DSU Magazine Fall 2017

magazine DIXIE STATE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE | FALL 2017

HITS DIXIE

Maskcara pg. 14 Soft Cell at DSU pg. 24 The Team Behind the Team pg. 36

DSU magazine - Fall 2017

Editor-in-Chief Joel Griffin

Art Director Scott Garrett, ’15

Illustration & Design Scott Garrett, ’15 Kimberly Sanna, ’17 Tori Lewis Mylee Macdonald Josh Bodell Valerie De La O

Photography Scott Garrett, ‘15 Bryce Parker Steve Johnson

Writers Joel Griffin Austin Osborne, ‘17 Jyl Hall David Cordero Erin Hakoda

Copy Editors Joel Griffin Jyl Hall Erin Hakoda Steve Johnson Dr. Jordon Sharp Deborah Millet Austin Osborne, ‘17 Mark Griffin Marilyn Lamoreaux

Feedback griffin@dixie.edu 435-879-4412

To Update Contact Information alumni.dixie.edu/update-your-records

18 ON THE COVER

Cover Photo: Scott Garrett, ’15

Osmondmania Hits Dixie Merrill and Justin Osmond plan to bring the Osmond Center for Arts Production to DSU.

DEPARTMENTS 2 Letter from President Williams 2 DSU in the News 6 active learning. active life.

28 Focal Point 42 Alumni Message

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURES 8 Hot on the Trail Dixie Alumni Warren Gubler, Keith Goodrich, and Malea Ellett give an update on the pursuit of their dream careers.

12 Trailblazers in Branding

DSU’s Marketing & Communication team earned state, regional, and national awards for last year’s Trailblazer rebrand.

14 Building her Life’s Foundation

Dixie State alumna Cara Brook shares her story of how she started with a beauty blog and created a makeup revolution.

24 The Hard Science of Soft Cell Soft Cell Biological Research is working with DSU students on groundbreaking research that could change the future of disease treatment.

32 Decades of Dedication DSU Campus Police Chief Don Reid retires after 42 years of service.

36 The Team Behind the Team

DSU and Intermountain Healthcare team up to better serve student-athletes.

40 Dixie State All-Stars

14

24

Meet this year’s award-winning faculty.

36 #ActiveLearningActiveLife • www.dixie.edu •

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Trailblazer Nation DSU in the news As the 2017-18 academic year picks up, great things are happening at Dixie State University. In fact, we are preparing to build our Human Performance Center to accommodate our growing student body and expanding academic offerings.

We will break ground on the 155,000-square-foot facility at noon on Oct. 25 and would love to have you join us. The facility, which we anticipate completing prior to the beginning of the Fall 2019 semester, will host the specialized classrooms and labs needed to offer programs in exercise science, recreation & sport management, and population health, as well as partner with the University of Utah to offer physical and occupational therapy degrees.

Located off of University Avenue in front of the Student Activities Center, the Human Performance Center will also house campus’ recreation and intramural programs and fitness facilities. Additionally, the center will feature a 50-meter swimming pool with deck space, making it the only pool in southern Utah to meet NCAA requirements to host Division II meets and only the second in Utah to do so.

The project is funded by $25 million in appropriations from the Utah State Legislature, $20 million from student fees, and $5 million in donations from Washington County, the City of St. George and private contributors. We are seeking an additional $5 million, and offering naming rights, to make our Human Performance Center one of the premier centers in the country.

Across campus, the renovations to Legend Solar Stadium are moving right along. The track and playing field were both resurfaced this summer, providing our student-athletes with the caliber of facilities their hard work and determination deserve. The field now displays Brooks the Bison at its center, which is sure to fill any Trailblazer’s heart with pride.

This September, we broke ground on a new 5,000-seat grandstand on the east side of the stadium. The football and soccer teams will continue to play on the field as the grandstand is constructed, and we expect the additional seating to be ready for the 2018 commencement in May. As these facilities are added to the DSU campus, the momentum and enthusiasm for the future of Trailblazer Nation are palpable. Anytime you get a chance, please come back to campus and experience it for yourself.

Dr. Richard B. Williams President, Dixie State University

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• Dixie State University Magazine • Fall 2017

Curator Named Utah Museum Educator of the Year Kathy Cieslewicz, Sears Art Museum Gallery curator, has been selected as the 2016 Utah Museum Educator of the Year by the Utah Art Education Association.

Cieslewicz, who was nominated for the award by Dixie State faculty and other museum educators in Utah, was selected as the winner due to her distinguished efforts to provide educational opportunities to students across the state.

“No one in education works passionately for recognition,” Cieslewicz said. “However, educators have this insatiable passion to inspire, encourage, and excite others to learn. When we see eyes light up or we see our students succeed, and we sometimes get a simple ‘thank you,’ it makes it all worthwhile.”

Cieslewicz devotes herself to promoting and advocating for Utah artists while seeking professional development opportunities for artists to advance their careers. Among other duties, she is in charge of curating and coordinating art exhibitions at Dixie State’s Sears Art Museum Gallery.

DSU IN THE NEWS

Faculty Members Teach Film Seminar in Vietnam As part of its international partnership with Duy Tan University, Dixie State sent representatives from the Digital Film program to Da Nang, Vietnam, to conduct an introductory documentary film seminar.

Through the film studies and production partnership with the university in Vietnam, Dixie State is teaching Duy Tan how to develop a documentary film department while DTU shares its expertise in computer generated imagery with DSU. “This collaboration has already proven mutually beneficial, with more to come,” DSU Assistant Professor of Digital Film Phil Tuckett said.

Tuckett and Dan Molloy, Producer and DSU Instructor, led the threeweek seminar. In addition to teaching film production skills, Tuckett and Molloy invited the top students from the class to join them in Quang Tri Province, immediately south of Vietnam’s old Demilitarized Zone, to shoot “Dreams of the Black Echo.” The documentary, a joint venture between Dixie State and Duy Tan, will be screened as the opening film in the DSU DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival in 2018.

Insight Communications Wins Yes Utah Campaign Award Insight Communications, a student-operated public relations, marketing, and advertising firm, won first place in a contest sponsored

by Intermountain Donor Services to promote the Yes Utah campaign.

The student agency was awarded $1,000 for the work they did to bring the campaign, which encourages Utahns to register or re-register for organ donation by adding their names to the Utah Donor Registry, to the Dixie State campus.

“Being able to see the individual creativity and skills of each student as we created our campaign was the most rewarding part of the experience,” Conner Murdock, director of Insight Communications, at the time, said. “Each student had different connections and backgrounds, and to mesh them all into a winning idea was an awesome thing to see.”

