Zoob Discusses UVSC's "Hot" Women

Local Zoobie Greg Vandagriff has come to the "fascinating" conclusion that the women of UVSC are better looking than the women who attend BYU.

UVSC vs BYU - Who’s got the hotter student body? (www.gregvandagriff.com)

Greg bases his theory on the fact that the best looking girls in his apartment complex attend UVSC. He backs up his claim by noting that "a handful of really good-lookers" are usually standing in line at Wal-Mart at 1:00 in the morning. And what soon-to-be-university is right across the street from said Wal-Mart? You guessed it–UVSC. He even conducted a control study by visiting the Lindon Wal-Mart in the wee hours of the morning, "which yielded no good-looking girls, only scary-looking hoodlums and rapscallions of various ethnicities."

Godspeed to you Greg Vandagriff, you connoisseur of the female form. May you weather the storm of various ethnicities and find the Eternal Companion with the nicest rack.

The 5 things UVSC should do to really become a university

While the big transition from UVSC to UVU is just a few months away, one wonders if the name change will really transform the school. Here are The Pipeline's top five things we think the school could (and should) do to really become a university:

1. Live up to Global Engagement promise: With such a high percentage of returned LDS missionaries, UVU has one of the most bilingual college populations in the country. UVU should capitalize on this advantage by making foreign languages part of the core curriculum. Every student graduating from UVU should be encouraged to be proficient in another language.

But how do you get students to enroll in these time intensive classes? At BYU students can use language credits to satisfy math requirements. Imagine how many students would take 12 credits of a language in order to avoid passing Math 1050.

2. Tell Trades to go green or go home: This is an idea that The Pipeline has suggested before, so for full details click here. But basically we need to exercise some tough love when it comes to our trades program. With the MATC across the street already providing nearly redundant trades offerings, UVU should focus on programs that are worthy of the university name. Other schools have adapted to the burgeoning Green economy and are training their students to lead the way when it comes to responsible and sustainable construction and green automobile technology. Let the trades schools take care of traditional trades programming, UVU should be doing the work of a university and be pushing the limits of green research and development.

3. Do something amazing with the Wasatch Campus: UVU's Wasatch Campus in Heber City has been serving the surrounding community for a few years now. But most people would agree that enrollments have been disappointing. UVU should take advantage of the campus's unique location and turn the Wasatch Campus into a world renowned destination. Minutes from some of the world's best outdoor areas the Wasatch Campus could provide outstanding programming that students from all over the world would pay top dollar for. Hospitality management, recreation management, or even a top notch film school (with Sundance just down the road) would thrive in the location. It would take vision, and a lot of money, but it could very well put UVU on the map. Otherwise that special location will continue to languish.

4. When it comes to academics, focus on what you do best: There has been a lot of speculation as to what kind of graduate programs the newly minted University should offer. As many of you know, a graduate program in education begins this fall with advanced degrees in nursing and business to follow. These three areas will certainly address current market demands and will most likely be successful and valuable programs.

But UVU should also study some of the school's more unique undergraduate programs and look for ways to develop new highly specialized master's programs that focus on practicality and shy way from heavy research. We think the aviation department's unique position as one of the best online flight programs in the country could be a springboard for a unique graduate program that takes advantage of that web positioning. UVU also has one of the largest deaf populations outside of Gallaudet. This unique position could be a selling point when attracting students interested in furthering deaf studies at UVU. UVU also has an extremely high percentage of LDS students for a state school. Having that resource along with good academic freedom policies would provide an excellent environment for Mormon Cultural Studies. Why should Claremont University lead the Mormon academic movement?

5. Respect the past, Restore The Bunnell Pioneer Home We couldn't help sneaking this one in, as it is a pet project of The Pipeline. To learn more about efforts to reclaim and restore one of the campus's hidden treasures click here. No university is complete without a little culture, and we think transforming this 115-year-old farmhouse into a working student cafe will help UVU establish an identity and foster creative work and discussion.


So there it is. Five suggestions that would really help UVU earn the title of university. Please tell us what you think of our ideas? What do you think UVU needs?

At least we do one thing right

BYU students usually don't have a lot of respect for UVSC. There is just something about that open enrollment policy that makes them giggle. But we have one thing those Zoobies will never have...dry feet and connected buildings:

Covering Your Tracks - Covered Walkways at BYU

BYU researchers find that protests are bad for business, good for irony

Researchers from Cornell University and BYU have co-authored a study that says protests have negative effects on companies' bottom lines.


