President's Report 2015-16

President’s Report 2015-16

President’s Message Dear DSU Supporters, There is an undeniable sense of momentum here at Dixie State University, and it could not exist without your support. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to our University. As our momentum continues to swell, I’m pleased to share with you some of the exciting advancements we have made as a university and the trails we are blazing.

Education is of paramount importance to DSU’s community and has been since its inception. Building on this tradition, we gathered with community members and stakeholders two years ago to discuss the university’s future.

What arose from those discussions laid a solid foundation for our robust strategic plan − Dixie 2020: Status to Stature.

Since the rollout of this plan, it has been inspiring to see faculty, staff, and community members working together to realize our vision and engender a one-of-a-kind active learning experience for our students. Our new Trailblazer identity is truly fitting of the great educational innovators here and the students who are transforming our community and world.

As you take a moment to review the growth and improvements our institution underwent over the last year, I invite you to embrace the “active learning, active life” experience Dixie State University offers, and join us on the trail we blaze.

Sincerely,

Richard B. Williams President of Dixie State University

Overview Dixie State University is a public, comprehensive university dedicated to rigorous learning and the enrichment of the professional and personal lives of its students and community by providing opportunities that engage the unique Southern Utah environment and resources.

July 2015: Two bachelor’s degrees in Dance added

July 2015 : Bachelor’s degree in Individualized Studies added

August 2015: DSU’s new “active learning. active life.” motto revealed

August 2015: Women’s volleyball wins PacWest Championship

August 2015: Groundbreaking for new housing, Campus View Suites, takes place

September 2015: Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies added

September 2015: Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies added

December 2015: Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science added

September 2015: DSU’s Strategic Plan kickoff

January 2016: Burns Offices addition is completed

January 2016: DSU holds second annual MLK Jr. Day Celebration and dedicates a bench to Pastor France Davis for his service

VISION

CORE THEMES

Encouraging Excellence, Cultivating Creativity, and Pioneering Pathways

Learning, Engagement, Opportunity

March 2016: DSU students help with disaster relief in New Orleans for Alternative Spring Break

March 2016: DSU & U of U receive annual appropriation of $1.5 million from legislature for physician assistant master’s program partnership

April 2016: DSU unveils the Trailblazer athletic identity and Brooks the Bison as mascot

April 2016: Legend Solar donates $10 million to DSU’s stadium project

April 2016: Men’s golf wins PacWest championship

April 2016: DSU partners with UVU to offer international studentteaching experience

June 2016: Zions Bank donates Steinway piano worth $162,000, helping DSU work toward All-Steinway School status

May 2016: DSU & Duy Tan University in Vietnam form international partnership in film production

July 2016: Smith’s Computer Center remodel completed

July 2016: Bachelor’s degree in Digital Film approved

VALUES • Student-Centered Success • Academic Excellence • Equity and Inclusion

• Accountability • Service leadership

• Creativity and Innovation • Local and Global Resources

August 2016: LGBTQ+ Center opens

Growth from Status to Stature APPLICATIONS & ADMISSIONS YEAR

APPLICATIONS

ADMISSIONS

2013: 2014: 2015: 2016:

6,410 8,803 8,886 15,488

3,304 4,024 4,020 8,066

2016 :

HEADCOUNT

: 8,993

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

COMING PROGRAMS • B.S. in BIOINFORMATICS • B.A. & B.S. in APPLIED SOCIOLOGY • B.S. in INFORMATION SYSTEMS & ANALYTICS • B.F.A. in ART • B.S. in NURSING (GENERIC ENTRY) • B.S. in POPULATION HEALTH • B.S. SPORT & RECREATION MANAGEMENT

PARTNERSHIPS FORMED • DSU and The University of Utah School of Medicine have partnered to make a physician assistant master’s program available to students on the DSU campus in 2018.

• DSU and Utah Valley University partnered in providing an international student teaching program.

• DSU and Duy Tan University in Vietnam partnered to benefit students in film production.

DSU’s New Motto

active learning. active life.

A hands-on, individualized learning experience that provides an enriched and active life both in and out of the classroom.

Dental Hygiene students use their mobile clinic to offer free X-rays, screenings, and cleanings to homebound patients.

Education majors conduct field research and teach workshops in the nearby Virgin River Gorge to sixth- and seventh-grade students.

The Student Success Center supports students by providing advisement and helping students set and achieve their educational and personal goals.