The agency set up booths and handed out materials to promote the cause at popular student events such as the final round of the singing competition Dixie Idol and game nights, in addition to spreading the word on social media. Additionally, Insight Communications sponsored a free student activity that featured karaoke, refreshments, and giveaways to promote organ donation and ask students to register as donors.

The agency’s efforts resulted in 300 Dixie State students registering or re-registering as organ donors.

#ActiveLearningActiveLife • www.dixie.edu •

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DSU IN THE NEWS

DSU Increases Academic Offerings As Dixie State moves forward in its strategic goal to broaden and enhance its academic offerings, the institution was approved this year to offer seven new baccalaureate majors in addition to a variety of new emphases, minors, and certificates. These additions bring the University’s number of distinctive majors to 38 and academic programs to 188.

“We are very pleased and grateful to the Board of Regents and the Dixie State University Trustees for approving these critically important degree programs,” Dr. Michael Lacourse, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said. “These programs will offer state-of-the-art curriculum and plentiful opportunities for co-curricular experiences, and we anticipate them to be very popular.”

The first four bachelor’s degrees to be approved this year began offering classes this fall semester. One such degree, bioinformatics, will provide hands-on experience in the field that merges biology, computer science, chemistry, and mathematics to use data to sequence genomes, study protein structures, and maintain patient databases.

Reflective of DSU’s active learning, active life approach to education, the new sociology degree will combine academic instruction with real-world experience. Similarly, the Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art will offer students the option to develop a broad understanding of various media or take the courses necessary to understand one medium in greater depth. Finally, the information systems & analytics degree will teach students how to analyze data to inform strategic planning and decision making.

The remaining three new baccalaureate degrees will be available starting in the Fall 2018 semester. The Bachelor of Science in nursing degree will add a traditional baccalaureate program track to Dixie State’s offerings. The population health program will focus on the health outcomes of groups of individuals and how those outcomes are distributed within those groups. The program will offer emphases in health care administration and public health.

The new recreation & sport management program is dedicated to preparing students for rewarding careers in the recreation, sport, fitness, and tourism industries. The degree will provide emphases in sport management, corporate recreation & wellness, and experience industry management.

Additionally, a broadcasting emphasis has been added to the media studies degree and an applied leadership emphasis has been added to the communication studies baccalaureate degree. Students interested in the arts will benefit from new minors in photography and graphic design, and an accounting minor has been added for students majoring in any field of study. DSU also has added Certificates of Proficiency in multimedia journalism, social media, strategic communication, and entrepreneurship.

Next year, Dixie State plans to add bachelor’s programs in mechanical engineering, arts production, design, and applied mathematics, and its first master’s degrees in accountancy, software development, and genetic counseling.

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• DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

Mon d ay 1 0 | 2 3

F r id ay 10 | 2 7

Homecoming Kick-Off 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. • Diagonal and the Centennial Commons Plaza

Homecoming Assembly 10 - 11 a.m. • Eccles Concert Hall

Classic Car Show & All-American Dinner 6 - 8 p.m. • Wade Alumni House

Tues d ay 1 0 | 24 Miss Dixie State University Pageant 7:30 p.m. • Cox Performing Arts Center $10 General Admission $5 with Student ID

We d n es d ay 1 0 | 2 5 active learning. active life.

Wellness Fair 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. • Diagonal Human Performance Center Groundbreaking 12 p.m. • Student Activities Center Parking Lot Dixie Flix Drive-In Movie 7 p.m. • Ridge Top Complex 620 S. Airport Road Movie at Dusk

T h urs d ay 1 0 | 2 6 Harlem Globetrotters 7 p.m. • Burns Arena

$40 General Admission Student Tickets Start at $17

Andrew Barnum Statue Unveiling 11:30 a.m. • Science Building Alumni & Hall of Fame Banquet 6 p.m. • Gardner Center Ballroom $17.50 General Admission

Midnight Program Bureau 8:30 p.m. • DSU Band Room Eccles Fine Arts Center Midnight 5K 11:59 p.m. • Legend Solar Stadium Check-in begins at 10 p.m. $15 General Admission

S a turd ay 10 | 28

Homecoming Parade 10 a.m. • Dixie State University to Main Street on Tabernacle Street Trailblazer Tailgate 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. • Wade Alumni House Homecoming Football Game DSU vs. Adams State 1 - 3 p.m. • Legend Solar Stadium $7 General Admission

Program Bureau 50th Anniversary Celebration 7 p.m. • Wade Alumni House

DIXIE.EDU/HOMECOMING #activelearningactivelife • www.dixie.edu •

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active learning. active life.

A Filmmaker’s Dream

documentary “Tour of Honor,” which was screened in the 2015 DOCUTAH festival.

Story by Erin Hakoda Design by Mylee Macdonald

DOCUTAH was Plummer’s first introduction to Dixie State. After submitting three films, Plummer came to the festival and met Phil Tuckett, assistant professor of digital film at DSU and 30-time Emmy Award winner, who told him about the University’s film program.

Plummer had plans to attend a California college, but his entire plan rerouted to St. George once he realized how immersive the Dixie State learning experience would be.

“Tuckett told me, ‘Within your first semester, you’ll be holding a camera,’” Plummer recalls. “And that came true.”

Since age 3, Kyle Plummer has dreamed of becoming a filmmaker. Now he’s fulfilling that dream at Dixie State University. He is a founder and co-owner of SuperImage, Ltd., an employee for DSU Films, and a showcased director in DOCUTAH, DSU’s international documentary film festival, along with other festivals throughout the nation.

During that first semester, Plummer didn’t just hold a camera, he became the director of a short film in one of his classes.

Plummer says although he had filmmaking experience prior to coming to Dixie State, he now realizes how much he didn’t know. From the technical side of film to equipment knowledge and experience to postproduction, his cast of courses here has added greater depth to his skill set.

At age 5, Plummer got his start in short films and later began filming documentaries. His brother Carlos followed suit, and in 2012, they started SuperImage. Plummer had attained his dream by the age of 15.

As word of the young pair spread throughout their hometown of Cambria, California, and the surrounding region, contracted projects began rolling in.

One such project involved creating short documentaries about local veterans, which caught the attention of a special nonprofit — Honor Flight Central Coast.

Plummer prides himself in having touched every available piece of filmmaking equipment on campus. “That’s the beauty of it. The equipment we have here is amazing, and it’s representative of what experts in the industry are using right now,” he says.

“Yet, I’m in classes with only four or five other students.”

Honor Flight sent Plummer to Washington, D.C., with 21 World War II, Korea, and Vietnam veterans to document their experience visiting their memorials.

What he filmed became the emotional

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• DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

Photo provided by Sierra Films

He now has four semesters of experience under his belt with DSU Films. The company, operated by faculty and students, has produced material for DSU’s digital campaigns, the St. George Tourism Office, and Tuacahn Center for the Arts among others. This fall, Plummer created the marketing materials for DOCUTAH, including the opening trailer for the 2017 festival, which played before each documentary screening.

