celebration • 6 pm

Volleyball Game &Men’s Basketball Scrimmage

October 21 - 26th

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the man behind the potter’s Wheel of UsU eastern’s fUtUre

If fate is the culmination of countless connected

circumstances and choices, then kismet was keen for Joe Peterson to become the first chancellor of Utah State University Eastern.

Patterns emerge early in his life that weave and blend in foretelling ways.

Peterson is now in his third year at the helm of USU East-ern, a college that has seen an abundance of change during the trio of years since 2010 when CEU merged with USU. Change is certainly a force he respects. And as painful as it may be, it is the force that

is fueling the college’s future and etching its destiny as a catalyst for the entire Eastern Region of Utah. (See page 2 for his visions and goals for the college.)

Little did he know what lay in store for him as a boy growing up in Price in the late ‘50s and ‘60s. Back in those numberless days, the only destiny beckon-ing him was a great serpentine wash that meandered along the edge of town.

“From my back door, beyond 10th east, I saw wilderness,” he said. “I remember hours of exploring up and down the wash through the sage brush and grease wood behind our

house. We had places out there that were known only to us.”

One of those was Brad King, the man who would one day become his vice-chancellor.

“We played army in the wash,” King said, who remembers his future boss as a big, goofy, tall kid. “That was the big thing, that, and hunting for fossils on Fossil Hill.”

The Kings temporarily moved into the Peterson home when Joe’s father took the family to Salt Lake City while he finished his graduate studies at the University of Utah. Brad stayed in Joe’s bedroom during that period and to this

day, he blames Brad for the broken window that awaited his return. But no hard feel-ings, just mutual respect and understanding obtained from decades of shared memories and experiences.

“There is so much I admire about Joe,” Brad said. “He is very organized and focused and there is always an end-game in mind. He knows where he wants things to be in a year and five years out. To me, that’s a pretty remarkable thing.”

Both of their fathers taught at the college; Brad’s father, LaVell, taught biology. And Joe’s father, Chas, taught

Chancellor Joe Peterson with some of his hand-crafted pottery behind him.


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history at the College of Eastern Utah from 1958 to 1968. Chas Peterson later taught at USU in Logan from 1971 to 1986. Brad’s brother, Mike, went on to become interim-president of CEU from 2008 to 2010, handing the reigns over to Peterson just prior to USU’s official merger with CEU in July of that year.

Both boys grew up in the workings of the academy.

Peterson’s role models included his father, whom he saw transform from a dairy rancher into a history teacher. Others included his uncle, Levi Peterson, a gifted writer who taught English for several de-cades at Weber State College; his father’s older brother, Leon, who taught English in Thatcher, Ariz; and his father’s father, Joseph Peterson, his namesake, who was a long-time school administrator in rural Arizona.

Yes, the patterns of academia are plainly seen in the ceramics

of his life, despite his own early impatience with school. Out of sheer boredom in class stretching all the way back to grade school, he began draw-ing. That eventually led him to oil painting and recognition in the form of trophies and ribbons by the time he got to high school. In time, he shifted from an oil medium to clay.

His love of ceramics continues to this day as attest-ed by the hundreds of pottery items that occupy his home and office and the homes and offices of friends and family.

While everybody expected him to become an artist or an art teacher, he said he fancied himself more a writer and began penning fiction while in college in the tradition of his uncle. Once again he displayed great promise that included the publication of several of his stories in “Sunstone” magazine and in Utah-based journals, such as “Dialogue.” He eventu-ally went on to earn a master’s

degree in English from Brigham Young University in 1982. His transition from the liberal arts into administration began when he was at Dixie College, where he became dean of arts and sciences and later interim academic vice president.

During that period, he began work on his doctorate that eventually led to a Ph.D. in higher education leadership and policy studies from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Later, he became vice president for instruction at Salt Lake Community College.

By then, his return to Price was almost fait accompli.

He was born in Monticello in a bare-boned clinic that today serves as the pro shop at the Monticello golf course. He arrived on this Earth just down the road from Blanding, the other USU Eastern campus over which he now presides. On the contrary, his wife,

Becky, was born in Price where her father, the son of a Greek immigrant, was a coal miner, but she spent her childhood in Monticello. She was attracted to not only his boyish good looks, but to his intellect and work ethic.

“They go hand in hand,” she said. “He is a life-long learner.”

He keeps up on the Spanish he learned as a Mormon missionary by reading books in Spanish every night. “He looks up every word he does not know,” Becky said. “He loves to learn.”

She said another quality that attracted her to him was his tenacity.

“If Joe starts a project you know it will be finished,” she said. “And when he starts on something, he focuses com-pletely on it; he never stops midway and he never lets go. He’s a great project guy.”

Joe Peterson (third from left) in front of childhood home.

Joe Peterson today, in front of childhood home.

cont. next page

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He displayed that persever-ance and dependability as a boy delivering papers in Price through rain and snow, a route that took him up and down Main Street and marked his earliest association with the business leaders of the town. In his teens, he worked at Logan’s old Valley Discount grocery store — VD, for short, an endearing reference that he and his high school friends loved to joke about.

He also knew somber times, such as watching his 21-year-old childhood friend die from Hodgkin’s lymphoma after 15 years of constant suffering.

“We were good, good friends,” he said. “When we were four we ran away from home together. He had a dime in his pocket and he told me that if I got hungry, he’d buy me a Coke.”

When Peterson’s son, Michael, was born eight years later, it was his friend’s name that he gave to him.

His loyalties flow deeply.

They include family, friends and all things rural. And cours-ing throughout is an abiding belief that everyone, like that great wash of his childhood days, holds treasures and mys-teries awaiting discovery.

He said education is nothing less than such a portal.His large hands create sweep-ing gestures while he sits in his office arm chair framed by pottery he created. Those are hands that speak of how raw earthen material can be shaped and formed into objects of lasting beauty.

It’s no stretch for him to talk about education as a power to shape, mold and transform lives and communities. It is not difficult to understand how that notion motivates him every day and how it led him to the office of the chancellor.“I have a sense that every per-son has within him or her some latent and unrecognizable

capacity,” he said. “It informs a lot in how I look at students, particularly students from rural Utah.”

He sees the same capaci-ty for the community and surrounding region. It’s almost visionary, said Alex Herzog, associate vice chancellor over student services.

One of the first things he re-members Peterson doing when he became chancellor was to lead an effort to rewrite the college’s mission statement, transforming a two paragraph description down to one line:

“With efficiency, innovation and excellence, UsU eastern prepares the people who create and sustain our region.”

It’s a vision to grow not only the college but the community in a symbiotic relationship, Herzog said.

“That new mission statement was all him,” he said. “He real-ly gets it. He gets that his role is to not only think about the college but also the community surrounding it.”

King said his friend from boyhood came into the job knowing where the college and community have been and where it needs to go.

“He always thinks about our heritage as we’re moving forward and transforming,” he said. “He does not want to

ever lose sight of those things that have been our history – those things that are important to both the college and the community.”

He said Peterson also understands the new role that Utah State plays in all of this, having lived in Cache Valley and having once taught for USU in Roosevelt and Vernal.

“He’s in a unique position to see both of those important aspects,” King said. “He is able to draw on them to forge a bright future for us.”

Looking back, one can see many mile markers along the way that pointed Peterson to the position he now occupies as chancellor, but destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a choice, said William Jennings Bryan. “It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.”

Preparing people to create and sustain the region is the destiny he envisions for USU Eastern and the community. And he is not waiting around for that to happen. He’s charging forward with the same unwavering focus and dogged discipline that got him to where he is today.______________Writer/photos: John Devilbiss

Joe Peterson, charging forward at USU Eastern.


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mayor Joe piccolo: UsU eastern vital to Community growth, Quality of Life

As your mayor, I am dedicated to building a stronger unity between

our cities and other entities that will serve as a basis for a greater shar-ing of common interests, increased support for common causes and a greater influence on those responsible in government-decision making.

Collectively, we have an opportunity to enter into unprecedented partner-ships that will catalyze and escalate the mutual goals of our partner groups and organizations within our commu-nity.

I believe the vitality of this community hangs on three major areas of em-phasis; they are retail trade, medical services and higher education.

The ultimate value of USU Eastern not only falls within my belief as a major portion for growth, it also qualifies as a quality of life experience for tra-ditional and non-traditional students alike. A community that is educated is vibrant and healthy not only of mind and body, but also in atmosphere.

USU Eastern historically has provided an avenue for our workforce in the community and has been willing to flex and bend to the needs of our community. A large portion of the student population is not only academ-ic, but also vocational in nature. They

have and are working with Workforce Services to not only meet student needs, but to allow community needs to be met.

Advisory councils on campus and the alumni association are two of many groups that connect the College with the community as well. Through these partnerships, we derive value in the form of pedestrian safety; various campus activities that connect with the community; and scholarship funding that benefits many, if not all, students on campus.

