Acknowledging his father as "the master teacher," Steven D. Bennion accepted charge of Southern Utah University during inauguration ceremonies Friday morning in the Centrum Arena.
Bennion, 56, described his father, Lowell L. Bennion, as his most influential teacher. Lowell Bennion, the father of service learning at the University of Utah, made similar observations of his father, SUU's first "principal," Milton Bennion."I pledge to you, I will carry on his inspiration. I am lifted on their wings, but I will not rest on their laurels," Bennion said, referring to the rich educational legacy of his family.
Some 100 years after Milton Bennion stepped foot on what is now SUU, his grandson has assumed leadership of the burgeoning regional university.
Speakers at the inauguration reminded Bennion of the vision of the school's founders, many of them unschooled laborers who appreciated the value of higher learning. They urged Bennion to focus on students, the very reason colleges and universities exist.
Gov. Mike Leavitt, an SUU alumnus, charged Bennion to preserve the school's rich history and practices as the higher education system experiences growth and "un-paralled change in the way we deliver higher education."
"Today, President Bennion, let us not just launch a new century and start a new millennium, let us carry forward the great tradition and values of this institution as I know you will," Leavitt said.
Best-selling author and worldwide leadership training leader Stephen R. Covey remarked on his long-time friendship with Bennion. "He has the greatest of all human qualities, humility.
"This was an absolutely brilliant choice. This is a sweet and brilliant man," Covey said. "This is a man who has vision, not just in one direction but in many directions - a vision of creating a learning culture."
In the 4 1/2 months Bennion has served as SUU's 14th president, students and staff have grown to appreciate his willingness to listen and his common touch.
He eats in the student cafeteria, "high-fives" students as he walks across campus and makes an effort to extend personal greetings to SUU students.
Stephen Allen, president of the Associated Students of SUU, recounted Bennion's introduction to one new student.
"He said, `My name is Steve Bennion. I'm new here, too.' "
Kenneth Anderton, chairman of the Utah State Board of Regents, said Bennion was selected president of SUU among 109 candidates in a nationwide search.
Anderton charged Bennion to preserve teaching and service to students as the school's top priorities. The school should increase scholarship opportunities and bolster the use of technology and enhance its awareness and ap-preciation of different cultures and races.
He specifically challenged SUU and Dixie Community College in St. George to work together, an apparent reference to previously strained relations between the schools. "You are charged to strengthen that relationship and expand offerings as resources allow."
Upon receiving the regents' charge, Bennion was presented a ceremonial medal bearing an SUU insignia.
The inaugural ceremony began with an academic processional across the campus, which had been dusted with a skiff of snow.
The procession included the presidents of the state's eight colleges and universities, as well as the presidents of Brigham Young University and Westminster College. The parade of dignitaries also included Leavitt, Lt. Gov. Olene Walker, regents, lawmakers and local leaders.