Plummer feels Dixie State offers a plethora of opportunities to students who are willing to accept them.

“It’s all about that initiative and drive,” Plummer says, “and the school, the environment, and the community all encourage that.”

In his final two years at DSU, he’s focusing on gaining experience and building up his reel along with his credibility and reputation. His network of professors offers an abundance of resources and connections, from which he hopes to benefit when seeking new jobs and internships. For now, Plummer continues to live his dream while pursuing his education and building up SuperImage as an independent film company.

Rural Health Scholars educates students on the requirements for graduate and allied health programs, provides them with opportunities to fulfill those requirements, and assists with applications and interviews.

We also conduct cultural immersion trips, campus visits, and a host of other activities designed to help our students get an edge.

RHS is designed to take students from their first day at DSU all the way through their acceptance into a graduate or allied health program.

#activelearningactivelife • www.dixie.edu •

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Catching up with Dixie Alumni Story by Erin Hakoda Design by Tori Lewis

Warren Gubler is the founding partner of his general practice law firm, Gubler & Abbott LLP in Central California. He also serves as the mayor of Visalia, California. In both jobs, he appreciates the opportunity to serve others and make a difference.

He considers Dixie State to be the launching point for his legal career. “Dixie College was small enough that the teachers all knew my name and took an interest in me,” he says.

Gubler came to Dixie from California on a track scholarship. To this day, he still remembers running in the Great Race, back when its course ran up and across Foremaster Ridge and through the Virgin River.

No matter where he’s lived, he’s always considered Dixie home. “I still have a small bottle of red sand from Dixie on my office bookshelf,” Gubler says.

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• DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

HOT ON THE TRAIL

Keith Goodrich, a choir and orchestra teacher at Elk Ridge Middle School, was selected by The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation as a quarterfinalist for their Music Educator Award in 2016. Chosen for his contributions to music education at Elk Ridge, Goodrich teaches four different choir groups as well as beginning and advanced orchestra. Additionally, he choreographs and directs school musicals.

“If I hadn’t gone to Dixie, I would not have met the professors who have encouraged and inspired me,” Goodrich says. “I wouldn’t have the job I have right now if it weren’t for the connections I made while at Dixie State.”

He gained valuable experience singing, dancing, and participating in the orchestra at DSU. “Because it was a small campus, I had a lot of opportunities to perform, which gave me the experience that I needed and the opportunity to develop as a marketable performer,” Goodrich says.

When he’s not teaching, Goodrich is acting, singing, and dancing as part of the inaugural cast of the Broadway musical, Aida, at Hale Center Theatre. He is also an aerialist with Defying Gravity Utah and other aerial studios in Salt Lake City.

#IWentToDixie • www.dixie.edu •

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HOT ON THE TRAIL

Malea Ellett has owned her business, Malea Ellett Photography, for eight years. She serves southern Utah, Las Vegas, and California, photographing families, weddings, senior portraits, and editorials. Ellett loves being able to feed her passion for photography through her work.

While attending Dixie State, Ellett explored different art forms. She took classes such as film photography, which led her to realize that digital photography was her true calling.

She was first attracted to Dixie State because it was close to home. “I love Dixie,” Ellett says. “I am happy to see our little town becoming more involved with the University!”

Ellett still visits the campus and says she finds inspiration in DSU. “It is a constant reminder of how life flies by and how education and the people you meet along the way influence your life,” she says.

10 • DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

A DEGREE AS UNIQUE

AS YOU

Applied Sociology a t DSU is the on ly degree of i t s k ind o ff ered in the sta t e o f Utah.

Land a rewarding career in areas o f governmen t, educa tion, business, heal thcare, and more.

A ppl y t oda y a t di xi e.edu/soci ol ogy

TRAILBLAZERS IN BRANDING It goes without saying that strong branding is crucial in today’s world, but collegiate branding stands in a league of its own. A university brand often represents the most influential time of our lives and becomes a large part of our personal identities. Consequently, rebranding an athletic identity is not only difficult, it most often results in a no-win situation for many marketing professionals.

Nonetheless, DSU’s marketing & communication team has received a record-breaking number of state, regional, and national awards since DSU’s Trailblazer rebrand in 2016, including the Utah Business 2017 Sales & Marketer of the Year award and the Public Relations Society of America’s prestigious Silver Anvil Award of Excellence.

Commonly known as the “Oscars of public relations,” the Silver Anvil Awards recognize the best public relations campaigns in the nation and set the standards of performance in the profession. Other 2017 Silver Anvil Award

12 • DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

DSU REBRAND AWARDS

winners include NASA, Microsoft, Starbucks, Carnival Corporation, Dell, Bank of America, IBM, and American Express. In addition, DSU’s team received more regional and national awards than any other institution of higher education in the U.S. from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations.

DSU’s marketing & communication team worked in association with Love Communications to roll out the new identity. The Trailblazer rebrand has proven to be an overwhelming success in every measurable way, and the process used in its creation has set the standard for athletic rebrands across the nation.

Top row, from left: Brooks the Bison, Misty Frisbey, ’06, Joel Griffin, Scott Garrett, ’15, Jyl Hall Bottom row: Kayla Coolbear, ‘16, Dr. Jordon Sharp, Megan Church, ‘15, Jared Madsen, ‘08

#TrailblazerNation • www.dixie.edu • 13

MASKCARA

Building her Life’s 14 • Dixie State University Magazine • Fall 2017

C

MASKCARA

Cara Brook knew she was on to something — cutting a morning makeup routine to mere minutes with a custom-fit clay mask lined with makeup. Her customers would have the luxury of sleeping in while still looking great.

She was on a mission to learn all the skills needed to one day launch her own makeup line and — more than that — revolutionize the makeup routine and simplify the process of looking beautiful.

However, she was just a fifth-grader, and her science project had worked so much better in her head. The mask was a failure, but her ongoing drive to simplify makeup wouldn’t be.

In high school, Brook worked at the St. George Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio and enjoyed doing friends’ makeup and hair for school dances. She had a knack for it, and as her expertise increased, there evolved significant differences in how Brook and the cosmetology industry approached makeup.

Years later, at midnight on Black Friday, she released her groundbreaking IIID Foundation and sold out of inventory within a few hours. Now, Brook is the founder of Maskcara Beauty, a company as remarkable for its product line as its impact in helping women everywhere discover their beauty.

“It was as if beauty companies and magazines wanted it to seem complex so consumers would need them and their

“I felt like the industry was overcomplicating makeup, and that it could be much more simple than that.”

