ST. GEORGE – Dixie State College's board of trustees voted unanimously Friday in favor of installing the current interim president, Stephen D. Nadauld, as the official president of the institution, crediting him with numerous and progressive movements forward during his near-two-year tenure.
The proposed appointment of Nadauld as president will be considered by the State Board of Regents in a Jan. 15 meeting.
Nadauld has served as the school's interim president since the abrupt departure of former president Lee Caldwell on March 27, 2008. Nadauld's appointment was initially for one year, to give the campus and community a chance to gear up for a new leader. State higher education officials revisited the appointment after the year was over, deciding that Nadauld, if willing, could continue until a national search was organized for a permanent president.
In November, officials met with various campus groups and industry leaders in the community to determine if a national search was necessary. Instead, they reported overwhelming support for Nadauld.
"It is very important that we have a president with a permanent appointment to help accomplish the vision that this board of trustees has, and which President Nadauld shares, for this institution to become a university as soon as appropriate and with the resources to sustain it into perpetuity," said the Board of Trustees' chairman, Shandon D. Gubler. "(Nadauld) has the full confidence of the board of trustees, the administration, the students, faculty, staff and alumni."
Avoiding a national search will save the institution a lot of time and money, according to Cameron Martin, the Utah System of Higher Education's associate commissioner for economic development and planning. He said searches are "costly endeavors," requiring national advertisements, transportation costs, salary negotiation and inauguration ceremonies. Depending on the circumstances, Martin said, other costs such as home or office renovation may be necessary, and a newly appointed president may not be able to start work immediately, delaying the sense of permanence even more.
In Utah, Utah Valley University most recently conducted a search, with financial obligations reaching up to $60,000, not including the inauguration ceremony, which was dovetailed into the university's annual scholarship ball.
Before that, Utah State University deferred a national search to appoint Stan Albrecht, who had been the runner-up in the previous national search that resulted in the hiring of Kermit Hall.
The cost of a search "really depends on the size, the scope and the breadth of the institution," Martin said, adding that some presidents decide not to hold an inauguration ceremony, which further varies the ultimate cost of appointing a new president.
The state Board of Regents would have had to suspend rules that define the standard process of a presidential transition to appoint Nadauld to the permanent post. But the board has already gone through public hearings involving the constituency. Barring any public dissent, Martin said, the appointment now is likely.
If a national search were conducted, it would likely be another year before an official appointment was made, he said. Since Nadauld has experience at Dixie State and would be willing to stay, he would be the most likely candidate anyway, Martin said. "It would be a shame to waste the resources."
Nadauld, 67, served as president of Weber State University from 1985 to 1990 and was also a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1991 to 1996. He has a degree in chemistry from Brigham Young University, an MBA from Harvard Business School and a doctorate in finance from the University of California at Berkeley. He has worked as a faculty member at the University of Utah, U.C. Berkeley and at BYU, as well as in various jobs in the private sector.
Since taking the interim post at Dixie State, Nadauld has retooled recruiting efforts at the college, helping to increase enrollment to record highs. He also has helped raise funds for the forthcoming Centennial Commons student center and has put the school on trajectory to someday gain university status, said Dixie spokesman Steve Johnson. s' resolution was forwarded to the regents for consideration in their Jan. 15 meeting in Salt Lake City.
"It has been a great source of personal satisfaction to be able to come here and be helpful," Nadauld said Friday in a statement. "This is an institution that has an unlimited upside of potential and such an extraordinary future."
The trusteeE-mail: wleonard@desnews.com