Students in DSU’s Business Ethics class meet regularly with community business leaders to discuss course concepts and develop professional relationships.

Spanish students participate in full-immersion courses abroad, living with locals and participating in service-learning projects.

Accounting students offer free income tax preparation to community members as part of the IRS’ Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Identity In April 2016, community members gathered in the Cox Auditorium and burst into applause as DSU unveiled its new identity: the Dixie State University Trailblazers, with Brooks the Bison as the new mascot. The new identity honors the rich pioneering heritage of DSU that still drives the university today. Bison are a symbol of that trailblazing spirit because they blazed the trails Native Americans and pioneers adopted throughout North America. The mascot’s name is a tribute to Samuel Brooks, Dixie’s first student, who slept on the school steps the night before it opened so he could be the first to pay the $10 tuition.

The night of the announcement, Trailblazer banners were installed on the lampposts lining St. George Boulevard, and in the following days, students and community members proudly wore red Trailblazer T-shirts. Banners and signs with Brooks’ face and the Trailblazer name have spread across campus and throughout Washington County. Dixie’s student association even gifted a bronze bison statue that arrived in the Holland Centennial Commons Plaza right in time for graduation. Today’s DSU students are proud to have a strong identity to call their own.

Athletic Logos

Primary Logo

Secondary Logo

Secondary Logo

Primary Wordmark

Campus Expansion

CAMPUS VIEW SUITES To accommodate DSU’s growth, the newest on-campus housing facility provides rooms for 350 students and features game rooms, sand volleyball courts, community kitchens, lounges, decks and patios, computer stations, a barbecue pit, and a fitness room.

BURNS OFFICES Completed in January 2016, the addition to the Burns Arena provides needed space for the Campus Security & Police, Athletics, Human Resources, Marketing & Communication, Advancement, and CIT departments.

SMITH’S COMPUTER CENTER REMODEL The remodel of this center, designed to house more than 425 Computer & Information Technology and Computer Science students, included the remodel of four classrooms and construction of two lecture halls, five new classrooms, and a computer lab.

NORTH ADMINISTRATION BUILDING REMODEL SNOW MATH AND SCIENCE BUILDING REMODEL Two new chemistry lab classrooms have been added to the building.

The interior of the building has been remodeled and now houses DSU’s Office of Academic Affairs.

8 NEW ACRES DSU purchased the East Elementary property with plans to use the building for programs dedicated to research, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration.

Campus Expansion

UDVAR-HAZY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS IDEA ROOM The Idea Room holds entrepreneurial classes and provides an open space for students to collaborate in small groups with mentors and other experienced professionals.

LEGEND SOLAR STADIUM RENOVATION In the largest donation in DSU history, Legend Solar contributed $10 million to fund the construction of an east grandstand with solar panels and technology, powering the stadium and other campus buildings and saving DSU $300,000 per year in energy costs. Future phases include building corporate suites, banquet rooms, additional game-day amenities, and a press box in a three-story addition atop the west grandstand.

HUMAN PERFORMANCE CENTER At the main entrance to campus, the University plans to construct a building dedicated to human performance and the active life encouraged at DSU. The university has secured half of the building’s funding with students dedicating $20 million dollars from student fees and other donors providing $5 million.

GARDNER CENTER RENOVATION To accommodate more students on campus, DSU plans to expand its dining services area and campus store.

MCDONALD CENTER RENOVATION New floors, paint, millwork and furniture are currently being added until June, 2017.

Athletic Success

2015-2016 PACWEST CHAMPIONS

2015 & 2016 PACWEST CHAMPIONS MEN’S GOLF

2015 PACWEST CHAMPIONS WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

2015-2016 REGIONAL TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

MEN’S GOLF

BASEBALL

SOFTBALL

• 3rd Consecutive Year

• 8th Consecutive Year

• 5th Consecutive Year

• 8th Consecutive Year

MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH - JON JUDKINS

Community Engagement DSUSA CAMPUS TO COMMUNITY On February 20, 2016 DSU and community members volunteered for Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Utah, The City of St. George Parks and Recreation, the Utah Food Bank, and DSU’s Campus Services.

STUDENT ATHLETE SERVICE DSU Athletics won the NCAA Community Engagement Award for the third time and the PacWest Community Engagement Award for the fourth time with more than 2,126 hours of community service.

SWITCHPOINT SLEEPING BAG DRIVE The DSU staff associations gathered sleeping bags to donate to the Switchpoint Community Resource Center.