Facing Forward As a student at Dixie State, Brook conformed her studies to her future career interest by signing up for a variety of seemingly unrelated courses. She learned leadership and marketing in business administration classes, how to create artwork in graphic design, the art of making a nose appear skinnier in portrait painting, and just enough in chemistry to realize she wanted nothing to do with it.

products more,” Brook says. “I felt like the industry was overcomplicating makeup, and that it could be much more simple than that.”

Before & After With more than 64,000 YouTube subscribers and 135,000 Pinterest and 99,000 Instagram followers today, it’s hard to imagine that Brook was once a broke, divorced, single mom with a new baby, gathering free samples of Sephora products she couldn’t afford to use in blog tutorials.

Yet, it was hardship that ultimately pushed her to action.

Foundation Story by Joel Griffin Design by Kimberly Sanna, ’17 Photos provided by Maskcara Beauty

“I had been in a bad relationship and a bad situation,” she explains. “Also, I had never really done anything with all the dreams I had. I remember thinking, ‘If I’m going to raise someone and tell him to follow his dreams, I’d better do it too.’”

Brook initially had no idea where to turn. “Starting a makeup line isn’t really something you can just Google,” she says. With no money or connections, she created a blog she called “Maskcara.” She admits that had she known how common beauty blogs were, she probably wouldn’t have started one; but unaware of what was already out there, she published her first blog post.

In her tutorials, Brook, who looks like she walked off the pages of Elle, was unafraid to appear on camera with undone hair and no makeup to show her followers how attainable her look really was. Her transparency spilled over into other, more personal posts, including the struggles she faced.

Her blog began to resonate with a larger audience and even caught the attention of former boyfriend and professional golfer, Nick Killpack. Killpack contacted Brook

#IWentToDixie • www.dixie.edu • 15

MASKCARA

Fostering Love Aside from owning and operating Maskcara Beauty, Cara Brook and Nick Killpack are strong advocates for fostering — something Brook says she has felt called to do for a long time.

In addition to two biological children, Brook and Killpack are foster parents to two others in their family. They use their online platform to share their experience and encourage others to consider becoming foster parents as well.

“The two people who have come into our home fit perfectly in our family,” Killpack says. “And now that we’re doing it, we have this avenue to share, and we want to share it as much as we can.”

16 • Dixie State University Magazine • Fall 2017

MASKCARA in hopes that she might promote a product he was marketing, but she declined on a principle she still follows: to only promote what she believes in. Killpack didn’t take it too personally; a year later, he would ask her to marry him, and she would accept.

Making up Makeup A year into the blog, Brook received a call from her sister, Rachel, who had just given a pedicure to a woman whose company manufactured makeup for companies like Sephora and Bath & Body Works. The two began collaborating on what would become the Maskcara makeup line. For two years, they developed products by offering free makeovers to an increasing number of Brook’s followers. From those experiments, Maskcara’s groundbreaking IIID Foundation was born.

Highlighting and contouring, or HACing, has long been a favorite technique of Brook’s and one she says her DSU portrait painting class helped fine-tune. It involves adding dimension to the face by making certain parts stand out while shadowing others to make them less noticeable. IIID Foundation was the first product of its kind that could, in four simple steps, accomplish the effect with just one layer of makeup.

It was a breakthrough because HACing had largely been reserved for celebrities because of its complexity and multiple layers. Now, her followers could do it in minutes and produce a more natural look.

When it came time for mass production, Brook and Killpack were shocked to discover the upfront cost would be much more than they had anticipated. Their combined life savings still left them $120,000 short. As Killpack sought advice, his father unexpectedly volunteered to cash in his 401K and offer it as a loan. But at midnight on Black Friday 2014, Maskcara Beauty was profitable within hours. They sold close to 7,000 orders at no less than four orders per minute. They had hired an e-commerce company that manages

websites’ high traffic, but the load crashed Maskcara’s site and the other 150 sites the company managed.

Since then, Maskcara Beauty has boomed.

Brook had always hoped to see her makeup line in stores, but when Anthropologie and Sephora finally called, she politely declined. Instead, she decided to share the profits with her loyal followers, giving them the opportunity to become Maskcara Artists, who act as direct sellers.

With more than 2,000 artists sharing the product nationwide, Maskcara has grown exponentially and is a multi-million dollar company poised to go international.

However, Brook says that despite all the growth, she’s not all that interested in numbers. “Whether it’s streamlining their beauty routine, helping them feel beautiful, or giving them an opportunity to make a living while still being able to be with their kids, I just want to share with as many women across the globe as possible. I want to make women feel confident and beautiful. I want them to see what I see in them, and that’s really what this is all about.”

#IWentToDixie • www.dixie.edu •

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DSU OSMOND CENTER

18 • DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

At

8 years old, there he stood, face to face with Walt Disney. The Dapper Dans quartet had spotted little Merrill Osmond and his identically dressed brothers on Disneyland’s Main Street, and the impromptu barbershop duel that followed earned them an audition with Disney himself. He, followed shortly thereafter by Andy Williams, would make them famous.

Fifty-six years later, and still touring, there isn’t much Merrill doesn’t know about the music industry and producing. The Osmonds rivaled the Jackson 5 and Merrill had a hand in selling more than 100 million records, received two People’s Choice Awards and two Grammy nominations, produced the Donny & Marie television show, and was asked by Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush to lend his production hand to their inaugurations.

Despite his profound hearing loss, Justin takes life head-on. He is a great communicator thanks to 12 years of dedicated speech and language therapy. He plays the drums and also plays the violin and viola, in part, by “listening” to its vibrations through his jawbone as he plays. Justin founded the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund — honoring his grandmother — to provide resources for the deaf and hard of hearing. He recently ran 250 miles in seven days to raise funding for 25 deaf children in Washington County.

“Just because your ears are broken doesn’t mean that should stop you from going after your dreams,” he says.

Though the Osmonds are famous for their music, not many people know how or why they started performing — “It was to raise money to buy hearing aids,” Merrill explains. “I have two brothers who are hard of hearing. That’s the untold story. You ask any of us and we’ll all tell you the same thing.”

Justin is also hard of hearing, which his parents didn’t discover until he was 2 years old. “It was challenging growing up in such a musical family,” Justin admits, “but they made me feel connected and part of the group.”

oel Griffin Design an y by J d ph Stor ot o sb yS

The Untold Story

co tt G ar re t t,

Having recently moved to St. George, Merrill and his son Justin are bringing their know-how to Dixie State University and have big plans for founding the proposed Osmond Center for Arts Production.

5 ’1

OSMONDS

A Hands-on Production Degree

Taking on yet another challenge, Justin now follows in his dad’s footsteps as a producer. They co-produced the Pioneer Legacy & Firework Celebration at Legend Solar Stadium this summer before a crowd of 6,000 plus, and granted the gift of hearing to two local children on stage. They plan to continue the show annually and hope to see it grow, similar to Provo’s Stadium of Fire — another Merrill creation.