Coverage of protests hurts firms, Cornell-Y. study says
Number of participants is not major factor in damage
(Deseret Morning News, November 13 2007)

Maybe that's why BYU is cracking down on campus protests.

Big property management company loses BYU-approved status

Total Propert Management, which runs some 50 or so properties throughout Provo, has lost its BYU Housing Approved status.

TPM Loses BYU Approval
(ProvoPulse.com, October 16 2007)

Any student who lives in Provo around the BYU campus knows this is a big deal. Single BYU students not living at home or in the school's dorms must live in BYU Approved housing unit. This designation insures that the property follows a strict housing policy that includes enforcing BYU's honor code. UVSC students who also live in BYU Approved apartments (which is just about every student apartment complex in Provo) also need to follow BYU's honor code; which outlaws smoking, drinking, and sex.

TPM has had a bad rap amongst students for several years, with most complaints coming from the way the company upkeeps their properties and charges fees.

BYU students currently living in TPM managed properties will need to make arrangements after December. Word on the street is that other management companies are swooping in to take over these properties.

Local big wigs discuss the future of UVSC

This past Monday UVSC hosted a pow-wow with leaders from the state and local government , as well as business leaders and educators from throughout Utah County.


Leaders look at role of UVSC
Identity issues involving school, region discussed
(Deseret Morning News, October 9 2007)

One of the most interesting facts brought up during the meeting was this one:
For instance, Hispanic students are the majority in seven of Provo's 11 elementary schools, said RaDene Hatfield, president-elect of the Provo Council PTA.

A few months back there was an article in the Daily Herald said that all of UVSC's recruitment material was also available in Spanish. There were some in the community who complained that students should be able to speak English before going to college.

More minority students going to college
(Daily Herald, August 4 2007)

Clearly if UVSC is going to continue to meet the needs of the community it will need to reach out to Hispanic students and their parents (for who the Spanish recruitment material was intended for).

UVSC Trustee to challenge Cannon for 3rd district seat

Former BYU place-kicker and current UVSC Trustee Jason Chaffetz announced today that we will run against Chris Cannon for the republican nomination for Utah's 3rd district congressional seat.

UPDATE: Governor's former chief of staff to run against Cannon
(Daily Herald, October 1 2007)

Chaffetz announces bid to unseat Cannon
(Deseret Morning News, October 1 2007)

Jason Chaffetz, David Leavitt
Two Republicans challenge Congressman Chris Cannon
(Salt Lake Tribune, October 1 2007)

While there was no announcement on what this will mean for his responsibilities at UVSC , we have to speculate that he might be stepping down. This much is for sure, Big Bill would love to have a former trustee (even a former Cougar) in Washington.

You can check out Chaffetz's website here:

http://www.jasonforcongress.com

Hellraising Y. professor receives ethics award from UVSC

David Dominguez is not your typical Brigham Young University professor. Let's face it, the Lord's University doesn't hire too many Berkeley-educated self-described hell-raisers. So it makes perfect sense for UVSC to recognize Dominguez's special place in the community by giving him an award.

UVSC gives ethics award to Y. professor
(Deseret Morning News, September 20 2007)

Dominguez was recognized for his grass-roots community work, particularly within the poorer sections of Utah Valley. I do not let powerful institutions steam-roll the innocent, the poor, the defenseless," he said. "I do not let that happen."

Dominguez hopes that some day all BYU and UVU students will be required to take a course in community justice. Bill Sederburg praised Dominguez's work, and said he wants UVSC's Community of Engaged Learners program to emulate his efforts.

PHOTO BY DON LAVANGE

Even when you don't have a football team, you can still argue about football

If you are feeling a little more socially responsible lately it is probably because it is Ethics Week at UVSC. And with all the contentious ethical issues out there nothing gets people riled up faster than football.

2 UVSC profs deem BCS unethical
(Deseret Morning News, September 20 2007)

Maybe its just UVSC's way of extending an olive branch to all the Cougars and Utes out there, but professors Dennis Farnsworth and Jon Moore say that the schools in the Mountain West Conference should join other disgruntled athletic conferences and file an antitrust lawsuit against the Bowl Championship Series.

PHOTOS BY DON LAVANGE

Masters of their Domain: More students are enrolling in graduate programs

In the last 15 years graduate school enrollment has gone up 38 percent, and as the job market demands more education UVSC is getting ready to enter the master's business.