Currently Price city is promoting an addition to the campus that will be to the east of Cedar Hills Drive and we believe it will eventually house

an innovation and research center for future growth and partnerships. We are also excited to be part of the multiple-use building that is currently underway to add new classroom space on the existing campus.

From the First Lady of Price, and the office of the mayor, we are excited to congratulate USU Eastern for 75 years and for its continued efforts in providing higher educational opportu-nities to our community.

i believe that the key to growth in eastern Utah lies firmly in the hands of the growth of this College, and furthermore, i believe the College is ready to grow.

Sustained support from my office will be there when needed and I will aggressively seek to identify, under-stand and meet the emerging needs of both the community and the College that may be encountered; I will be involved proactively in the process and the solution. __________Writer: Joe L. Piccolo

Mayor Joe Piccolo believes key to growth lies firmly in the hands of the growth of USU Eastern.

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staying Close, going far

Students searching for colleges often look for the loudest, largest and most popular

to attend. But Utah State University Eastern non-traditional student Colette Marx proves that the size of the school doesn’t affect the level of success students can achieve.

As a business major, she received two first-place awards in business communica-tions and accounting at the 2013 Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda State Leadership Conference in St. George recently. Marx went on to represent USU Eastern at the National Leadership Conference in June in Anaheim, Calif.

A native of Price, Marx graduated from Carbon High in 1997. After participating in FBLA and taking concurrent enrollment classes, she continued to attend the College of Eastern Utah and received an associate’s degree with an emphasis in business.

Almost 16 years later, Marx came back to find her small college transformed — the professors, the technology and even the name.

She faced more than technical challenges coming back to school. Like many non-tra-ditional students, she has a full-time career and a family to balance.Marx works internationally with a corpora-tion that creates websites.

“I work online,” she said. “We have a coupon website and we’re also building a website for a company that has nanotech-nology.”

She loves working and fashioning websites and anticipates that she will continue with an online business career.

The dream of going back to school to finish her education was always in Marx’s plans. Now that her four sons are in school, span-ning elementary to junior high school, she believes it’s a perfect time to return.

“I think it’s good [for my sons] to see how important it is for me to go back; that edu-cation is really important,” she said. “I’m a role model.”

And although it’s a bit tough helping her sons with their homework when she has her own to complete, she said it’s always worth it.

With her husband, Michael, diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, Marx wanted more education to fall back on in case of a crisis.

“If there’s one thing I would tell any young high school student or anyone graduating with an associate’s degree, just push through and finish your schooling now,” she said. “It’s so much harder later.”

Marx planned to major in marketing when she was in high school but chose to pursue a degree instead that could help her get a job in any field of business.

“That’s what accounting is,” she said. “I’m hoping to open more doors with an account-ing degree and eventually be a certified public accountant.”

Thus, Marx was a perfect candidate to compete in the FBLA-PBL State Leadership Conference.

When she arrived at the competition, Marx felt out of place among so many traditional students.

“I tried not to get intimidated.” she said. “These [other students] were smart, young and they just graduated.”

She competed against students from univer-sities throughout Utah, including Utah State University in Logan.

Despite her doubts, Marx held her own, even coming from a smaller school. In fact, she saw it as an advantage.

“I want to give credit back to the school and back to the teacher,” she said. “You’ve got smaller class sizes, it’s cheaper and you’ll get as good if, not a better, educa-tion.” ,

Though Marx didn’t place in the national competition, she said the experience was fulfilling, especially her wins at the state competition.

“I competed against big schools and took first…You don’t have to go to a big school.”

She is continuing to pursue her degree in accounting at USU Eastern and balancing time with her family.

“I’m heading towards where I want to be,” she said.__________Writer: ashley stilson

Surrounded by her family, Collette Marx is a student, mother and employee.


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UsU Upper level degree offerings rise significantly (70 & Counting)

Utah State University’s Regional Campuses and Distance Education

organization has a legacy of serving students throughout Utah. USU began offering classes in Price about 1985.

At that time, the only degree offered was a bachelor’s in elementary education.

Classes were held in the Mont Harmon Junior High School, with instructors

flying or driving to Price from Logan. Through the years, courses were offered in multiple buildings throughout Price until settling into the G.J. Reeves Building, where classes are delivered. Today, USU Eastern has 220 students enrolled in broadcast courses and 158 students enrolled in online courses.

The number of degrees and pro-grams offered has grown from only

one to more than 70 with addi-tional programs added yearly.

While what USU Distance Education offers in Price hasn’t changed, the ease with which students can access and earn bachelor’s and master’s-level degrees has increased dramatically.__________For more information visit:eastern.usu.edu/distanceed

AGRICULTUREBACHELOR’S DEGREESAgribusiness*MASTER’S DEGREESCareer & Technical Education (MEd)*Agricultural Systems Technology (MS)

BUSINESSASSOCIATE’S DEGREESIT Support & WebDevelopment (AAS)BACHELOR’S DEGREESAccountingBusiness AdministrationEconomics*Management Information SystemsMASTER’S DEGREESAgricultural Systems Technology (MS)Human Resources (MS)Business Administration(MBA)MINORSEntrepreneurshipHospitality & Tourism Management

*Offered Online

EDUCATIONBACHELOR’S DEGREESElementary Education (1-6)English - TeachingHistory - TeachingMathematics EducationPsychology - TeachingSpecial Education - Mild/Moderate DisabilitiesMASTER’S DEGREESElementary Education (MEd)Instructional Leadership (MEd)Instructional Technology (MEd)*Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences (MS)*Physical & Sports Education (MEd)Secondary Education (MEd)Special Education (MEd, MS)DOCTORATEEducation (PhD)ENDORSEMENTS (ARL)Chemistry*Distance LearningElementary MathematicsEnglish as a Second LanguageGifted & TalentedReading*School Library Media

LICENSUREAdministrative/Supervisory Concentration*Alternative Teacher Preparation - Special EdSecondary EducationSecondary Teacher Education Program

ENGINEERINGMASTER’S DEGREESAerospace Engineering (MS)Computer Science (MS)

GENERAL DEGREESASSOCIATE’S DEGREESGeneral Technology (AAS)General Studies (AS)*BACHELOR’S DEGREESInterdisciplinary Studies(BS)*Liberal Arts

HUMANITIESBACHELOR’S DEGREESHistoryMASTER’S DEGREESEnglish - Technical Writing (MS)*MINORSCriminal JusticeFolklore*

SociologySpanish*CERTIFICATENative American Studies

HUMAN SERVICESASSOCIATE’S DEGREESNursing (AAS)Criminal Justice (AS)BACHELOR’S DEGREESCommunicative Disorders*Communicative Disorders & Deaf Education*Family Life StudiesFamily, Consumer, & Human DevelopmentHealth, Education & PromotionPsychology*Social Work

HUMAN SERVICES (CONT.)MASTER’S DEGREESDietetics Administration (MDA)*Rehabilitation Counseling (MRC)Psychology - School Counseling (MS)Social Work (MSW)

MINORSWomen & Gender Studies*CERTIFICATEDeafblindnessPreservice Training*GerontologyRehabilitation CounselingWomen & Gender Studies*

NATURAL RESOURCESBACHELOR’S DEGREESRecreation Resource ManagementMASTER’S DEGREESNatural Resources (MNR)*

SCIENCEBACHELOR’S DEGREESBiologyMASTER’S DEGREESApplied Environmental Geoscience (MS)MINORSChemistry

USU DISTANCE EDUCATIONDEGREES AND PROGRAMS

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team making a difference in telling Why UsU eastern makes a difference

Making a difference, which is why students need to

be at USU Eastern, is the un-derlying theme the four-person enrollment management office conveys to high school stu-dents as they visit every high school in Utah each fall to at-tract students to USU Eastern.

Created last year in the reor-ganization of student services, the enrollment management office consists of Kristian Olsen, director; Wade Arave, and Kevin Hurst, enroll-ments managers and Jessica Prettyman, office manager.

Olsen, the most recent addition to the team, joined in late Au-gust. The new enrollment ser-vices director said, “Every stu-dent who comes here has the opportunity to become more, to truly uncover their potential. We know we can better sup-

port students at the beginning of their collegiate journey because of our size and dedi-cation to serving students.”

Hurst, an enrollment manager, felt the merger between the College of Eastern Utah and Utah State University was a great deal for students.

“Just think, students get USU general education credits and a USU associate’s degree diploma at the price of a two-year college tuition,” Hurst said. “It is by far and away the best value in the state.”

One of the benefits of the merger a lot of people don’t realize is bachelor’s, master’s and even a doctoral degree can now be earned right in Price. This is a wonderful benefit to the region, he said. Especially for those

folks who want to pursue an advanced degree, but can’t afford to pack up their lives and move to another city.

Hurst said coming to Price is similar to an out-of-state experience for most Utah high school students.

“The area is unique in its ethnicity and beauty that is very marketable to the rest of the state,” Hurst said. “We have a strong, friendly, and safe environment where both students and profes-sors feel comfortable.

