Sequel - Spring 2008 - (Page 31)

Present 1952 controlled all the associated student funds and budget. “It became obvious to me that these duties needed to be under the control of skilled professionals and not a kid that creatively wins an election,” Thomas said. Leaving UVCC, Higbee went on to work at Novell as the vice president for education marketing and has since retired. Lucille Stoddard, who had served as chair of business for Utah Technical College and the dean of UVCC, stepped in as the interim president, a position she would hold again a few years later. Kerry Romesburg was selected as the new president in 1988. During his time as president of UVCC, he changed the college to the semester system and student enrollement increased from 8,700 students to more than 23,000 students. “Being president was more challenging and more fun than anyone should ever have in their career,” Romesburg said. “I was thrust into a situation that was ready for tremendous metamorphoses and change. It was a fortuitous time in my career and it worked very well for the institution.” In 1993, UVCC became UVSC, changing from a two-year community college to a four-year state college. Romesburg’s 14 years of service also saw construction of more than one million square feet of new buildings, a new branch campus and a technology-assistance distance delivery system. Upon Romesburg’s departure in 2003 to serve as president of Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla., Lucille Stoddard once again stepped in as interim president until William A. Sederburg – who had previously served as a state Senator in Michigan for 12 years and as the president of Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., for nine years – was approved as president. “Part of being a successful president is to balance different constituencies while moving the whole institution forward,” President Sederburg said. “We understand there are lots of needs on campus and we try to balance so everybody benefits.” During his time, Sederburg has increased the number of degree programs offered, began work on the new library and is leading the transition to Utah Valley University. And this transition is by no means an end, but another beginning. As faculty, staff, students, alumni and members of the community join in the conversion to UVU, the institution’s future will still be filled with change. “I expect to see more and more students coming to UVU in the future because they want to be part of something new,” said Kris Coles, who has served as the student body president of UVSC since April 2007. “The institution is progressing so rapidly and doing so well, nothing is standing in our way. The sky’s the limit for UVU.” SEQUEL YOUR WAY FEEDBACK Send comments to the Editor at megan.laurie@uvsc.edu Robert N. Thomas Kris Coles William White 1986-87 2007-08 previous experiences in education – both as a professor at the University of Texas and as president of Snow College – were vital in helping transition to Utah Valley Community College in 1987. “There were a lot of people against changing the role of the institution,” Higbee said. “But we spent a great deal of time in the public, with various service organizations and with the Legislature, talking to them and involving everyone we could in the decision.” Helping throughout the change to a community college was Student Body President Robert N. Thomas, who served from 1986 to 1987. Thomas, who is currently production manager at Hospira, Inc. in Hutchinson, Kan., helped draft the institution’s new constitution. Thomas felt the constitution gave too much power to a winner of a popularity contest. For instance, the student body president utah valley state college alumni magazine SPRING 2008 31

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Sequel - Spring 2008 Contents Campus News At Our Best Q & A A Storybook Tale Uvu.edu Alumni News Gearing Up for UVU Outstanding Educators of the Year Donations Scholarship Report

Sequel - Spring 2008

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