More students going for master's degree
(Daily Herald, September 17 2007)

It looks like of the three master's programs UVSC wanted to start first (education, business, and nursing) it is education that has the most ducks in a row so far.

UVSC prof sounds off on the influence of "Community Values"

Ethics Center director David Keller, has published an article in Academe (the journal for the American Association of University Professors).

Academic Freedom vs. Community Values?


While Keller has a few facts slightly skew, and a condescending tone, it does make for fun reading for those familiar with UVSC's struggles with meeting the expectations of the surrounding community.

One part in particular caught our attention came from an anonymous letter that Keller and other "liberal" professors received early in 2006:

“Eventually, people with a strong Left-wing orientation . . . will leave UVSC because the community will not abide them. They will realize that they cannot be happy here. And like it or not, the community—especially this one—calls the shots.”

Utah schools slip in rankings

Every year US News and World Report puts out their rankings of the best colleges and universities in the country. And every year the state of Utah usually fares pretty well. This year Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, and Westminster College have slipped in their rankings.

BYU, Westminster, Utah rank high on top-colleges list (Deseret Morning News, August 17 2007)

Utah schools go south in national rankings (Salt Lake Tribune, August 17 2007

Kind of fun to see how different the two papers spin the news.

Also interesting, especially to those in UVSC's administration, is the fact that the magazine has changed some of its methodology in determining the rankings. In particular they now disqualify any school that does not require either the ACT/SAT as part of the admission process.

UVSC has been ranked as high as 4th for comprehensive colleges in the West (The comprehensive college category has been renamed the baccalaureate colleges category this year). And while the school has sort of required the ACT as part of admission since 2005, it is unclear if the schools iffy policy (students over 21 or not required to take the ACT) has kept them out of the rankings this year. It might also be the fact that UVSC, in keeping with its open admissions policy, does not use the ACT to determine eligibility, but placement.

UVSC's roots razed

From 1954 to 1977 Utah Technical College resided just west of Brigham Young University. Now, portions of the building that gave birth to UVSC are being torn down.

Part of historic college torn down (Daily Herald, August 14 2007)

UVSC to host Nader and BYU alternative commencement

The past few days have not been fun for those plucky BYU students who have been trying to find a venue for their alternative commencement. But now it looks like those Cougars looking to trade in Dick Cheney for Ralph Nader will be able to have their event at "that other university" in the valley.

An unnamed source has told The Pipeline that a deposit has been made for the event at UVSC's McKay Events Center. As of Friday afternoon employees at the on-campus arena could neither confirm or deny that the event has been scheduled.

Those familiar with the school remember when Michael Moore's visit in October of 2004 sparked a controversy that eventually garnered national attention. Conservative talk show host Sean Hannity accepted an invitation to UVSC to "balance the ticket".

LDS Church owned Brigham Young University in Provo has been weathering a storm since it announced a month ago that Vice President Dick Cheney would be the speaker at the school's commencement ceremony. Students and like-minded professors almost immediately started organizing an alternative to the Cheney event.

Last week event organizers announced that former presidential candidate and vocal Bush administration critic Ralph Nader had accepted an invitation to speak...the one problem was that venue options were dropping fast.

But it now appears that Nader and the alternative commencement kids have found a place at UVSC. The interesting thing will be if UVSC's fickle donors and supporters pipe up like they did 3 years ago. We shall see...

Not exactly fair and balanced, nor should it be

BYU announces Reid will speak on campus in the fall

All of Utah is in a twitter over Vice President Dick Cheney's looming visit as commencement speaker at Brigham Young University's graduation. The latest news has BYU and its owner, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, trumpeting their "fair and balanced" approach by announcing that Democratic Senator Harry Reid will be speaking on campus later this fall. BYU and the LDS Church are also responding to a recent editorial in the Salt Lake Tribune that says the church, despite its so-called "long standing policy of political neutrality", is really showing its biases with this invitation.

If you missed the latest articles here they are:
LDS Church and BYU officials stand by Cheney invitation (Daily Herald)
LDS Church fires back at criticism over Cheney (Deseret Morning News)
LDS Church responds to Tribune columnist (Salt Lake Tribune)

The LDS Church's full response can be found here


So what does this have to do with UVSC?"

We are glad you asked. As many of you recall a similar controversy gripped all of Utah nearly 3 years ago when UVSC announced that liberal filmmaker Michael Moore would speak on campus. Immediately there were petitions and protests calling to rescind the invitation and punish those who would dare suggest such a thing. If you need a reminder of how fun that whole thing got check out the first 40 or so minutes of the film This Divided State.