“Plus there is ample oppor-tunity to work one-on-one with professors as students add to their experiences and resumes,” Hurst said. “It makes students marketable as they move onto traditional four-year universities.”

Arave, an enrollment manag-er, says the opportunity for most students to get involved are only limited by the fields they choose to pursue. He said a good example of how professors care about their students and the institutions is professor Corey Ewan, Ph.D., in the theater program. He is offering a week-long camp to teach students how to audition. This is an invaluable skill in the theater world.

Plus, he is putting together a traveling show to take to high schools as well as developing an associate’s degree in fine arts, one of only a few in the country.

These are the kinds of quality professors students get to interact with at USU Eastern, Arave said. ___________________Writer: susan Polster

Enrollment team members from left to right: Kristian Olsen, Jessica Prettyman and Kevin Hurst. Wade Arave not available for photo. (Tyson Chappell photo.)


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new instructional building Will bring fresh Vitality to UsU eastern Campus

For an institution that’s close to putting 75 candles on its

birthday cake, USU Eastern is looking mighty spry.

You might even say it’s looking like a million bucks, because that’s how much money it has to plan the new central-instructional build-ing it wants desperately.

Before an audience that filled the ballroom of The Tuscan Ristorante Italiano last spring, Chancellor Joe Peterson and USU President Stan Albrecht told partners and friends from across the region where the money comes from: $500,000 from the state, which was

augmented by $250,000 each from two donors — Tony Basso and Marc Bingham.

The $1 million total should be enough to have a shovel-ready project ready for legislative approval. The new building would be sited in the location of the former Old Main.

Preliminary plans call for the building to replace the dilapidated music building and the student activity center, the oldest building on campus that is showing signs of advanced age. Just south of the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center, the old arts building is being transformed into the center

for workforce development. Peterson explained that the renovated building will house a new program based on apartnership among the college, the Utah Department of Workforce Services and other workforce and economic development agencies.

Peterson explained that the collaboration will blend the strength of the partner agencies and the college.

“It’s our hope that education in the trades becomes more prominent to our students, and that the college is more prominent to local employers as the best source for skilled workers,” the chancellor said.

Having the facility located on one of the busiest streets in Price, means that students interested in job-related training won’t have to search for an office hidden some-where on campus, he added.

The university is also taking the initiative in economic development focused on the community’s traditional mining base. It is a process of producing clean metallurgical

coke that is expected to add jobs to the region. The plant is already under construction at the former WITEC facility, which was once a mining complex for the now-closed Willow Creek Coal Mine.

USU owns the intellectual rights to the coking pro-cess, which was developed by Combustion Resources Inc. of Provo. When it is in operation, the plant will produce coke briquettes after removing pollutants like sulfur from the feedstock.

The chancellor said he was also enthusiastic about the Four-in-Four enrollment goal at the college. It means that USU Eastern has committed itself to having 4,000 students after four-enrollment cycles.

To achieve that, the college revamped its recruitment and retention efforts and embarked on a more intensive outreach effort in its communities. One key element in raising the college’s profile is the new central-instruction building.___________Writer: John serfustini, sun advocate associate editor

Marc Bingham and Tony Basso are honored by USU President Stan Albrecht at a luncheon in their honor in Price.

“It’s our hope that education in the trades becomes more prominent to our students, and that the college is more prominent to local employers as the best source for skilled workers,”

-- Joe Peterson

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iyere’s aim: student success

Peter Abeta Iyere hails from the Southwest Region

of Nigeria that offered few opportunities for young men growing up in the 1960s and ‘70s. Today he possesses a doctorate in inorganic chemis-try and X-ray crystallography from Brandeis University and is the newest to join the administrative ranks of Utah State University Eastern.

students take note:Challenges are no excuse for not setting and achieving goals.

Iyere (pronounced Eey ere), as the new vice chancellor for Price Campus Student Success, arrived at USU Eastern eager to help students understand and believe that they are bound for success. And, he is at USU Eastern to show them what it takes to get there. The fact that the

than going to school. But his father had other ideas for him, and getting an education was one of them, he said.

“My father’s confidence in me, regardless of my mischief, motivated me to focus on my schoolwork,” he said.

His father was his role model. He admired his great sense of humor and ability to handle difficult situations. He admired his intelligence, de-spite his lack of formal educa-tion. And it was a visit that he and his father paid to a friend of his father’s that helped him to connect the dots between getting an education and living a more comfortable life.He vividly remembers the day of visiting that family and meeting one of the boys who had just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture. He learned during the visit how this young man’s newly acquired degree helped him to land a job in government, get access to free housing and a loan to buy a new car.

“That drew my attention to the benefits of education,” he said. “At the end of our visit, my father was pleased with me because I promised to work hard to be like, or better, than his friend’s son.”

It was a defining moment, and one that provides a little

insight into the spirited disposition of the young Iyere.

“I am very competitive by na-ture,” he said. “So, as a youth, I always aspired to be the best in anything I did.”

While in high school, where he was appointed SeniorPrefect (head boy) by the 11th grade, he was challenged by a peer in his class who outscored him twice in a row in two class tests. As though borrowing from the first chapter of the ancient Chinese military treatise “The Art of War,” he enlisted the power of observation and the laying of plans.

“I decided to make him my friend so that I could study with him to learn his study technique,” he said. “What I learned from him propelled me to the top of the class, a position I shared with him on many occasions; it was a lesson that has remained useful to me to this day.”

He has stayed at the top of his game for the past 31 years of an illustrious career in higher education that has included teaching, research and admin-istrative work at several col-leges and universities across the country. He comes to USU Eastern from Bryan College of Health Sciences where he was dean of the general studies division.

Peter Iyere helping students achieve success. (Tyson Chappell photo)

word, success, is in his title is no small matter. He takes it seriously. The fact that USU Eastern is an institution of higher learning is also crucial.

“Education is the key that unlocks the door to opportunities,” he said.

And, the fact that USU Eastern is committed to student success as

evidenced by its ranking as third best in the nation

in student graduation rates, also played a role in his choice of USU Eastern, he said.

“The mission and vision of USU Eastern align with my experience and professional goals,” he said.

(second note to students: he’s still setting goals.)Some of his new goals include learning the culture and values of the college, establishing rapport with colleagues and students, developing plans (read on for more about his penchant for planning) to use assessment to ensure that pro-grams are aligned with institu-tional goals and that students achieve intended learning. And being there for students and giving them little nudges in the right direction like his father once did for him.

As a boy he was actually more interested in playing soccer


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Iyere said that he was attract-ed to USU Eastern because of its unique quality as a comprehensive-community col-lege embedded in a land-grant research university. He likes the rural setting of a regional college that, at the same time, is part of the Utah State Uni-versity system. It’s the best of both worlds, he said.

And he likes the fact that everything he has done in his life has led up to this new opportunity to head student success at USU Eastern. He says he’s ready for it.

“The institution, widely recognized for its commitment to student success, has all the elements in place to leverage my knowledge and skills,” he said. “ I bring experience gained from many years of teaching and administration in public and private institutions.”

And the elements that make his job especially rewarding are those that directly involve students, particularly those with special needs, to successfully complete their college education.

Yes, he holds four degrees, has dozens of professional activities under his belt, has received honors and grants and has authored more than a dozen publications, yet what matters the most to Iyere are the opportunities to inspire and influence students for the better.

He said the best compliment he has ever received came from an undergraduate student, ma-joring in English, who wrote in the university newspaper that chemistry was his favorite subject because Iyere, who

became his favorite professor, found ways to stimulate his interest in the topic. “I still have the newspaper tucked away in the safest corner of my box of trea-sures,” he said.

It’s the little things, when added together, that make all the difference in success, he added.___________Writer: John Devilbiss

1937 On February 20, 1937, Carbon College was estab-lished with the signing of Senate Bill 6 by Gov. Henry Blood.

1938 During the first week of October about 100 students enrolled in the first classes offered at Carbon College. The first president of the college was Eldon B. Sessions.

1943 WWII military service reduces enrollment to 27 full-time students.

1953 The college faced its greatest challenge. At aspecial session of the legislature, Gov. J. Bracken Lee proposed that Carbon College be closed and its lands and buildings sold.

1959 Carbon College was placed under the administra-tion of the Board of Regents of the University of Utah and separated from Carbon High School.

1962 The building of the Geary Theatre is completed.

1964 The college’s name was officially changed to College of Eastern Utah.

1969 CEU becomes independent when it ends its branch relationship to the University of Utah.

1970s Vocational-technical programs were significantly strengthened during the tenure of President Dean M. McDon-ald. A new Career Center was built to replace the original vocational building.

1977 What started out as a grant-funded training program became the College of Eastern Utah - San Juan Center. It began with about 40 students, 2 staff members and borrowed facilities.