INSTITUTE OF CONTINUED LEARNING DSU offers more than 120 low-cost classes to members of the retired community • More than 1,000 attendees • 10,000 instructor/volunteer hours • 40,000 classroom hours • Members have created four $1,000 scholarships • In Fall 2015, members contributed 5,051 volunteer hours • In Spring 2016, members contributed 5,576 volunteer hours

DSU STUDENTS RIDE SUNTRAN FREE DSU and SunTran, the City of St. George’s public transit provider, teamed up to provide Dixie students, faculty, and staff free unlimited access to the fixed-route bus service.

DSUSA ALTERNATIVE BREAKS For fall and spring breaks, students served the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab and traveled to New Orleans to provide disaster relief.

Events

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES DSU visited all Washington County elementary schools to unveil the Trailblazer identity and present on the importance of earning a college education.

DIXIE POWER KITE FESTIVAL Approximately 25,000 attended to celebrate and encourage reading among Washington County elementary school students.

ZIONS BANK STEINWAY DONATION

DOCUTAH

DSU’s College of Arts faculty performed on the newly donated Model D Concert Grand Steinway piano, worth $162,000.

DSU hosted its international documentary film festival which featured more than 60 independent films.

4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION

DSU CELEBRITY CONCERT SERIES

Legend Solar Stadium welcomed more than 15,000 for the Sawyer Brown concert and biggest Independence Day firework show in southern Utah history.

More than 13,000 attended throughout the year for performances by nationally and internationally renowned artists as well as local emerging artists.

6TH ANNUAL CODE CAMP

Governor Herbert visited campus to join the 280 programmers and designers who participated in this year’s Code Camp, a contest that gives participants 24 hours to build a program, app, or product.

O.C. TANNER AMPHITHEATER The outdoor amphitheater located at the gateway to Zion hosted a variety of performances including Eric Dodge and Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband.

FIRE & ICE GALA

This annual event raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for needs-based scholarships.

Inclusion DIVERSITY AT DSU 22.3% of DSU’s student body consists of minority students – the third highest diversity rate for universities in Utah.

MULTICULTURAL INCLUSION CENTER The former Multicultural and Diversity Center was renamed to be more inclusive and relocated to DSU’s Browning Center.

LGBTQ+ RESOURCE CENTER The center empowers LGBTQ+ people in the DSU community and provides information, scholarships, and mentoring while promoting visibility, acceptance, and outreach.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CELEBRATION Keynote speaker Pastor France Davis addressed DSU for the second annual celebration. Following his address, DSU dedicated a new bench next to the Martin Luther King Jr. Lamppost in Davis’ honor.

The Next Steps Goal 1 - PROMOTE STUDENT SUCCESS • Craft recruiting materials that focus on DSU’s unique academic opportunities • Create student-to-student mentorships • Grow a robust experiential learning program

Goal 2 - BROADEN & ENHANCE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS • Increase available bachelor’s degrees and expand online courses by establishing Dixie Online • Complete the transformation of the old Ridge Top Complex airport hangar into a fully operational film studio for the Digital Film program • Develop the following master’s degrees:

- Accountancy

- Genetic Counseling

- Computer Science • Expand offerings in the Center for Teaching & Learning to help professors implement innovative education methods in the classroom

Goal 3 - INVEST IN FACULTY & STAFF • Improve the employee hiring/retention process • Each department will create an inclusion & equity strategic plan with annual progress measurement and assessment • Create an incentive-based salary structure

Goal 4 - ENHANCE SUPPORT OF INCLUSION & EQUITY • Launch an in-depth campus climate survey • Publicize open DSU positions to reach specific minority groups

Goal 5 - ENGAGE THE SOUTHERN UTAH REGION • Establish a Community Engagement Committee and attain Carnegie Engaged University status • Recruit 100 community mentors and connect them to students:

- Increase the number of mentors by 100 each year • Complete an inventory of community engagement efforts and hours of students, faculty, and staff • Define, integrate, and assess community engaged learning in the curriculum • Open a welcoming desk for engagement and volunteerism on campus

Goal 6 - ESTABLISH A STRONG BRAND & IDENTITY • Strengthen athletic programs and upgrade athletic facilities • Launch an annual DSU Caravan in southern Utah with student athletes visiting rural communities to do community service work • Produce comprehensive and cohesive branding standards • Increase collaboration with community partners

Trails to Blaze

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