“Watching my dad put on these big events over the years …

I’ve always had an interest in that,” Justin says. “He’s been teaching me, showing me the ropes, and it’s been a fun journey.”

A Three-Part Vision Shortly after the Osmonds moved to St. George, they reached out to DSU administrators and began discussing a partnership. They connected with DSU’s Dean of the College of the Arts Dr. Jeffery Jarvis and developed a plan for the future Osmond Center for Arts Production.

“Like a lot of people who settle in this town, Merrill’s not ready to stop,” Jarvis says. “So when he came to us asking if he could help, I remember thinking, ‘There’s the potential here to do something really special and unique.’”

Since then, they have identified a three-part vision for the center, which includes the creation of an arts production degree, the bolstering of production capabilities with a full-time production faculty, and the formation of a nonprofit corporation to bring major headliner performances to St. George.

20• DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

To explain the need for arts production professionals, Jarvis gives an example of the Metropolitan Opera: “You might only see three to five people on stage performing, but it takes hundreds to pull off what’s happening around the performer,” he explains. “We want a program that trains and educates about those things. It’s a degree program in the arts that has a definite career path.”

Jarvis says the arts production degree will be different from other universities’ programs that are based on specific disciplines. “When we think about the music industry, we usually come at it from just music and not from the skill sets that are necessary,” he explains. “But you need to know how to use a lot of technology in the music industry; you need to understand lights and sound; you need somebody managing your sound, who knows how you want it. But we usually don’t approach building a degree that way. Instead, we typically say, ‘You’re a singer, so we’ll put you in the singing track,’ but that’s not the biggest part of the gig.”

Instead, Jarvis talks of the arts production degree interfacing from the start with music, theatre, and dance — adding in business, marketing, and communications further down the road. “That’s the big picture,” Jarvis says.

Jarvis and the Osmonds envision a program of hands-on education, tying in with DSU’s active learning, active life approach. “It’s learning by doing, which is what the arts are all about,” Jarvis says.

DSU OSMOND CENTER

The most exciting prospect for Jarvis is connecting Merrill with the students. “That, to me, is the coolest part because he knows everybody!”

Merrill also looks forward to that personal connection, guiding students into real careers. “If a student has talent, but doesn’t know where to take it, we would assess it, analyze it, focus it, and put it in the right arena,” Merrill says. “The industry is very fleeting, and to be able to find the right sources and individuals to help move your career ahead is extremely important.”

The Osmonds have already reached out to some of their corporate connections to establish arts production internships for DSU students on professional showcases at theaters, concert halls, and studios throughout the country.

“We want to make this program so appealing that students from all over the country and even worldwide will want to come here,” Justin says. “We want to create opportunities for them to cultivate and build relationships with major corporations. We also want to create a very high percentage of job placement for our students before they graduate.”

A Stronger Production Force on Campus Along with the creation of the program, plans for the Osmond Center include the expansion of DSU’s capacity to produce fine arts events.

Jarvis explains that with its current limitations, DSU usually can run only one show per night. However, he says, “In building a successful degree program, we create a group of students who need to learn, which then supports expanding production.”

To meet DSU’s production needs, the Osmond Center will hire faculty who have career experience in arts production.

“We’ll be hiring them to be faculty, but also to produce events,” Jarvis says. “So we’re expanding the production workforce and providing even more internship opportunities.”

The Future of St. George Entertainment Lastly, the Osmonds and Jarvis plan to bring top talent and major shows to the St. George region by raising requisite seed money to get the ball rolling and become a sustainable nonprofit enterprise.

#ActiveLearningActiveLife • www.dixie.edu • 21

DSU OSMOND CENTER

Although DSU’s Celebrity Concert Series successfully showcases renowned artists, Jarvis says bringing in big headliners depends on finding the right artist at the right time and usually requires finding discounts for shows traveling from Denver to Los Angeles. Initial funding efforts will go toward upgrading facility equipment for these major productions, with the aim of achieving large audience draws to repay the investments and even become profitable.

“I’d love to see us get to a place where three or four times a year, there’s a show on this campus that isn’t in Salt Lake or Vegas that people would drive here to see … and where Dixie State becomes the hub for all the entertainment in St. George,” Jarvis says.

The Osmonds have already made plans for DSU’s O.C. Tanner Amphitheater at the mouth of Zion National Park. “We’re working on some exciting projects to take that beautiful amphitheater to the

DSU OSMOND CENTER

next level and there’s a lot of momentum going on there,” Justin says. “It’s Utah’s hidden jewel, and there is no reason it shouldn’t become one of the mainstays of southern Utah.”

As they move forward to establish the center, Jarvis and the Osmonds extend an open invitation to alumni and friends of DSU to get involved, partner, and contribute to make these plans a reality.

“I don’t want to take all I’ve learned and just stop,” Merrill says. “I want to be involved with students and give them real experience in this industry. The Osmond Center will have the 60-year backing of our family’s legacy, and we’re putting it right smack-dab on the Dixie State campus.”

To contribute to the future Osmond Center for Arts Production at Dixie State University, please contact DSU Dean Jeffery Jarvis at 435-652-7792 or jarvis@dixie.edu.

#ActiveLearningActiveLife • www.dixie.edu • 23

A

As Brent Hunt and Dr. Andrew Barnum took turns studying Hunt’s blood through a microscope, they finally came across what they were looking for — what doctors and blood labs had missed. It was much smaller than they had anticipated, but it has since made a huge impact and may forever change the treatment of disease.

For years it has been believed that blood is a sterile environment, but Hunt’s sample showed otherwise. They found L-form bacteria living in his blood — a type of bacteria that lacks a cell wall.

Because of this, Hunt has come to call them soft cells. These soft cells have the ability to travel freely throughout the body, invading red blood cells everywhere they go and taking over as hosts.

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24• DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

SOFT CELL AT DSU The discovery provided a likely answer to the question of why Hunt’s seven shoulder and knee replacement surgeries hadn’t worked. It was this question that sent Hunt back to his microbiology roots at Dixie State, where he had left 31 years earlier to hang drywall ­— a profession that eventually took its toll on his body and necessitated the surgeries. Unlike others, Hunt’s body rejected the prosthetic joints time and time again. Doctors prescribed antibiotics, telling him he would likely have to take them his whole life even though extensive bi-weekly blood tests showed no apparent sign of infection.

Frustrated when medical science failed him, Hunt came back to DSU’s campus and teamed up with the then 88-year-old Barnum, his former professor, to look for answers. When they found L-forms in Hunt’s blood, things began to make sense.