1980 The CEU-San Juan Campus has its first gradu-ating class. There were 12 graduates, all female.

1985 The Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center (BDAC) was completed.

1986 CEU-San Juan’s first official building on campus is opened for classes.

1995 The CEU-San Juan Instructional Technology Building is dedicated.

1998 The Jennifer Leavitt Student Center (JLSC) is constructed.

2003 The G.J. Reeves building is completed.

2010 College of Eastern Utah merged with Utah State University creating Utah State University - College of Eastern Utah (USU Eastern).

2012 USU-San Juan Campus changes name to USU Blanding Campus.

2013 USU Eastern’s official name shortened from Utah State University-College of Eastern Utah to simply Utah State University Eastern.

time line: Carbon College to UsU eastern

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UsU eastern rock star grounded in tradition

Many high schools in Utah have letters on the

mountains or hills near the town where they are located denoting their territory. Even some of the universities and colleges in the state have the same tradition.

While the “C” on the Wood Hill above Price represents Carbon High School, for years it was also associated with Carbon College as well, partly because of the same letters represent-ing the two institutions and partly because until 1959

the two schools were on one campus.

But not long after the college was founded in 1937, a group of students went one better than just having a letter on the hill; they adopted their own rock.

“Gibby” as it is known today, is in its own way the predecessor of our modern electronic social network. The rock, which was named after the Rock of Gibraltar that is located on the Southwestern Coast of the Iberian Peninsula

Years of Gibby and the students who were part of it’s history.


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(and owned by the British) has been a symbol of strength for not only the British Empire, but for one insurance company over the years.

Today Gibby sits outside the east doors of the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center on the lawn. It acts as it always has, as a place where students paint it with messages and causes they care about. Sometimes the messages change almost daily. Other times whatever is marked on the rock stays on for consider-able amounts of time.

regardless, it has held messages of humor to messages of pain for more than 73 years.

In 1996 the rock, which was then situated in front of the old Reeves Building, created a controversy when an instruc-tor suggested that the campus get rid of the rock because he thought it was an eyesore and an embarrassment to the college. While a few backed him, there was a firestorm on campus about Gibby and its meaning to the institution. Many said that Gibby was a tradition that should not be done away with.

Layne Miller, who wrote for the paper at the time, composed a story about Gibby and how the tradition started.It was 1939 and a number of students, many of whom went

on to become prominent fig-ures in the community, decided that they would place a rock found in the lot near where Carbon High is now located on campus as a kind of mascot.

The idea came from Louis Bunnell, one of the first stu-dents at the school, according to Boyd Bunnell his brother who was interviewed at the time the article appeared in the “Sun Advocate.”

However, Louis had a date the night he had planned to move the rock, so he asked his brother Boyd (who later be-came a Seventh District Court Judge in the area) and some of their friends to move it.

“We used the Bunnell Garage wrecker and put a big chain around the rock and lifted it up,” Bunnell told Miller. “Well the rock was so heavy, it lifted the front wheels (of the wrecker) off the ground. The other guys had to stand on the front bumper so it would stay on the ground. Every time we hit a bump, the front wheels would come off the ground and I couldn’t steer.”

The group eventually made it to the college campus with the rock. Using logs and other ma-terial, the young men backed the wrecker over the curb and up to the front doors of the main building. They mixed up a batch of cement and the rock was put solidly in the ground.

“It was right in front of the doors,” stated Bunnell. “You had to walk around it to get into the school.”

Between then and the 1960s the rock not only became a sign post for student idea and issues, it also became a place where a lot of photos were taken. Many a beautiful girl and good looking guy had their photo taken for the yearbooks and various publications over those years.

When John Tucker was president of the college (during the 1960s), he had the rock moved without telling anyone he was going to do it. It caused a controversy on campus, but the rock remained for some time encased in glass in the library (it’s not clear whether it was in the old library that was in the main building or the one built in 1968 that stands today).

Then, some time later, it was taken out of the library and stored away.

Later Bunnell’s cousin, Bert, who was the student body president, got permission to move the rock in front of the Reeves Building where it resid-ed until only a few years ago when that building was torn down. Once again he used the Bunnell Garage wrecker (pre-sumably a newer and heavier one) to move the rock.

Once again, with sunlight upon its surface, the rock became an important part of the campus. Over they years, there have been contests over the painting of the rock and even one marriage proposal.

The rock has been everything from a rallying point to a controversial billboard with not-so-popular inscriptions placed upon it. In fall 2011, the rock was used as a memorial to Brad Barton, the popular basketball coach who passed away. His jersey number from his college days at Weber State, 23, was the simple inscription on Gibby.

The Gibby tradition lives on and it must be expected it will last as long as the college is here.

But one question that has often been asked has never been answered.

How many coats of paint are on gibby after over 70 years of paint-ing and repainting?That could make for a good project for some student of science to evaluate and give the community an answer.____________Writer: richard shaw Sun Advocate Publisher

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from raisonettes to raising numbers at UsU eastern

take me,” he said.

The Army did take him and he left training that summer following graduation. He admits he did not have high expectations of himself.

“it’s the people you meet in life that help define you,” he said.

He had a drill sergeant who inspired him to consider college if, indeed, he was thinking about a military career.

“The limited conversations he had helped instill the moti-vation in me that I could do more,” he said. “I still had a lot to internalize before I went to college, but the army started preparing me for my first college experience.

“With the GI Bill, I enrolled in two classes at the community college: creative writing of which I earned a C plus and real estate where I earned an A,” he said. “My father was in real estate so I figured I could help him.”

After passing the first two classes, college was not as difficult as it seemed and Herzog decided to enroll as a full-time student. He registered for a college success class and that is where he decided

that he was going to succeed and earn a degree. He knew if he did not do something in college, he would not last for long. A freshman senator was needed, and he ran for the position.

“I didn’t think I would get it because, at the time, I was not one to put myself out there,” he said.

After winning the position, the student government sent him to a student government con-ference to Washington, D.C., and he met President Ronald Reagan. “I will never forget standing in the White House with secret service surrounding the president,” he said. “Reagan talked about the Iran-Contra Affair and exchanging arms for services.”

Already an active member of U.S. Army Reserves since graduating from high school and having served as a U.S. Army drill sergeant, he enrolled in the ROTC program at Clark-son University while attending the State University of New York at Potsdam College. In 1991, he finished his four-year degree in labor relations, all the while working part time at a movie theater. He enjoyed that work because he saw every film that came out.

With a college degree in hand, he started his search for what he really wanted to do in life. “Because I had to leave in October for the Army Officer Engineer Basic Course, I had limited opportunities,” he said. “I was lucky to be selected to serve as a deputy sheriff for Warren County, N.Y., and was a patrol officer for Lake George, N.Y., during the tourist summer months.”

All the while, Herzog thought hard about his future. “I had a great college experience and knew I wanted to work in higher education in some capacity.”

Herzog gravitated back to working for the movie theaters as a manager of a small eight-screen cinema in Pough-keepsie, N.Y., It was during that time that an epiphany overwhelmed him.

“I had worked hard at creating a cohesive team and morale was good, but counting Raisonettes during inventory one night reminded me that I needed to continue my educa-tion,” he said. “It’s not where I wanted to be!

“From my varied work expe-riences, I learned and knew I wanted to be in a helping field,” he said.

Reclined in a leather chair, fingers intertwined behind

his head while looking over campus from his second story window offering a panoramic view, Alex Herzog admits he has the best job in the world.

After five years at the helm of student life at USU Eastern, Herzog believes it was his dad who encouraged him to get his college degree and pursue his dream.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., with both parents immigrating from Germany, Herzog never thought he would go to college after high school. Although not proud of this, he graduated 42nd in a class of 46.

“I recognize now that I was just not motivated to learn,” he said. “I wasn’t inspired!

“The school counselor once told my parents that theybetter hope the Army would

Alex Herzog (Tyson Chappell Photo)


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“Helping students succeed in college was the right fit for me.

“I found a posting on the wall about this college that had a graduate program in college student personnel man-agement,” he said. “Indiana State University accepted me and with $2,500 in my pocket, I drove west with the thought that ‘I am going to work in higher education.’”

Herzog changed his course of study and earned a master’s degree in college student personnel.

He continued west to begin his first student services job at Yavapai Community College in Arizona where he was hall coordinator and activity specialist. He also advised student government and leadership development.

The director of student activities job at Southern Utah University opened and Herzog, who had recently married his wife Shawn, applied and got it

After two-plus years there, he said he hit a glass ceiling in his career and needed to pursue a doctorate degree.

The University of Nevada at Las Vegas accepted him into its educational leadership program where he earned his doctorate in education. He had been on campus three weeks when he accepted a job

in alumni relations and fund raising, a position he wanted to experience, but found he was busy six days a week. The best part of the job, he remembers, was tailgating and golf.

Working full time while writing his dissertation, Herzog took time to send resumes out for dean of students’ jobs. “To me the job of dean of students was one where I could make the biggest impact on student success.”

