January 2025

Institutional Update

Welcome back to another semester! I hope you had a wonderful holiday break full of time to enjoy your family and friends.

Thanks to your efforts with recruitment and retention, our enrollment this spring is up 5.5% over last spring semester. What a great opportunity to share the Snow experience with more and more students. Many of you have been sharing the KSL Snow story and other great stories on social media. Thank you for what you do every day and for helping share the college’s value proposition!

January also marks the beginning of the legislative session, and we are working to make sure Snow is well represented at the Capitol. A preview was shared during the January Town Hall meeting, and the Commissioner’s Office discussed the “strategic reinvestment reallocation” during a presentation to the legislature last week. Carson and I presented to the Transportation and Infrastructure Appropriations Committee about our enhancements to the Washburn Building in Richfield, and we shared the high-stakes annual presentation with the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee this morning. On Friday at the Rural Caucus meeting, I will join President Weight for a partnership proposal presentation with UBTech on a joint plan to help rural students succeed. You can watch the hearings in the links provided, and everything has been posted to our webpage as well.

The bill tracker is helpful, and USHE provides detailed weekly updates. Hopefully all of this information will help you feel informed about what is happening at a state level. We want you to know we are advocating for Snow and working with stakeholders to have the best possible outcomes from the session. We do have many friends in the Legislature, and we are grateful for their support.

Next Wednesday several employees, students, trustees, and friends will gather in the Rotunda for our annual Snow Day on the Hill. This has become another great opportunity for us to increase awareness of what Snow College offers and express appreciation to legislators.

While this is a stressful time of year, it is easy to talk about the many wonderful things that are happening at Snow. I genuinely love our school and community and appreciate what each of you do to help our students succeed.

Stacee

External Affairs

Technical Education and Industry Connections

Tech Ed News January 2025 Computer Information Systems (Networking & Cybersecurity)

Snow College’s Computer Information Systems program trains students for careers in all areas of computer information systems including Networking and Cybersecurity. Throughout the program students apply classroom theory to computer hardware and software, mobile devices, operating systems, cloud technology and other relevant industry technologies. Students learn to develop, defend and protect networks and information systems against cyber-attacks while implementing and managing hardware, operating systems, networks, computer forensics, vulnerability assessment, security compliance, and information assurance.

To meet the needs of all students in their varied life situations, all CIS courses are fully online with face-to-face options. Industry partners indicate that many of the available jobs are remote jobs, which makes this a very attractive career opportunity for any student interested in information systems.

Although employment opportunities are small in our Six-County area, not a “hotspot” the median salary is extremely attractive, $74,952, the state of Utah is a “hotspot” with 18,000 annual job posting the past two years with a median income of $116,577.

A shout-out and thank you to Terrance Colthorp and Mike Medley for running Snow College’s high demand successful technical program.

Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

We are thrilled to announce exciting new additions to our Student Life and Leadership Office team! Please join us in welcoming Brooklyn Franco as our new Office Manager. Brooklyn is also working for Snow as an assistant softball coach and brings exceptional organizational skills and a passion for student success to her role. We are also excited to welcome Emily Irwin as our new Assistant Director. Emily recently graduated from BYUI and will oversee clubs and marketing. She brings creativity and leadership to enhance our programs and outreach. Together, they are ready to make a lasting impact on our campus community!

The Student Life Office had an incredible fall semester, hosting 20 events with a total attendance of 7,328 students. Our outdoor movie night on the football field drew the largest crowd of 808, and our monthly skate nights consistently reached capacity. Spring semester kicked off strong with a hypnotist show, a Mac n Cheese bar, and an open mic night showcasing remarkable student talent. The energy and engagement from our students continue to make these events unforgettable!

Snow College Richfield campus was the proud host of the Richfield Area Chamber's annual dinner on the evening of Monday, November 18. Over 200 business partners and civic and education leaders gathered to celebrate the achievements and contributions of local organizations throughout the year.

Recognizing the dedication of businesses and their employees, several were honored for their remarkable contributions of service. Including Snow College’s Keira Huntsman. The evening also included a moment to honor outgoing leadership and welcome new members to the board, ensuring fresh perspectives for the future. Attendees were inspired by a compelling keynote address from Olympian Mike Schlappi, whose story of overcoming adversity resonated with many.

This engaging night not only celebrated successes but also emphasized the importance of partnerships among businesses and civic organizations, leaving attendees excited for future collaborations and opportunities in the Richfield area.