The Research

Soft Cell Founder and CEO Brent Hunt

Today, Hunt is the founder and CEO of Soft Cell Biological Research, a company founded on his early observations of L-forms.

company the first to regularly culture L-form bacteria for long-term research.

Although they were originally discovered in 1935, little information about L-forms had been developed since then because

In 2015, Soft Cell partnered with Dixie State University to further Soft Cell’s research. Over the last two years, a team

“Nobody knows what causes a lot of autoimmune disorders, but we know that these bacteria thrive in our systems and produce toxins that interfere with how our cells function.” the bacteria is difficult to culture outside a host, and their lack of cell walls makes their detection by traditional staining techniques a challenge.

Yet, Hunt has managed to clear these hurdles. Through trial-anderror methods, Hunt developed an unconventional blood bottle protocol that has made his

of more than 40 DSU students has assisted Soft Cell in culturing approximately 5,000 bacterial samples. Of those samples, the team has identified more than 500 distinct bacterial species — more than 400 of which are entirely new to science.

Perhaps even more groundbreaking is the early research the team has conducted showing a correlation between L-form bacteria and autoimmune disorders.

L-form: a small variant form of some bacteria (as those causing anthrax, Lyme disease, and tuberculosis) that typically lacks a cell wall and displays resistance to antibiotics Autoimmune: of, relating to, or caused by autoantibodies or T cells that attack molecules, cells, or tissues of the organism producing them

Soft Cell’s research shows definitively that people who suffer from autoimmune diseases, such as Fibromyalgia and Lupus, have up to four times as many L-form bacteria as the average individual.

Previously, scientists had missed this important connection. Now, Hunt’s company is digging deeper into this relationship between L-form bacteria and disease.

“We started out just looking for rejection in joints, but as we started testing people, we’d find that someone may have a joint that had been rejected, or they might also have a condition like Lupus,” Hunt says, adding that this was a connection not to be ignored. “Nobody knows what causes a lot of autoimmune disorders, but we know that these bacteria thrive in our systems and produce toxins that interfere with how our cells function.”

Hunt says the research will continue to explore these relationships, but the data has already begun to produce conclusive evidence.

SOFT CELL AT DSU

to London to present their findings to British medical research charities LifeArc and The Wellcome Trust, and international interest in their work continues to grow.

“It went as well as it could go,” Hunt says.

“They’re really interested in using this protocol of growing the bacteria for the purpose of finding preventative medicines.”

Such opportunities equate to more potential growth at DSU, thanks to Soft Cell’s agreement to donate one-third of its profit to the University. “We’re going to turn a corner soon, and when we do, that will mean expansion at Dixie,” Hunt says.

Using an extensive archive of blood samples, Soft Cell researchers can now compare the bacteria they find with standard bacteria. Put simply, they look for variations in the genetic makeup of the bacteria they find and record those variations in a data system.

Hopefully it is sooner than later; Hunt is working quickly because it’s only a matter of time before his body completely rejects his knee replacement again, and with the little bone he has left there, the next replacement operation will have to be his last.

“We sometimes collect the same bacteria with the same deviations from different subjects, meaning that we’re finding repeats of these strange bacteria in multiple subjects,” Hunt explains. “For example, we’ve noticed that subjects with type 2 diabetes actually have a really high number of one specific bacteria.”

Looking Forward

Hunt says research has uncovered other repeated occurrences of bacteria that can be linked to certain diseases and disorders.

As the team tests more subjects, these correlations continue to surface. Although these findings are important, Hunt believes that still more important contributions lie just outside the circle of data now assembled.

“We’re excited because we’ve got this tool that can diagnose people, but to get to a fix, that will require years more of dedicated fundraising and research,” Hunt says.

26 • DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

In the last year, Soft Cell’s work has gained international attention. Hunt and DSU alumnus Dr. Gregory Prince, Soft Cell’s chief scientific officer, have traveled

In preparation for such expansion, DSU’s new Innovation Plaza will soon host a Soft Cell lab, which will help Hunt’s research move forward. Hunt says the move will triple his team’s space and provide even more opportunities for student involvement.

In the new space, Hunt says he’d like to eventually employ 50 to 60 students per semester, but quickly adds that may grow to 90.

Recent Dixie State graduate Annie Bowles has worked alongside Hunt and says the opportunity has given her an edge in working toward a future in medicine. “Soft Cell has given me firsthand experience working in a research lab and has added

“This is an opportunity that doesn’t come to many people in a lifetime.”

Antibiotic: a substance produced by or a semisynthetic substance derived from a microorganism and able in dilute solution to inhibit or kill another microorganism

SOFT CELL AT DSU

two years of groundbreaking undergraduate research to my résumé,” Bowles says. “What I’ve learned is invaluable.”

Though his DSU students will eventually move on, Hunt says they will not likely forget the historic research they’ve been conducting, and he hopes to keep in contact with them long after they’ve left Dixie State.

“This is an opportunity that doesn’t come to many people in a lifetime,” Hunt says.

“They’ll never forget this study. They’ll take it with them wherever they go.”

#ActiveLearningActiveLife • www.dixie.edu • 27

FOCAL POINT

In the Porcelain Capital

In his 41 years on Dixie State University’s campus, Professor Glen Blakley has definitely made an impression. He is a skilled ceramic artist and teacher — known for his Asian pottery style — who makes 500 to 1,000 pieces any given year. For more than 30 years, he has led students on many DSU travelstudy programs to art museums throughout Europe and the western United States. He is a strong supporter for ceramics education and art in general on a community, state, and national level, and he has the résumé and awards to prove it.

Professor Glen Blakley

28 • DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

Story by Joel Griffin

FOCAL POINT

#ActiveLearningActiveLife • www.dixie.edu • 29

FOCAL POINT

30• DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

FOCAL POINT

But while many know him for his ceramic prowess, not quite so many know of his talent in photography. In 2008, Blakley was the official photographer for the National Council On Education For The Ceramic Arts and was invited to a special event in Jingdezhen, China, the original birthplace of porcelain and ceramics. The Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute — a higher education institute devoted to the study of ceramic arts — held its 50th anniversary celebration, drawing in famous potters from all over the world. Blakley’s photos capture the festivities, the works of art, and the people who came together in the Porcelain Capital where pottery has been produced for more than 1,700 years.

#ActiveLearningActiveLife • www.dixie.edu • 31

CHIEF REID RETIREMENT

DECADES of DEDIC For more than four decades, Don Reid, chief emeritus of the Dixie State University Security and Campus Police Department, has shown resolute dedication to the institution, his duties, and his team. This summer,

Campus Police Chief Don Reid Retires After Building a Legacy of Constant Service and Teamwork Story by Jyl Hall Photos by Bryce Parker Design by Valerie De La O

32 • DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

after 42 years of service to the Dixie community, Reid retired from the post he held under eight institution presidents.