There is a scene in that movie when UVSC professor Alex Caldiero essentially grabs the camera by the lens, puts it right on his mug, and says, "There is no such thing as an objective viewpoint!" over and over.

Truer words were never spoken. There is no such thing as an objective viewpoint. Trying to balance one speaker with another, as UVSC tried to do by inviting Sean Hannity, is an exercise in futility. Public schools like UVSC better serve their communities by getting the best possible speakers to come to campus, and letting the audiences evaluate the messages.

But when we try and second guess the public, or appease the cries for balance (as if such a thing exists) we end up dumbing down the issues and further feeding the cult of personality.

Why balance is stupid

Look what BYU has done by announcing that Harry Reid will speak in the fall. This was a forum that had been planned for months, certainly before the Cheney invite. It was going to be a chance for BYU students to listen to a man, who just so happens to be of their same faith, discuss important political issues. Now it is nothing more then a half-assed attempt to quell the public outcry over the Cheney visit. Instead of listening to either of these important leaders and their messages, we will instead spend our time discussing the fact that they were invited in the first place. Both men and their words will be reduced to nothing more than another Red vs. Blue grudge match that will rile up everyone and solve nothing.

But balance should be the goal, right?

The short answer is no. An informed electorate should be the goal. But when entities try and frame the debate by "getting both sides" they end up only expressing their own biased tendencies. Here is a line from the LDS Church's official response that illustrates what we mean:

The invitation to the vice president of the United States is not a violation of that policy, any more than inviting the majority leader of the Senate would be. In fact, Senator Harry Reid — a Democrat from the opposite political pole to the vice president — has already accepted such an invitation for this fall.

So according to the LDS Church Harry Reid is the political antipode of Dick Cheney? Harry Reid? Just because he is a democrat? In order to come close to Cheney's polar opposite BYU would need to invite Hugo Chavez or raise Lenin from the dead.

The fact is that trying to achieve balance, even at a state school, is ridiculous. Now try doing it a conservative religious school and it goes from ridiculous to retarded.

We long for a day when the those in the media, and those in positions of authority, have enough confidence in human intelligence to let us evaluate messages and messengers without their silly and often meaningless labels.

We also hope that those engaged in trying to stop someone from speaking, no matter who it is, realize that their time is better spent coming up with a message of their own. Show your disagreement with more speech, better speech, not restricting the speech of others. The Michael Moore visit should have taught us at least that.

Students protest Cheney's visit to BYU

The big story at all three papers over the past week has been concerning vice-president Dick Cheney's impending visit to Brigham Young University. If you have missed the details you can read all about it at The Deseret Morning News.

Surprising many in the red-to-the-core Beehive State is news that some at BYU are none to happy about the Cheney visit and are speaking out. Stories at The Daily Herald and The Salt Lake Tribune tell the story of faculty, staff and students up in arms about the controversial and "deeply partisan" VP speaking to graduates.

A Blog was recently created that allows folks to sign a petition asking BYU to schedule another commencement speaker.

For those embroiled in this mess, The Pipeline suggests looking at the UVSC/Michael Moore uproar from 2004 for pointers on how not to act in this kind of situation. May cooler heads prevail.

How will changes at BYU shape valley?

Last week you might have caught the story in the Herald about BYU blocking You Tube. This action might have students up in arms, but it was another story that should have got their attention.

The Deseret News's Tad Walch, the valley's resident reporter on town and gown issues, wrote an article on BYU's student housing plans. While the South Campus Area Master Plan has been around for awhile, it looks like BYU will be enforcing these boundaries come April, and possibly constricting them further.

This has to make Provo city happy as they have made it known that they see student housing as the city's greatest burden. If the school is going to create a smaller box for the all-important BYU-approved housing, then Provo will be happy as clams.

But there are a few unknowns that should be considered by all sides. First BYU might find itself in a bind in 5 or ten years when this limited space has been carved up and additional capacity becomes an issue. Traffic is this part of Provo is already bad...imagine when every single BYU student has to live there.

Provo city should also keep in mind who will be taking the places of students at outlying apartment complexes. Without BYU students keeping prices inflated on the outskirts of SCAMP it is probable that a very different demographic will move in. Good, bad, or whatever...there will be a very different culture in these complexes in a very short amount of time.

