Baloney with Bill

Tuesday Big Bill Sederburg held his annual "Sandwiches with Sederburg" in the Grande Ballroom. No big surprises: sandwiches, cookies, a Power Point presentation, and plenty of courtesy laughs.


Sandwiches and optimism at UVSC (Deseret Morning News, April 9 2008)

Sandwiches with Sederburg event celebrates UVSC budget (Daily Herald, April 9 2008

Bill made a big deal about all the money the school is getting nowadays, which is impressive but still seems woefully inadequate considering the new mission of the school.

One of the few interesting nuggets Bill dropped is the fact that the school is hoping to earn the Carnegie Foundation's Community Engagement Classification. It beats trying to get a football team.

By the way UVSC employees, when you laugh at Big Bill's jokes it only encourages him.

The Community of Engaged Learners...for Dummies

A year ago Jack Christianson was in charge of looking after the spiritual education of UVSC's sizable Mormon population. But last summer he left his post at the Orem LDS Institute and took the job as director of the newly created Center for Engaged Learning. He has been at his new position for just over six months and has already given out plenty of grants through the new initiative.

UVSC promotes engagement model (Daily Herald, February 10 2008)

And while most agree the program has been doing some good work, others worry that the Christianson group lacks the organization and oversight that will be able to show good results. A member of the CEL screening committe told The Pipeline recently that he fears that the grants have been given out frivilously, and that policies are weak. Without good oversight and accountability the CEL might have a tough time proving that they are getting real results.

President Bill Sederburg has given the CEL plenty of freedom and cash to throw around, and hopes a good program will come out of this experiment. On more than one occasion he has mentioned that the program is like learning to fly while building the plane. There have been complaints from proposal screeners that there aren't enough guidelines and as such money has gone to students and faculty members for projects that are weak.

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