During his years of service to Dixie State, Reid witnessed the student body grow from 1,200 to 9,000 and cultivated a culture of safety and trust in the campus police force. As a result of Reid’s efforts, CollegeChoice. net and BackgroundChecks.org have separately named Dixie State as one of the 50 safest colleges in the nation.

CHIEF REID RETIREMENT

S CATION “In 42 years, he saw a lot of growth here. There were a lot of changes,” says Campus Police Assistant Director Ron Isaacson, who is serving as interim chief. “He impacted everybody. He grew the department from a two-person security office to a full-fledged police department.

He received certification from the state and then began increasing the number of officers up to six.”

reigns as chief in 1981. However, his legacy reaches beyond campus. In fact, Reid is a pioneer in the history of Washington County emergency medical services. He served as one of the first 10 certified ambulance attendants in the county and developed Dixie College’s first EMT program in 1977, which he ran for 27 years until it was incorporated into today’s EMS program.

22 years, and taught at the Weber State Police Academy for 18 years.

After starting his career with Dixie College as a student campus security officer in 1973, Reid became a fulltime officer in 1975 and took the

Additionally, he taught criminal justice classes at DSU, served as a certified field investigator for the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office for

Reid responded: “I need what my guys need.”“That really defines who he is as a leader,” Williams says.

During his time at Dixie, Reid built a legacy of putting others first.

DSU President Richard B. Williams recalls his first meeting with Reid.

After talking to Reid and getting a feel for the needs of the department, Williams asked Reid what he personally needed.

#TrailblazerNation • www.dixie.edu • 33

CHIEF REID RETIREMENT

Excelling in a career ripe with stress and pressure, Reid was known for keeping his priorities in check. To him, and to the officers on his team, family came first.

“He is a really good guy,” Isaacson says. “He was always one to believe that family came first. If we ever had a family issue, he would say, ‘I understand. I’ll come work your shift so you can go home to your crisis.’”

That dedication to his colleagues continues even into Reid’s retirement.

34• DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

“Maybe it would have been tough to leave here if I hadn’t done all I needed to do, but we brought this department a long way and I have some very talented young men here that need the opportunity to step in my place,” Reid says.

In appreciation for Reid’s commitment to “his guys” and campus safety, the University hosted a reception during which Reid received campus, county, and statewide accolades. Williams bestowed Reid with chief emeritus status and Washington County

Commissioners Dean Cox and Victor Iverson presented Reid with the Washington County Outstanding Service Award. Reid was also honored by Utah Commissioner of Public Safety Keith D. Squires, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, and City of St. George Mayor Jon Pike.

Now that he has retired his badge and holstered his service weapon, Reid is fully embracing the retired lifestyle and taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy his favorite hobbies.

CHIEF REID RETIREMENT

“I like to sculpt; I love to read,” he says. “I got on my four-wheeler and rode to Pine Valley and went riding on my Harley with a bunch of friends. My wife and I have done a lot of stuff together — we’ve gone hiking; we’ve gone camping.”

While members of the campus community agree that Reid’s newfound joy in retirement is well deserved, they are still sad to see him go.

“Chief Reid has been a selfless leader on this campus for more than four decades,” Williams says. “His presence on campus will certainly be missed.”

#TrailblazerNation • www.dixie.edu • 35

The Team Behind the Te Dixie State & Intermountain Healthcare combine forces to support student-athletes

Story by David Cordero Design by Josh Bodell Photos by Scott Garrett, ‘15 & Steve Johnson

36 • DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

eam

The running back takes a handoff, cuts to the right, and races through the hole provided by his blockers. He sees daylight, and if he can outrun the approaching defender on his left, he’s home free. What he doesn’t see, however, knocks him forcefully to the turf: a tackling opponent from behind. And just like that, his touchdown run becomes a serious knee injury.

In football, a sport known for its large athletes and hard hits, the possibilities for injuries are endless. This is nothing new. What is new, however, is the method in which Dixie State University and Intermountain Healthcare work together to provide better care for student-athletes.

The partnership began in 2010 with the goal of improving the efficiency and care of DSU’s student-athletes. Together, the two organizations employ five full-time athletic trainers and seven physicians, including a sports psychologist, to help meet the needs of the 400-student athletic department.

“This has really been a great opportunity to strengthen sports medicine at the University,” said Kelby Hofheins, DSU head athletic trainer and assistant athletic director of sports medicine. “In a university setting, it is pretty unique to get that kind of teamwork with sports medicine.”

The services provided by the athletic training staff are divided into six domains established by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association: illness prevention and wellness protection, clinical evaluation and diagnosis, immediate and emergency care, treatment and rehabilitation, organization, and professional health and well-being.

The seven physicians are led by Dixie Regional Medical Center Director of Sports Medicine and DSU Team Physician Dr. Christian Millward. In addition, DSU provides counseling and sports psychology services through Dr. Ron Chamberlain, who is the director of counseling and sports psychology for Intermountain Southwest Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. The result is a high level of care in addition to an expedited process for treatment.

#BlazeForward • www.dixie.edu • 37

THE TEAM BEHIND THE TEAM “I think we have some of the best physicians in the country,” Hofheins said. “We have a great team physician in Dr. Millward, and we also have a great team of orthopedic surgeons. It is a tightknit group whose members are highly qualified and come from all over the country.”

Added Millward, “I think it’s a good collegial working relationship with the physicians and the trainers. For a smaller school like Dixie State, it’s pretty cool to have all those resources in this program.”

The proverb that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is held closely by this group of physicians. Each August before the new school year, all incoming student-athletes are given complete physicals. For many of them, this is the most comprehensive checkup they have received from a physician since they were small children. Such checkups allow the doctors to identify any underlying physical issues and nip them in the bud.

“We get to see these kids from day one, with the physicals and orthopedic screening,” Hofheins said. “That has already enabled our physicians to catch a pretty serious condition in one of our student-athletes. Our partnership with Intermountain allows us to immediately get the student-athlete the right specialty physician. It was a condition that was taken care of, and fortunately, the studentathlete was able to compete.”

38 • DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

Millward points out that the relationship between DSU and Intermountain helps him stay focused on the student-athlete as a person, keeping the player’s long-term future in the forefront of his mind when providing treatment.

“It allows us to look after these kids from a medical standpoint and not compromise their overall health for the sake of winning a game,” Millward said. “It’s part of us trying to do what is best for the athlete.”

Visit dixiestateathletics.com for game schedules Call 435-652-7800 or visit dsutix.com for tickets facebook.com/dixiestateathletics

@dixieathletics

@dixieathletics

#activelearningactivelife • www.dixie.edu • 39

DIXIE STATE ALL-STARS The Heavy Hitters of the Distinguished Faculty & Dixie Awards Dr. Theda Wrede is a professor of English.