One of those resumes went to USU Eastern and that is where the Herzogs moved five years ago. “Being in this position is like building a brick house,” he said. “One learns from each job, each experience, every level of education, every relationship and each inter-action. There is a housing component, student life, addi-tional programing, all the while keeping the student numbers growing.”

Two times a year are the best, Herzog says.

“I like the energy and ex-citement of the first day of school,” Herzog said. “It’s the start of something new. Change begins and the oppor-tunity to improve students’ lives begins as well as the chance to up their stance in life.”

He also likes graduation days because he said he gets to

witness the positive aspects of what USU Eastern has given each graduate.

His worst days are budget cuts.

“We lose valuable services and employees who make a positive impact on students,” he said.

He also dislikes the student conduct committee days where students have not adhered to the code of conduct established by the college.

“I’ve learned it is not my fault, but it still hurts when a student is dismissed from school because I tend to dwell on the thought, was there something else we could have done?”

His daily mantra is reflected in a sign hanging in his office that comes from his mother’s consignment store, with the words: “think bigger” by Peugeot.

“i am constantly evaluating how we can do things better and more efficiently. i also ask myself and others, ‘how will this affect the students?’”

Reflecting on his short-term goals, Herzog totally buys into the Four-in-Four program outlined by Chancellor Joe Pe-terson. I believe we can have 4,000 students in four years. This will make a huge impact

on the community as well as the college. We made our first goal of 2,150 students this fall, next year we will have 2,600 and so on.

Constantly busy, Herzog escapes through traveling to different areas of the country with his family. He likes to drive east on I-70 to Colorado, but if his wife gets her say, they head to a major metro-politan area because she loves visiting cities. Family has the most meaning to Herzog and he keeps in touch with his parents in New York, brother in Spain, sister in North Carolina, Shawn’s dad in Arizona, plus other relatives and friends through social media, Facebook and Path.

Herzog hopes he affects and influences others every day. He likes the cards, emails and letters from students who thank him for always trying to make their lives better.

His future at the collegeincludes working with the athletic department that will add men’s and women’s soccer next fall, increasing student headcount and the building of the fine arts facility on the southwest corner of campus.

“This building will bring great pride to the local community and university,” he said.___________Writer: susan Polster

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gallery east promises rich array of art, photography

The works of Patrick Wilkey, associate professor of graphic design at Utah

Valley University and owner of Visio Communications, are currently on display at Gallery East.

Located on the northwest corner of the old SAC Building on the campus of Utah State University Eastern, Gallery East’s fall and spring displays promise patrons a rich array of photography and art.

In addition to the Wilkey display, the gallery is also featuring a small exhibit of historic college photographs, compiled by members of the Alumni Association. Both displays run from Oct. 7 – Nov. 7.

Wilkey’s exhibit is titled “Drawn-Out Words: The Illuminated Manuscripts Project.” As principal and owner of the graphic design firm Visio Communications, he has completed designs for Evans and Sutherland, FranklinCovey, Gastronomy, Megahertz, Novell and others.

Wilkey is a former classmate of Gallery East curator Noel Carmack at USU. “Patrick was an inspiring classmate and

now I’m certain he’s an inspiration and mentor to his students. I am pleased to have his work shown at Gallery East. Any of our students who are interested in illustration or graphic art will find his work memorable.”

Historical Photography exhibitThe historical photographs on display doc-uments USU Eastern’s 75-year history, from its beginnings as a fledgling voca-tional and technical college to a strong traditional comprehensive regional college serving Utah’s eastern and southeastern communities.

The photographs show not only the growth of the college campus, but also the many educational and social activities sponsored by the college. The photos include images of college theater produc-tions, musical performances, debate and forensic teams, basketball, football and other sporting events.

Other selected photos show student government activities, the college admin-istration, faculty and students and the construction of new buildings on campus.

The gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m._____Writer: Susan Polster

fall 2013

october 7 -november 7 •Graphic Art by Patrick Wilkey (UVU Associate Professor)•USU Eastern Historic Photographs

november 11 – December 5•Photographs by Johnny Dunn (local photographer)

spring 2014

January 13 – January 23•10th Annual Statewide High School Art CompetitionJanuary 27 – february 27•Paintings by Wayne Stevens (local artist) and Ceramics by Tori Meng Dastrup (CEU Alumna)march 3 - march 27•The Last Fifty: A Selection of Works by Utah artists from 1962 to the presentapril 7 – may 1•USU Eastern Annual Student Art Show

Artist, Patrick Wilkey

Illustration by Patrick Wilkey


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theater season to bring laughter, drama, music, mystery a musical, a comedy, a

drama and a mystery make up the 2013-14 UsU eastern theater season slated for performance on the geary Theatre stage.

Zombie PromThe rock ‘n’ roll musical “Zom-bie Prom” opens the season with theater chair Corey Ewan directing the Dana P. Rowe book with lyrics by John Dempsey and Hugh Murphy. The production runs from Oct. 10-21.

“Zombie Prom” is a cross between the musical “Grease” meeting the atomic age. It will bring back fond memories of a simpler time when a young person’s major concern in life was love, the prom and the atomic bomb, Ewan quipped.

Young Jonny Warner, who spells his name without the customary “h,” has fallen for pretty senior Toffee.

However, complications arise when tyrannical principal Delilah Strict sees Jonny as a bad influence, threatening to destroy the “rules, regulations and respect” code of conduct she established at Enrico Fermi High School.

Death cannot keep Jonny from pursuing Toffee to win her heart, take her to the prom

and graduate from high school. Ewan asks, “Will he succeed or will an over-zealous high school principal with a secret keep him from true love and a diploma?”

The real inspector HoundFour weeks later, USU Eastern will present “The Real Inspec-tor Hound,” by Tom Stoppard on Nov. 14-23. The London Times calls this existential farce, “one of the funniest and most brilliant short plays in the language. It is a hilarious spoof of Agatha Christie-like melodramas.”

Doubt2014 theatre at USU East-ern opens with “Doubt,” the 2005 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play by John Patrick Shanley running from Feb. 13-22. “We will also present this play in a modi-fied-arena style on the stage, Ewan said.

The mousetrapThe season ends with the pro-duction of the classic Agatha Christie mystery “The Mouse-trap” set for April 10-19. Wade Arave will direct it in his first directorial job at USU Eastern. Arave brings a wealth

of experience to the Geary Theatre stage with a strong background and expertise in directing. He is a former high school theatre instructor who now works as a recruiter at USU Eastern.

This season promises to be our most ambitious theatre season to date with many opportunities to perform, Ewan said. “We are an artistic gem located in the Book Cliffs of Eastern Utah.”____________Writer: susan Polster

Cast of Zombie Prom rehearsing for their performance during the Week of Celebration.(Chris Barney Photo)

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eVery day CoUntssays UsU eastern professor of the year

Tyson Chappell joined the faculty five years ago to

instruct the anatomy, physiol-ogy and biology classes. While working on his doctorate at the University of Tennessee, he specialized in neuroscience (brain structure and function) and was also trained in human dissection and gross anatomy.

However when he arrived on the Price campus, he knew his anatomy classes needed to work on a human body to more fully understand the concepts he was teaching.

Dissecting cats and animal hearts can be very instructive, “but nothing beats the real things in a human anatomy course,” Chappell said.

Where does one find acadaver to study? He searched the Internet and found that the University of Utah medical school had a body-donor pro-gram with available cadavers (human bodies).

He completed the paperwork to secure the cadaver for USU Eastern, then asked his wife, Amber, to go on a “death date” with him where they would stop for “burgers to die for at Crown Burger” as well as pick up a cadaver in Salt Lake City.

He started with one male cadaver in his program and has since added a female cadaver plus replaced the first male with another male. Cadavers are on a three-year-rotation schedule from pick up to returning to the U of U.

Upon return, the cadavers are cremated, placed in an urn and returned to any living family. The weekend before Memorial Day, a memorial service is of-fered in SLC where thanks and appreciation is given to the family members for allowing the bodies of their loved ones to be studied for the benefit of medicine and health.

When he returns to campus with the cadaver, no dissect-ing work has been done, so he has to cut the skin from the muscles and separate organs to facilitate student viewing. He does this on nearly the entire body.

“In my class, students get to see what the muscles look like below the skin,” he said. “They get to see first hand how the organs fit together and they also can see what the human brain looks like.”

Seeing the cadavers for the first time has not set well with a handful of his students.

“I’ve had students pass out and get nauseous when they see the bodies for the first time,” Chappell said. “But that is pretty rare. Mostly people are just as fascinated and awestruck as I am every time I have a chance to dissect.

“The cadavers are preserved in formaldehyde before I pick

them up so the only smell is from the preservative,” Chappell said.

He has to spray the cadaver with a chemical regularly to continue to keep it preserved.

groWing UP in rUraL UTaHChappell was raised as a farm boy in Loa, Utah. In high school, he became interested in psychology and knew that something in this field of study fascinated him. But it wasn’t until he was a junior year at Weber State that he took biopsychology, abnormal psychology and neuroscience courses which all led to a life-changing epiphany.