But the reason why The Pipeline is even bringing this up is how it will effect UVSC students. As demand increases in the limited space around BYU you will see UVSC kids being forced out of "Approved" housing. This is not a minor issue...UVSC kids make up a strong contingent amongst BYU approved apartment complexes. With no where else to put BYU students UVSC students will continue migrating to Orem. And currently Orem has a moratorium on new "student" housing around UVSC. With Parkway Crossing no longer adding phases, and an expected surge in students as the school becomes a university, will there be adequate, affordable housing for UVSC students? How about in the next few years as local high schools graduate record numbers of students? The baby boom that educators have been warning us about for years will soon be knocking on UVSC's open-enrollment door.

Sederburg gives short list for new V.P.

UVSC President William Sederburg has tipped his hand and shown us all his final candidates for the VP of academics spot vacated by Brad Cook. An e-mail went out to employees this morning with the names of the three candidates, their bio information, and times of various meet-and-greets.

The bios are included below:

Dr. Elizabeth J. Hitch

Liz Hitch came to the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (UW-L) in July 2002 as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs after serving for seven years as Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois. She served as Interim Chancellor for UW-L from July 1, 2006, to February 1, 2007. Previous to her work at Eastern, she served for 15 years as a faculty member in the Department of Environmental Studies (achieving tenure and rank of full professor) at Central Michigan University. At CMU, she also held positions as Director of Teacher Education; and Associate Dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Services. Before entering the faculty ranks at CMU, she was Manager of Instruction Design in the School of Medicine at The University of Michigan. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Human Ecology from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from The University of Michigan.


Dr. Bill Evenson

Bill Evenson has been a university administrator for 11, an administrator at Utah Valley State College for 3 years, and a faculty member for 37 years, most of which he has been deeply involved in teaching and research in his field of physics. He is currently Associate Dean of Science & Health and Professor of Physics at UVSC, where he also led the College General Education Committee for the past two years. He was Interim Associate Vice President for Scholarship and Outreach in 2004-05. He was Professor of Physics at Brigham Young University for 34 years and served there as Associate Academic Vice President in charge of General Education, Honors, Continuing Education, Religious Education, the BYU Jerusalem Center (overseeing the establishment of programs there when the new building was first occupied), and with shared responsibility for international programs. He was also Dean of the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and Dean of General Education. One of his strengths as an administrator has been the ability to work effectively with all constituencies – students, staff, faculty, advisors, and administration – in a collegial relationship to strengthen the institution and solve problems as they have arisen.

Evenson received his Ph.D. in theoretical condensed matter physics from Iowa State University in 1968, and B.S. in physics from Brigham Young University in 1965. He was an NSF postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania with J. R. Schrieffer. His physics research now deals mainly with studies of surfaces, nanostructures, defects in materials, and inverse problems in statistical physics. He was a Fulbright Senior Scholar (research) at University of Konstanz, Germany, for 1998-99. He has had other visiting appointments at University of Hawaii and Oregon State University, and he was George and Caroline Arfken Physics Scholar in Residence at Miami University (Ohio) in November, 2002. He continues his research in physics and work in history of physics along with his current administrative position. He has published approximately 95 papers and one book in physics.

Evenson is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS).and has been an officer for many years of the APS Forum on History of Physics and the APS Four Corners Section. He was editor of History of Physics Newsletter for 6½ years from 1997 to 2003. He is a current member of the Editorial Board of the journal Physics in Perspective. His long-standing interest in the history of physics continues in parallel with other activities in the physics community: founding chair of the APS Four Corners Section, where he instituted and promoted a strong focus on student participation and a successful program of public outreach lectures connected to the annual section meeting; currently Chair-Elect of the 3,500-member Forum on History of Physics; APS Panel on Public Affairs (POPA) from 2001 through 2003.

He has active collaborations with scientists in Germany, China, and several universities in USA. He is Chair of the Executive Committee for International Conferences on Hyperfine Interactions and Nuclear Quadrupole Interactions (2004-present). He was on the Program and Organizing Committees for the 13th International Conference on Hyperfine Interactions, Bonn, Germany, August 2004, and he chaired the Program and Organizing Committees for the 12th International Conference on Hyperfine Interactions, Park City, Utah, August 2001. He participated in the Hydrogen Initiative Workshop Panel of POPA in San Francisco, December 5-7, 2003, writing one of four major sections of the report on research required for hydrogen energy development. He currently shares an NSF grant focused on undergraduate research experience with a colleague at Northern Kentucky University that now involves two UVSC physics majors and one other faculty member.

