Two new bachelor’s to be offered

at Snow through USU partnership

 

By Robert Stevens

Managing editor

Nov. 9, 2017

 

EPHRAIM—“We’d like to stop exporting our children to the Wasatch Front and other places.”

That statement by Utah Rep. Derrin Owens, R-Fountain Green, alluded to the fact that many local students leave the area to complete their college educations and then often settle outside the county for employment.

But on Tuesday, Owens, Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield, and leaders of Snow College and Utah State University announced a partnership between USU and Snow that could begin to change all that.

The partnership will allow students who complete an associate degree in business at Snow to transition seamlessly into the Jon M. Hunstman School of Business at USU. Beginning in fall, 2018, such students will be able to complete bachelor’s degrees in either business administration or marketing, through USU, while remaining at Snow College.

“Alliances and partnerships like this are going to provide opportunities,” Owens said. “I have a son in business, and now it’s exciting to think maybe in the future he can be here and earn a degree. If we can make partnerships like this, then the sky is the limit.”

Snow President Gary Carlston spoke with enthusiasm about the potential he saw in the partnership—at one point likening the two schools to the famous U.S. Navy Blue Angels “flying together to reach new heights of excellence.”

“Working together, we can provide a great benefit to students and increased support for economic development in our Six-County service area,” Carlston said.

USU leadership also championed the partnership. “This is going to be a win for Snow, USU and everyone in the Six-County Area,” said Dr. Vijay Kannan, associate dean of the Hunstman School of Business.

“There is a reality with a lot of rural communities, because of location and family commitments, that students don’t always have quite the level of access to quality higher education that we might like them to have.”

Kannan said it was important for students to understand their Snow College degree is important, but it should be their first degree in the post-secondary system, not their last.

“Our hope is, by virtue of this partnership, more and more students who are currently attending Snow will have that opportunity to make Snow a stepping stone in your education to lead you towards the things that are to come ahead,” he said.

Officials participating in the announcement explained USU courses would be taught during the day in the Snow College Business Building and would be face-to-face wherever possible.

Students would have access to Snow College student services and activities. And the selective Huntsman Scholars program, which includes a $2,000 annual scholarship and participation in special course sections and academic activities, would be available to qualified students taking USU classes at Snow College.

Dr. Chalon Keller, assistant professor of professional practice in the Huntsman School,  will teach courses and serve as the liaison between the Logan campus and students in Ephraim. But her role extends beyond teaching.

The Huntsman School of Business hired Keller to build a relationship with the Snow College Business Department to ensure the success of the partnership, said Dana M. Rhoades, assistant director for student marketing and communications at USU.

“Snow College has achieved a significant level of prominence as an undergraduate educational institution,” Keller said. “My charge is to add to Snow’s outstanding reputation in a unique and compelling way that will benefit the students and the larger community.”

Keller grew up in Preston, Idaho and earned her doctorate degree from USU in 1998. She has more than 15 years of executive experience with the U.S. Department of Defense, as a corporate project manager, and as an educator and administrator.

“I have first-hand knowledge of the culture, work ethic and ingenuity of residents in rural areas,” Keller said. “I believe my upbringing, education and professional experience will be leveraged to benefit the Sanpete County community.”

“Keller’s experience in rural communities is a big benefit,” said Nancy Glomb, director for the USU southwest region. “Coming from a small town herself, she meshes perfectly with Ephraim, and it will be great having her here on a daily basis. Her expertise will help open doors for many Snow graduates to further their education without relocation.”

Dr. Jim Davis, head of the Management Department in the Huntsman School, said, “The USU/Snow partnership challenges all of us to have vision, to suspend disbelief and to ‘Dare mighty things’ together!”

With the partnership in place, Snow will able to add business and marketing degrees to its current bachelor’s degrees in commercial music and software engineering.