Sequel - Winter 2008 - (Page 7)

with gil and brad cook by Scotty Spjut Gil and Brad Cook have more in common than just their dna. Father Gil and son Brad both have a drive for education, a love for the middle east and many years working for utah valley state college. Both even served, at separate times, as vice president of college relations. While they have moved on to other things – Gil retired in 1999 and Brad accepted a position in the united arab emirates in 2006 – they have remained loyal supporters of the institution, and in many ways, laid the foundation for the progress uvsc has made over the years. Brad, where are you now? Brad I’m president of the Abu Dhabi Women’s College, in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. We have about 2,500 students, all of them national Emeritus. About 70 percent of our students graduate and go on to the work force and are proving to be tremendously influential. ῀ I understand you also have connections in the Middle East. Gil My wife and I served a mission in Amman, Jordan for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We’re getting ready to go on our second mission to Amman, where we’ll be directors of an educational cultural center established by the LDS church about 15 years ago. ῀ Your job must have some unique challenges, given the foreign culture and environment. Brad Education is incredibly empowering, especially for women in a region where distinct gender roles challenge female mobility in many ways. Even after living in and studying about this region for many years, I was quite unprepared to see how progressive and forward thinking this Arab nation could be. ῀ UVSC will become Utah Valley University on July 1, 2008. What changes did you see while you were here that led to this moment? Gil When I first started, the Administration Building was only a large gravel parking lot. In about 1982, I became the College’s Government Relations representative, working with the State Legislature. From then on, I went to every legislative session to lobby for the things the institution needed. Brad UVSC has benefited greatly from excellent legislative support, but Dad also built a lot of support. During his tenure as vice president, the College added about half a million square feet of buildings and facilities funded by the state. That’s hugely successful by any measure. ῀ How did your experiences at UVSC prepare you for your position in the United Arab Emirates? Brad UVSC laid the foundation for me as an educator and especially as an educational leader. UVSC has always prided itself in being responsive to its community. That’s been very helpful for me as we try to develop an institution that is responsive to student, community and industry demand. ῀ ῀ How do you feel about university status? Brad University status is a reflection of the dynamic, changing nature of Utah County as it has grown and became more complex in its educational needs. The fact that there was a unanimous vote of support for university status by the State Legislature is really a vote of confidence in the quality and reputation of its students and graduates. UVU is now reaping the benefit of a long history of dedicated, hard-working employees and supporters who were never satisfied with the status quo. Gil, what have you been up to? Gil Since I retired in 1999, I’ve been spending time with family, doing some traveling and restoring cars. If there are any open spots in the auto classes at UVSC, I go ahead and sign up. I also work with UVSC’s Auto Expo, and I’m on the executive board of the American Red Cross in Utah County. I also volunteer my time in working with Habitat for Humanity. ῀ PHOTO BY STEVEN STONE ῀ utah valley state college alumni magazine WINTER 2008 7

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sequel - Winter 2008

Sequel - Winter 2008 Contents Campus News New Insitutional Identity Unveiled Q&A with Gil and Brad Cook At Our Best A Culture of Giving Alumni Award Winners Alumni News Donations

Sequel - Winter 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.