Evenson published a small book dealing with science and religion at the end of 2005: Mormonism and Evolution: The Authoritative LDS Statements, William E. Evenson and Duane E. Jeffery (Kofford Books, Salt Lake City, 2005).


Dr. Steven H. Hanks


Dr. Steven H. Hanks is Vice Provost at Utah State University. He began his academic career teaching at Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University). He received his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Utah, specializing in the areas of Business Strategy and Human Resource Management. He joined the faculty at Utah State University in 1988 where he has taught extensively at the graduate and undergraduate levels, courses related to strategic management, global business, applied research, and entrepreneurship. His research has centered on issues related to strategy, structure and leadership in emerging business ventures and his work has been published in the Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship, Theory and Practice, the Journal of Small Business Management, as well as other journals, reports and conference proceedings.

In addition to his faculty roles, Dr. Hanks has carried numerous administrative assignments, including service as Director of the Utah State University Small Business Institute, Associate Dean in the College of Business, Faculty Senate President, Vice Provost for International Affairs and Director of Distance Business Programs. During the 2001-2002 school year, Dr. Hanks was on assignment in the West Bank where he served as Dean of the Faculty of Administrative and Financial Sciences at the Arab American University in Jenin. In his present role as Vice Provost, Dr. Hanks carries a broad portfolio of assignments related to international and academic affairs. He is familiar with critical issues in higher education in the State of Utah and the Utah System of Higher Education, serving as point person for USU in communications with the Commissioners Office and the State Board of Regents in areas related to academic affairs.

Big Bill lays out his case

UVSC president William Sederburg has written a lengthy Op-Ed in this morning's Daily Herald spelling out his reasons for wanting to move to university status, and sheding some light on what UVU might look like. It is a good piece, and obviously folks at the capitol have been listening to Big Bill's spiel because it looks like progress is being made. This past Tuesday the Senate Education Committee gave their approval on SB90, a bill that will split 10.5 million bucks between the state's 9 colleges and universities with UVSC recieving the lion's share with $3 million in ongoing funding. In a Deseret Morning News article on Wednesday, Senate President John Valentine said he considerred the increase a "down payment" on UVSC's move to university status, with the money going toward more faculty and staff hires. The bill now moves on to debate in the full senate. Look for opposition from Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, who says the round dollar ammounts for each school sound fishy. The Pipeline expects the bill to pass, as it throws much needed funds at all 9 public schools.

Some of you may have caught the KSL story about SB90 which mentioned that Brigham Young University would also be getting $1 million. It appears that whoever wrote the copy, when they were adding up Utah's 9 public schools they forgot all about Weber State and so included BYU instead. We can forgive Mormon Church-owned KSL for being a little BYU-Centric, and Weber is easy to forget. But it did provide much fodder on KSL message boards as people wondered "Why in the hell is BYU getting state funds!"

Fulton's back the push for University Status

An article in today's Deseret News says that Arizona philanthropist Ira Fulton is backing UVSC's bid to become a regional university, and he is putting his money where his mouth is.

Fulton, who on Thursday wrote UVSC a check for over half a million dollars, says he will help the community raise $10 million dollars and challenge the State Legislature to do the same. Ira and his wife Mary Lou started the Fulton Challenge earlier this year, setting a goal for the college of $300,000 in fundraising. Unlike similar challenges made to the Arizona State and Brigham Young, UVSC actually not only met their goal put nearly doubled it...raising $512,000. The Fulton's matched those funds dollar for dollar.

The article is pretty decent, but fails to mention that the $10 million UVSC is looking for from the state is actually for on-going funds. That money will be used to hire more faculty to reduce the ratio of adjunct to fulltime faculty and to increase the number of professors with terminal degrees. The school will also need to hire more fulltime staff to handle the expected enrollment increases, retention, and added complexity that comes with offering graduate programs and a more comprehensive undergraduate program.

The general feeling on campus was that Fulton might continue to extend his considerable fundraising talents to UVSC. In the last 7 years The Fulton have given over $100 million to ASU, $82 million to BYU and $10 million to the University of Utah. The article says that Ira is also leading a campaign to raise a billion dollars total for ASU.

The Pipeline spoke with a Dean recently who said that administrators hoped that if the school did well with the Fulton Challenge in 2006 that perhaps Ira would continue to give money in 2007. That looks to be the case.