Snow College South and Central Applied Technology College, born joined at the hip by legislative fiat, are undergoing separation surgery that will clearly define the roles of each institution and give the two Richfield schools more autonomy.
"The current policies and practices have not worked," said Snow College President Michael Benson. He has proposed extensive realignment of the two entities and presented his plan recently in a public meeting in Richfield. Community sentiment has been strong, with a variety of opinions on how the academic and technical training missions should be managed to give south central Utah post-secondary education opportunities on a par with other parts of the state. Several hundred people attended the public hearing held July 2.
Utah Commissioner for Higher Education Cecelia Foxley, who conducted the hearing, said there was "excellent input. The bottom line is that we will deliver as best we can and with the resources available, as many high-quality technical and academic programs as we can for the people in that area. They (the two colleges) have got to stop drawing lines in the sand," and cooperate in creating mutually beneficial programs, she said.
Teacher training programs for both bachelor and graduate degrees will continue to be offered in Richfield via Southern Utah University in Cedar City.
Both Snow College South (which will become Snow College-Richfield if Benson's plan is authorized) and the technical college grew out of the old Sevier Valley Applied Technology Center. In 2001, the Legislature authorized both the Snow branch and the Central College of Applied Technology as part of a reorganization that put the state's applied technology schools under the higher education umbrella and made them colleges. There have been growing concerns about course overlap, control of facilities, funding and governance of the two Richfield entities, Benson said.
His proposals, which must have the sanction of the State Board of Regents, attempt to confirm the partnership while defining more precisely the roles of Snow College as the provider of academic courses and CATC as an applied technology center that serves both high school students and adults. A committee of the regents was to have looked at the issues during meetings Friday in Cedar City, but that particular committee has been cancelled because several regents could not be present.
Benson's plan includes naming a Snow College-Ephraim faculty or staff member as executive vice president of the Richfield campus, with offices on that campus. Benson said he already has a person in mind and that he has already approached the individual with the proposal. The vice president would oversee all for-credit programs at Richfield while serving as a member of Benson's Cabinet to maintain close ties with the parent institution. Carl Holmes, current executive vice president of Snow College South, who has had a dual role between the two colleges, will focus his time entirely on the CATC mission under Benson's plan.
All student financial aid matters will be handled on the Ephraim campus. With offices at both locations, Benson said, there are "potential liabilities that could seriously jeopardize federal student aid for both campuses." Central control is necessary to ensure that federal guidelines regarding aid are met, he said. All tuition billings also will originate on the main campus.
In the legislative mandate, two buildings that had belonged to the technical center were transferred to Snow. Lease arrangements will be worked out to provide space for CATC's technical courses.
Management of Richfield's Multi-Events Center, one of the primary targets of community opinion, would be shared under Benson's proposal. Snow would join with Sevier County, Sevier School District and Richfield City to manage the center, which has classroom space as well as a theater and sports arena. Snow has committed $2.5 million to the new facility.
While many details remain to be worked out to assure a clear division between the two colleges, Gregory Fitch, president of the Utah College of Applied Technology, of which CATC is part, believes the restructuring will be beneficial for both Richfield colleges. He commended Benson, who assumed the helm at Snow College just months ago, for his reasoned approach to the challenges in Richfield.
E-MAIL: tvanleer@desnews.com