He says, “I fell in love with the study of the brain. In these courses I learned that there are actual chemical and elec-trical signals that produce our entire reality and when these signals go haywire, people can experience intense hallucina-tions, visions and delusions. I love the hard science of the brain.”

After graduation, he continued studying the brain to someday teach others about it. He was accepted into a doctor-ate program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tenn., where he studied neuroscience and anatomy.

A professor who takes his wife on what he calls “death dates” was named USU Eastern’s professor of the year.


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from THe sTUDy of THe Brain To THe sTUDy of PHoTograPHy

Besides the brain, he loves photography. He purchased a three-megapixel camera to take photos of his newborn daughter and it was love at first sight of his daughter and the camera. He was taking digital images of the brain to aid in his Ph.D. research at the same time.

“It was a perfect time in my life to get into photography because shooting digital was inexpensive compared to buying and developing rolls of film,” Chappell said.

He paid for graduate school by taking photos of weddings and families.

He continues to upgrade his cameras and equipment.

“I love to shoot night shots,” he said. “We don’t spend enough time gazing into the sky at night to view the enormity of the cosmos. To contemplate the beauty of the night sky, the beauty of nature, the wonders of this pale blue orb we call Earth.

“At night with one’s own thoughts…to think, to ponder, to have a chance to get to know yourself and think about your role in this life,” he said. “Purpose, meaning, to think about things of that nature, it’s all so fantastic; this life that we are all lucky to have.

“We are so lucky to be here, at this time in our species’ surviv-al, to stare at the Milky Way and to shoot star trails with my camera,” Chappell said. “It is so peaceful at night. Nature fills me with much wonder and amazement, I am happy to be here.”

His favorite part of teaching is the challenge of students learning to conquer the study of anatomy and biology.

“It’s tough, they struggle, but they learn,” he said. “I think they appreciate learning the subject. That makes me excit-ed and appreciative of what I do every day.

“I am really freaking crazy over these subjects,” he grins. “I am animated about the material that I am teaching and hope the students feel the joy and excitement of studying the human body like I do.”

Chappell said he gets his attitude about life by appreci-ating, loving, respecting and accepting an evidence-based reality.

“Even when the evidence might seem too hard to accept and too hard to learn, natural evidence can provide so much freedom and beauty to our understanding of this life,” he said. “The challenge is to push my students, for their benefit, by having them understand scientific material and evi-dence and that they need to acquire critical-thinking skills about the world around them in order that they, too, may see and experience the beauty of living in an evidence-based reality.”

His advice to students is to take a lot of classes, push themselves scholastically and find something they love to

do and that will benefit those around them. “If you can find a job like that, as I have done, you may, too, reach a state of bliss, happiness and peace in life,” he said. “One must continue to learn. Never rest on former degrees or education, but continue to push and strive for a better understanding of the world around us.”

Every day is a great day for Chappell who said he appreci-ates the natural beauty of this area.

“I want to continue to be a better person and do better things,” he said. “I want to be good for goodness sake alone. Every day counts in always doing your best. You have to live each moment and enjoy the journey because you will never get a chance to live today again.” ____________Writer: susan Polster

Tyson Chappell was named professor of the year at the USU Eastern campus.

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... and how three student body officers remembered it

College’s turbulent 50s recounted...

When Carbon College’s class of ’53-’54 student

council officers were elected, they thought they would be planning dances, attending athletic events and hosting meetings. Little did they know they would play a significant role in saving the college from

Eight years after the Great Depression and five years

after the state took ownership of Dixie, Snow and Weber two-year colleges from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gov. Henry H. Blood signed the legislation to create Carbon College on February 20, 1937.

Price City Mayor J. Bracken Lee wanted to donate the ground for the college on the fairground’s property on 400 North and 400 East. The state appropriated $150,000 for the construction of the main building. A $122,000 federal grant plus $86,000 from the Carbon School District paid for the gymnasium while the old fairgrounds building, which housed cattle and horses, was to be remodeled into the music and drama building.

However, 16 years later, time stood still at the college as one of the men instrumental in bringing a two-year college to Price would present legislation to close it permanently.

In bills proposed by Gov. J. Bracken Lee that sailed through both houses in a special legislative session in December 1953, Senate Bill 29 closed Carbon College and Senate Bill 39 returned Snow, Dixie and Weber junior colleges to the LDS Church who founded them.

The inconsistency of Lee’s decision came to light because as mayor of Price city, he played a role in establishing Carbon College 16 years earli-er, and then proposed to close it to save the state money.

The immediate reaction to the transfers and closure of junior colleges in the education field for all Utah colleges was disbelief. “As chief executioner, Gov. J. Bracken Lee has done a memorable job in destroying our pride in a col-lege; impairing the educational opportunities of the young people of this area; eliminating the only state institution in Southeastern Utah; centralizing educational advantages into the vast state

capitol city, and saving the taxpayers an infinitesimalamount, if any, in the pro-cess,” stated the “Sun Advocate” in a rare front page editorial. “We have become the victim of inexorable events in the unpredictable field of political maneuvering.”

The bills were referred to by Weber County legisla-tors as the “greatest give away” in state history.

The presidents of Weber and Utah State Agricultural College (Utah State University) met in Ephraim at a standing-room-only public meeting where they called for a statewide support of existing two-year colleges in Utah and urged a unified front at the legislative session. Lee was startled over the rally to save the colleges. He continued to vow that he was not against education, but was against waste and extrava-gance.

Eleven months after the legis-lature voted to close Carbon College and transfer the three

two-year colleges to the LDS Church, the taxpayers voted 60 to 38 percent to overturn the law. Although 15 of the 29 counties favored the proposition, the large counties: Salt Lake, Weber, Utah, Cache and Box Elder, voted against it. The voting in Weber, Carbon and Salt Lake counties was especially strong against the proposal.

“The verdict against closing Carbon College was decisive,” wrote Carbon College’s Gomer Peacock in a statement of gratitude. “With the exception of a very few individuals, the continuance of Carbon College was honestly and openly given by the citizens of Price, Carbon County, Emery County, and most of Eastern Utah who worked hard and enthusias-tically to save the colleges... it is amazing what can be accomplished.” ____________Writer: susan Polster

being closed by the governor of Utah.

In a special legislative session in Dec.1953, Gov. J. Bracken Lee successfully passed Senate Bill 39 returning Snow, Dixie and Weber two-year colleges to the Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints and Senate Bill 29, closing Carbon College. It was signed into law on Dec. 18, 1953. As news spread of the transfer and closure of two-year colleges, most educators in Utah were in a state of shock over the hastily passed bills.

According to a time line in the college’s 1954 yearbook, the first mention of the college’s closure was on Dec. 26. “The 250 students at Carbon College were going to lose their school if they did not step to the plate and get signatures from voters to force a


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adamant about closing the college.

Miller intervened with, “If Lee said it, he did it.”

In organizing the students, Albo said, student body president Saccamanno had recently returned from the U.S. Marine Corp after serving his country in the Korean War, where he earned a silver star, the highest medal one can earn. As a natural leader, he was a few years older than the other students and took the bull by the horns in his quest to save the college.

Saccamonno went to local service clubs and organizations to help sponsor a billboard outside of Price to save the college. Albo remembers that billboard being there for years and looking up to Saccraman-no because of his leadership in this crisis. He said Saccamon-no was the real leader of the group.

All three officers remember traveling throughout the state to acquire signatures. Miller said he remembers setting up a public speaking system on vehicles to drive around towns and communi-ties to get signatures so the referendum could be placed on the November ballot.

“We did not have any trouble getting signatures,” Miller said. “We would load three or four students in a vehicle and drive to a different area of

the state each day. Gas was 21 cents a gallon so students footed the bill for the gasoline in their own cars. Our goal was to drive to every small town to get the needed signatures. Then at night we would turn around and drive home.”

Students at Dixie, Weber and Snow were also canvassing Utah’s cities and towns to get signatures to keep those schools from being turned over to the LDS Church. According to the law, signatures from all 29 counties were needed to get the referendum provision on the ballet in November.

“We went to grocery stores, businesses with lots of employees and high traffic areas to get signatures,” Miller said. “We never went door to door because that would take too much time and energy for just a few signatures.”

He remembers parking in LDS ward house parking lots and people coming to sign the petitions.

“Everyone helped; it was big news in the state,” he said. “Many of our teachers drove throughout the state to help us get signatures. It was all the college personnel coming together on so many fronts.

“We missed a lot of school during those two months,” he said. “Since teachers were also helping us, they seemed to look the other way when

grades came out that quarter. I don’t remember anyone failing because they missed pretty much two straight months of classes. Even students from Carbon High School went out to secure signatures.”

At that time in the history of Utah, Miller said he does not remember a referendum initia-tive ever being reversed.

