With the selection Thursday of Robert C. Huddleston as its new president, Utah's Dixie College is replacing one outstanding top administrator with another highly impressive academic leader.
As Douglas Alder leaves that job to teach history at the St. George school, it's hard to praise him too highly. Under his direction, Dixie has generated $17 million in donations over four years, undertaken significant new construction, expanded its offerings in continuing education and increased its enrollment more than 27 percent since 1986.The challenge facing Huddleston is to prepare Dixie for still more expansion in one of Utah's fastest-growing communities without sacrificing academic quality.
To this demanding task, Huddleston comes well-prepared after serving as chief academic officer and acting president at Gateway Community College in Phoenix since 1986. During that period, Gateway has increased its enrollment from 2,800 to 8,640 students. Over the past 10 years, Huddleston has established more than 35 academic and occupational programs.
With such an impressive record of accomplishment, it's easy to see why Huddleston was chosen from among 197 candidates for the presidency of Dixie.
As Alder steps down, Utahns owe him a big debt of gratitude for his outstanding service in a demanding job that involves not only leadership and administrative ability but also prowess as a fund-raiser, lobbyist and public relations expert.
Likewise, Utahns owe Huddleston and Dixie solid support, including financial support. Despite last year's sizeable pay raise, the St. George college has been losing faculty members to high schools in Nevada offering better pay. It's never easy for struggling Utah taxpayers to finance quality higher education for increasing numbers of students. But stinting is far more expensive in the long run.