She teaches a range of classes varying from first-year composition to upper-division literature. Wrede values that DSU students are open to new teaching methods and new assignments that she tries. “They are willing to go along on new intellectual adventures,” she says. Wrede also appreciates the opportunities DSU affords her. She has been able to add new courses and curricula in the English Department, develop and contribute to interdisciplinary courses in the sciences, initiate an undergraduate research program, participate in study-abroad trips, and start an international exchange program.

DR. THEDA WREDE

Distinguished Service Award 40• DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

Dr. Li Lei has been the director of the Dance Department at Dixie State University since the fall of 2000. She established the Dixie State Dance Company in the fall of 2001 and has been the artistic director of the dance company ever since. Lei also teaches dance theory, technique, composition, and performance courses. “Our students have such enthusiasm and energy,” Lei says. “It is my great joy to teach students and witness their improvements and achievements. I am excited to see the bright future of our institution.”

DR. LI LEI

Distinguished Professor Award

FACULTY AWARDS Story by Erin Hakoda Photos by Scott Garrett Design by Tori Lewis

Dr. Sophie George is an assistant professor of psychology. Originally from London, George moved to the U.S. shortly after receiving her doctorate in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex.

Since coming to DSU, she has taught introduction to psychology, behavioral neuroscience, psychopharmacology, research methods and capstone research.

George enjoys the small class sizes at DSU, which she says allow her to actively engage and develop working relationships with students. “As a professor, there is nothing more gratifying than stepping out of a class feeling as though the students have really connected with me and enjoyed their learning,”

Dr. Rico Del Sesto teaches Organic Chemistry and Materials Chemistry. He is currently engaging students in research involving antimicrobial materials and magnetic materials. Del Sesto finds it exciting to experience the evolution of DSU. However, he says, the best part of working at DSU is the students. Many of his students say by the end of his Organic Chemistry course that it was the most difficult, but most rewarding course they have ever taken. “Some might try to credit me for their success, but it is mostly their own drive and commitment that got them to where they wanted to be,” Del Sesto says.

Dr. Angela Child teaches literacy and reading courses in the elementary education teacher preparation program.

Child says she is extremely passionate about what she teaches because she loves being able to influence such an important aspect of learning. She feels it is a privilege to help her students become great teachers of future generations. “It is a joy to be able to teach what I love here at Dixie State among great students and with great colleagues,” Child says.

DR. SOPHIE GEORGE DR. ANGELA CHILD

Rising Star Award DR. RICO DEL SESTO

Distinguished Teaching Award

Teacher of the Year Award #ActiveLearningActiveLife • www.dixie.edu • 41

ALUMNI MESSAGE

Alumni Message Dear Alumni & Friends, As Dixie State University’s new director of alumni relations, I’m humbled by the efforts of Former Director Kalynn Larson, the alumni board, volunteers, and others who have worked so hard over the years — I know I have big shoes to fill.

As we move forward, I want to personally extend to you an invitation to stay involved with this great University and keep the Dixie Spirit burning brightly in your life.

Our Alumni Board and Student Alumni Association have organized countless upcoming events and opportunities to keep you connected to campus, classmates, friends, faculty, and staff. You can stay up to date on all these wonderful events by visiting alumni.dixie.edu or following us on Facebook and Instagram (@dixiestatealumni). Come to campus as often as possible, see the many wonderful changes taking place, and partake of our students’ enthusiasm and energy.

I also invite you to reflect on the difference a scholarship can make in the life of a student and invite you to join us in the Dixie tradition of giving.

All donations go directly to helping well-deserving students acquire a high-quality education. To donate, visit giving.dixie.edu or call 435-652-7535. Any gift, large or small, can truly make a difference and help our students on the trails they blaze. I am excited to connect and work with you.

Go Trailblazers!

John Bowler, Class of ’85 DSU Director of Alumni Relations

New DSU Alumni Board Members Daniel Radford Daniel Radford is a partner at Injury Defenders Law Firm in St. George, where he focuses exclusively on helping injured clients fight insurance companies. He recently received the “Top 10 Under 40” award from the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys. Radford graduated with his Juris Doctorate from the University of Utah. Before practicing law, he was a sign language interpreter for the deaf community. He graduated from Dixie State in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in business management.

42• DSU Magazine • Fall 2017

ALUMNI MESSAGE Betty Barnum Betty Barnum was the principal of Red Mountain Elementary and retired after serving for 20 years in the Washington County School District. She recently served as the president of the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals and was a member of that state board for 12 years. Previously, Barnum was a teacher and administrator at Springville Middle School. She graduated from Dixie State with high honors and went on to earn her master’s degree at BYU.

Paul Hill Paul Hill is a tenured extension associate professor for Utah State University, where he provides leadership to economic development and 4-H STEM education programs in Washington County. In 2015, he was awarded the Utah Governor’s Medal for Science Technology as well as the Faculty Innovator Award from USU Extension. Hill received a national fellowship with the eXtension Foundation to study the global economic impacts of the Maker Movement and represented Utah as a Maker Ambassador to the White House during the 2016 National Maker Faire. He earned his Bachelor of Science from DSU and a MBA from Southern Utah University.

Tammy Threlfall Tammy Threlfall was a writer for KCSG Television commercials when it was a sister branch of KSL. She currently writes freelance for the High School Sports Insider Magazine. She has also worked for the SkyWest Airlines Records and Audit Department.

Threlfall has been on the alumni board for about half a year. She graduated from Dixie College in 1999 with her Associate of Science degree before attending Utah State University to get her bachelor’s in journalism and communication.

Brooke Sullivan Brooke Sullivan currently works as the alumni marketing & events coordinator at DSU. She is also the Republican Party chair for her legislative district. She has been involved with the alumni association since her time as a student, when she was a member of the Student Alumni Association. Sullivan graduated from DSU with a bachelor’s in business administration with an emphasis in finance in 2015.

Ken Neilson Ken Neilson is serving his second term as Washington City mayor, having been in office since 2010.

Neilson enjoys meeting the people of the city, helping them solve any issues they may have, and making a difference in their lives. He has 20 years of experience in the transportation industry and 15 years in construction executive management. Neilson graduated from Dixie College with an associate degree in business administration and marketing in 1979. He then attended the University of Utah, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration.

#IWentToDixie • www.dixie.edu • 43

It’s time to bring back the splendor of the O.C. Tanner Fountain to Dixie State’s campus. The water will flow once again this Homecoming, and DSU administrators plan to not only revive it, but improve it for Trailblazers to enjoy for years to come.

44•To Dixie State University 2017 the fountain and further beautify DSU’s campus, please visit giving.dixie.edu help us Magazine bring• Fallback

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