“What we were doing was making history in this state and no one had ever organized something of this magnitude ever before,” he said.

Guyman said he remembers talking to people to get signatures, and everyone knowing why they [the stu-dents] were there.

“We did not have to tell them much, everyone already knew why we were there... They came by in flocks to sign our petitions,” he said.

Miller said Guyman’s ’39 Chevy needed a quart of oil every 20 miles, so he spent more money on oil than on gas as they drove his car through-out the state.

The timeline in the yearbook continued: “Feb. 18, hooray! We made it! Deadline for ref-erendum drive reached withal 29 counties qualifying. Knew all the time we’d do it, didn’t you? March 4, committee appointed to help sell Carbon to voters. ‘Our fate is in the hands of the public.’”___________Writer: susan Polster

referendum ballot,” the time line reads. “Carbon College faculty adviser J. Bryon Thompson met with Richard Saccomano, student body president, from Helper; Dominic Albo, student body vice president, Helper; Kazuko Niwa, student body secretary, Helper; Dee Miller, freshman representative, Price; and Rex Guymon, sophomore represen-tative, Castle Dale.

He told them they had 60 days to get signatures from Jan. 8 to Feb. 18, 1954, to stop their college from being closed.”

Today, 59 years later, three of those officers: Albo, Miller and Guyman, met in Salt Lake City recently to reminisce about the time they spent trying to save the college.

Albo recalled that Lee was adamant that taxpayers’ money should not be spent on funding colleges. He was fiscally conservative. Lee really thought the college would close because he knew the LDS Church had no interest in [owning] Carbon College. The cultural population was not in this area and the people were completely different from the rest of the state.

Albo also talked about Lee having words with Carbon College President Aaron Jones at a basketball game about the officiating. He said that little exchange between Lee and Jones may well have been one of the reasons Lee was

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real pros: Coaches, players from stellar 2009-’10 team revisited

It was a Cinderella-esque season for the then

College of Eastern Utah Golden Eagles in 2009-10. Throughout the season, the Golden Eagles amassed a 27-10 record, going 12-4 at home, 6-5 in away games and an astounding 6-1 playing at a neutral sight.

After winning the Scenic West Athletic Conference title, the team headed to Hutchinson, Kan., to play in the Nation-al Junior College Athletic Association Tournament.

Almost four years after that magical season, where are the players and coaches today?

Head coach Chris Craig was most recently the head coach for the Midland College Chaparrals during 2012-13 with a 37-18 record.

assistant coach Brad Barton replaced Craig as head coach. During the 2010-11 season, he led the Golden Eagles to a re-cord of 16-13. Barton, 31, died unexpectedly on Oct. 4, 2011.

assistant coach adjalma “vando” Becheli, Jr., was named as the head coach of the Golden Eagles men’s program in 2012 where during his first season the team had a record of 14-16.

THe PLayersmichael glover After graduating from Iona College, Glover signed with Hacettepe in Turkey. He recently signed to play with Metros de Santiago in the Dominican Republic as their starting-power forward.

Brandon WilliamsWilliams finished playing at USU Eastern during the 2010-11 season.

isaiah Williams After leaving CEU, Wil-liams played two seasons at Utah Valley University where he became the fourth player in UVU’s history to surpass 1,000 career points. Today he is project-ed to play pro in Europe.

Cliff Colimon Colimon went on to play at Eastern Washington from 2010-12. He signed with Ago Rethymno Agean and played there from 2012-13 and most recently signed with LF Basket in Sweden.

Tony Dalton Dalton was named as a part of the All-Tournament team for the SWAC tournament. He went on to start at Carroll College his final two years.

aaron Hawk-Harris Hawk-Harris played his soph-omore year at USU Eastern and then went to Northern Colorado University where he averaged 1.9 points per game.

Terrence JoynerJoyner played the rest of his college career at Mississippi Valley State University from 2010-12. He has signed to play with Panelefsiniakos in Greece.

fernando Defavari DeFavari played for the BYU-Hawaii Seasid-ers from 2010-11.

The 2009-10 Golden Eagles celebrate after winning the SWAC conference propelling them to national competition.


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men’s, Women’s soccer Coming to UsU eastern

Chris mast Mast finished his college career playing for Texas A&M from 2010-12.

Jonathan mills Mills finished his college career with the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles from 2011-2013 and is currently projected to go pro outside of the United States.

Jimmy Bosserman Bosserman played his

Utah state University eastern athletics will

add, for the first time, men’s and women’s soc-cer beginning the 2014-15 school year.

With this addition, USUEastern will be the second team in the Scenic West Athletic Conference to sponsor soccer programs, the first being North Idaho College.

The teams will play most of their games against opponents within the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Region 9, which covers Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado and Eastern Montana. Region 9 has 10 men’s soccer teams and seven women’s soccer teams.

“It is a great opportunity to sponsor soccer, we are hoping that it will bring between 40 and 50 students, but we don’t know quite yet,”

said Dave Paur, USU Eastern athletic director. “Each team will consist of a maximum of 11 players on the field at any given time, one of which must be the goalkeeper.”

Before soccer can get underway, a long list oflaundry items must be com-pleted to make sure that the team and field are ready for play. Work includes filling in the east and west sides of the field that currently collects

too much water. In addition, the sprinkling system boxes located on the playing field will need to be moved to an area right beside the track, Paur said.

The college plans to hire a coach that, hopefully, can run both the men’s and wom-en’s teams, Paur said.

He said he does not anticipate any additional sports being added to the program at this

time. Looking down the road, current facilities could support wrestling, softball or football.

Paur cringed, however, over the thought of adding a football program. “Football would cost us over $1 million dollars.” _____________Writer: David osborne

sophomore year at USU Eastern in 2010-11.

Leon sutton Sutton played for Mon-tana State University. He plans to join a Brazilian team in January 2014.

nick Thompson Thompson played for the University of Oklahoma Sooners from 2010-11 where he was named a team captain. He transferred to UVU where

he played from 2012-13 and has recently signed with Finke Baskets Paderborn in Germa-ny as the starting center.

renan CustodioCustodio played for Car-roll College from 2001 to 2012 and then signed with Brusque in Brazil as their starting power forward.

valdelicio “vander”Joaquim Joaquim was named as an All-Conference Honorable

mention. He played for the University of Hawaii Warriors from 2010-13. He made an appearance with the Angola National team during the 2012 Olympics in London.______________Writer: David osborne

Field where future soccer teams will play.

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flurry of Changes Underway at UsU eastern prehistoric museum

Utah state University eastern Prehistoric

museum showcases things long gone and dead but there is nothing irrelevant or lifeless about this little gem of a museum and the wide window it opens into the primordial world.

A sense of relevancy is absolutely imperative to USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum director and curator of paleontology Kenneth Carpenter. He wants the window of his museum to be a place where people cannot only gaze into the past, but glimpse into the future.

It’s a matter of perspective and that matters, a lot, to Carpenter. It is why visitors today to the museum may have noticed some exciting transformations that have occurred over the past few years since he became director in 2010.

To start with, Carpenter’s distinguished background certainly lends itself to elevat-ing the museum’s stature. A prolific researcher and writer, Carpenter isn’t far from where he earned his Ph.D. at the University of Colorado, and for a reason. The region is rife with paleontological treasures. His research interests: dino-saurs of the Cedar Mountain Formation, biomechanics of dinosaurs, paleopathology, dinosaur reproduction and di-nosaur systematics. Location. Location. Location.

Prior to arriving in Price, Carpenter was curator of lower vertebrate paleontology and chief preparator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. He is scientific advisor to National Geographic Society, BBC, NHK television and a consultant for “Planet Dinosaur.”

He has appeared on more than 30 television programs on dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.

In the short time he’s been director of the museum, he continues to do research and records his findings in the early hours before heading into work. Already he has discov-ered a giant 4-foot clam that thrived some 85 million years ago just south of Price. Last year he received the UniBio Press Award for paleontologi-cal research.

In the past year alone, he con-tinues to provide for peers and the public significant findings published in prestigious journals such as a whole new genus and species of marine reptile, the Megacephalosaurus eulerti.

In another paper published this year, he refutes the notion

that T-rex, “everyone’s favor-ite dinosaur,” as he put it, was strictly a scavenger.

In yet another recent paper, he provides evidence of a failed attack on a prey (duck-billed dinosaur) by a relative of T-rex, called Daspletosaurus. And if that’s not enough, in May, Carpenter’s exhaustive historical treatise on the inter-nationally acclaimed Dinosaur National Monument outside of Vernal, Utah, was published in the “Annals of Carnegie Museum.” From his impressive research on the Monument’s quarry bones heaped together and sealed in primordial mud, he found new lines of evidence strongly suggesting non-cat-astrophic mass mortality. In short, drought could very well have doomed the dinosaurs.

Beyond his extensive research, writing and fieldwork, Carpen-ter remains awash in museum responsibilities. His efforts become readily apparent to visitors who are now greeted by the famous Utahraptor hanging out in the lobby. “I definitely plan to eat you” is the stance this predator takes with his imposing 9-inch long toe claws.

If you have seen “Jurassic Park,” you get a feel for how unnerving this nimble and

It’s crunch time for Ken Carpenter and USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum.


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vicious predator might have been. Carpenter likes how Steven Spielberg got people thinking about what it would have been like to have lived among dinosaurs and wants to do the same thing for visitors to his museum.

a museum that engages visitors and urges them to think in new facets is what Carpenter said he is going for.

He not only wants people to see and appreciate these amazing objects from the past, but also to better understand why they are so important to-day. For example, does climate change matter? Can it lead to extinction?

These questions become even more relevant when framed against museum objects and information garnered from ancient times. Relevancy is Carpenter’s mantra.

It is why he hired Tim Riley, curator of archeology, a year after he arrived. Riley is an archaeologist not only curious about what ancient humans left behind, but why. Plants and diet are a favorite topic of his. It is from his studies of ancient foods and plants that he has found a way to bridge the past with the present. It turns out that people of today share a lot more in common with people of the past than many may have guessed. To prove his point, he dishes up meals his research shows that

ancient people, such as the Fremont, actually consumed. It makes for some fine dining.And since he’s replicating meals, why not recreate an ancient kitchen too?

That is exactly what the mu-seum did with a new display of a pit house with a Fremont woman mannequin preparing such a meal. By allowing visi-tors to peer into an ancient pit house, it is the museum’s way of helping them gain a better sense of the environment in which ancient meals were prepared.

And the same goes for visiting children who are now actually able to climb into another pit house and experience such primitive lodg-ing first-hand, Carpenter said.

Keeping it real also means swapping out as many as possible of the museum’s existing bone casts with actual bones. Even though casts are authentic replications, people still like

seeing the real things when they can, Carpenter said.

As with the Utahraptor, other major dinosaur displays in the museum are also being re-positioned to more natural poses. Coming soon are new stances for the Stegosaurus and Camarasaurus displays. Also imminent are new exhibits on Early Man and Ice Age mammals, including changes to the museum’s famous Hunting-ton Columbian Mammoth.

Incidentally, surprising new DNA evidence shows that some interbreeding with the Wooly Mammoth occurred that was not previously known, Carpenter said.

no hanky-panky display, however, is in the plan.

Carpenter envisions an ever-changing museum that is not only interactive, but also highly accessible. New to the museum is the incorporation of QR codes that can be scanned

by visitors using their smart-phones at various stations throughout the museum. What pops up is information that provides more in depth detail on display objects. Also being incorporated is Braille text for the vision impaired, including portals for touching display items and artifacts where pos-sible. In addition, the museum is expanding its visitor’s base by reaching out to the growing Hispanic population in the region.

All of these important changes reflect a natural evolution that is typical of most growing and emerging museums, Carpenter said.

“We have entered into a more professional era,” he said. “We are seeing more high-quality exhibits meant to inform and engage visitors.”

That goes for outside the museum, as well, which currently offers a cultural-am-ateur course. Riley said that by spring he hopes to have in place an archeology class where students can dig at actual sites.

Any opportunity to put down a book and pick up a shovel is always more compelling in the learning process, he said, whether it be a student in archeology or a visitor to a museum, relevancy matters.__________Writer/Photos: John Devilbiss

Tim Riley with food samples from the Fremont period.

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Caribbean breeze blows across UsU eastern Campus

a cool Caribbean breeze blew through Price this summer with the arrival of 58 students from the Dominican republic as part of an intensive english program taught at Utah state University eastern.

USU Eastern teamed up with Utah State University’s Global Academy in

Logan to house and educate 58 of nearly 200 Dominican students.

The Price Campus assemblage arrived on June 6. Their classes ran from June 13-Aug. 2.

“It rocked the town,” said USU Eastern Chancellor Joe Peterson. “We were excit-ed to welcome the students here.”

Students who came to Utah from the Do-minican Republic had to compete against some 10,000 classmates who participate in their government’s English immersion program. The D.R. considers mastery of English as an entry-level credential for working in their country, “so lots of them go through this program,” Peterson said.

“It amounts to 10,000 kids all competing to go to USU,” he said. “They equate the word ‘Utah’ with the best of the best of the best.”

And not to disappoint, showing these students some of the best of Utah while they were here was part of the plan and an integral part of the program since it combined sight-seeing with teaching, learning and application of their English speaking and listening skills.

That meant every Friday during the summer, the students traveled to popular scenic and education sites around the area from Arches National Park to Salt Lake City.

Peterson said the college was fortunate to be able to join forces with Logan in

providing this unique opportunity for intensive English learning.

This fall semester saw its first eight undergraduate students of what the chancellor said he hopes is the beginning of many more in the coming semesters. He said he is hopeful the program will continue to open doors for future D.R. students to begin their undergraduate studies at USU Eastern.

For the college, when in the throes of winter, a warm Caribbean breeze would be especially welcomed. ___________Writer/Photos: John Devilbiss

Group of students at Arches National Park.

Student posing in front of world famous Arch.


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how do you Value a College education?Carbon College, as it

was then known, and i came into the world at just about the same time.

Our arrival at the age of 75 has been an occasion for some reflections on my part. I have to say that the college has reached the three-quarter-cen-tury mark in a better condition than I have.

Institutions have a capacity for renewal that is denied to mere mortals, and this is especially true of educational institu-tions. Each year brings a new “crop” of bright students eager to make their mark. Beloved teachers retire or move on and are succeeded by new people with new ideas and fresh aspirations.

And so while I find in myself a distinct creakiness in the joints and diminishing vigor, hair and hopes, the College is experi-encing a rebirth with a new identity and bold plans for new growth, but also with new challenges to be overcome in order to ensure a long, bright future.

I am fond of a statement attributed to Brigham Young that defines education as power: “the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world’s work, and the

power to appreciate life.” By this definition, the two years I spent at Carbon College from 1956 to 1958 contributed much to my later life. The aca-demic rigor of such memorable teachers as Verda Petersen, George Morgan, and Al Trujillo, combined with competition from some very bright fellow students, both drove and in-spired me to a higher standard of intellectual performance that served me well in my later studies at BYU and Stanford and throughout my career.

The College’s mission of offering both academic and technical/vocational fields of study helped me to understand the diversity of worthwhile ca-reer paths and provided a daily reminder that this was not an ivory tower, but laboratory of life and life’s work. The power to appreciate life requires a lifetime to achieve, but I can see in retrospect that the Col-lege gave me a good founda-tion through involvement in the fine arts, an introduction to the great thinkers and authors of the western tradition and insights into the wonders of the natural world.

I assume we all understand that the value of an education cannot be calculated in purely monetary terms—although statistics do show that people

who complete a degree or certificate program will, on average, earn many thousands of dol-lars more over a working lifetime than those who lack such qualifications. I am confident that my own education was a good financial invest-ment. But even if I had not enjoyed a comfort-able income, I would still be indebted to the College for enhancing my quality of life, enlarging my outlook and in-creasing the number of things in which I can find pleasure. In short, making me more fit to be a citizen in a free society.

The 75th anniversary of the institution that is now Utah State University Eastern is a good time for all Carbon College and CEU alumni to consider what benefits they derived from their experiences at the College and to think of how they might “pay back” for the value received. The best way is to “pay forward” to secure the same benefits for present and future students. USU Eastern offers a wonder-fully inexpensive education in comparison to most other colleges, but even this

relatively modest cost is beyond the means of many prospective students without financial aid. It should be among the College’s proudest claims that every entering class in its 75-year history has included a substantial contin-gent of students who are the

first in their families to obtain a higher education. Generous contributions to scholarship funds will ensure that this ad-mirable tradition continues for the next 75 years and beyond.

A college is not old at 75, but some of its buildings and other physical facilities are showing their age and need to be replaced or rehabilitat-ed. As a public college, USU Eastern depends heavily on appropriations from the state

Edward Geary: “I urge all alumni and friends to consider what this College has been worth to (you).”

“Education is power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world’s work, and the power to appreciate life.”

- Brigham Young

cont. next page

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legislature. But it depends also on the support of alumni and friends to demonstrate to state officials that this com-munity cares about its college and is committed to making it ever stronger.

Even small contributions are important because they demonstrate the breadth of the community’s support.

And small contributions can become large ones when they are repeated regularly over a

period of years. In addition of monetary support, there are opportunities for contributing time and talents to serve the College and its students, in-cluding involvement in the USU Eastern Alumni Association.

I urge all alumni and friends to consider what this College has been worth to them and what they can do to “settle their accounts” with the past and future._____________Writer: edward geary

We neeD yoUr HeLP!Please consider contributing to the UsU eastern Building vitality Campaign

Please visit: http://usueastern.edu/giving/vitalitycampaign for more information

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