Southern Utah University (SUU) is a

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...

in Cedar City, Utah. Founded in 1897 as a

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

, Southern Utah University now graduates over 1,800 students each year with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from its six colleges. SUU offers more than 140 undergraduate degrees and 19 graduate programs. More than 10,000 students attend SUU. SUU's 17 athletic teams compete in Division I of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

and are collectively known as the Thunderbirds. SUU joined the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to mos ...

in July 2022.

History

Branch Normal School

In the spring of 1897, Cedar City was notified it had been chosen as the site for the Branch Normal School, the first teaching training school in southern Utah. For the next three months, citizens labored to complete Ward Hall on Main Street for the first school year. In September, the school opened its doors. School had been in session for two months when officials informed the school administrators that Ward Hall did not comply with state law and that a new building needed to be built on land deeded solely to the state by the next September or the school would be lost. Cedar City residents came together and on January 5, 1898, a group of residents trudged into the Cedar Mountains through shoulder deep snow. It took them four days to reach the sawmills, located near present-day Brian Head Ski Resort. Upon arrival, they realized the wagons they had brought with them could not carry logs through the heavy snow. Sleighs were needed. The way back was just as hard as the trip up. The snow continued to fall, destroying the trail they originally took. It was in this phase of their march that an old sorrel horse proved valuable. Placed at the front of the party, the horse would walk into the drifts, pushing against the snow until it gave way. Then he would pause for a rest and then get up and start over again. “Old Sorrel” was credited with being the savior of the expedition. From January through July they continued their labors and when September 1898 arrived, Old Main was almost completed. It had a large chapel for religious assemblies, a library and reading room, a natural history museum, biological and physical laboratories, classrooms, and offices. Milton Bennion was first principal for the Branch Normal School. Bennion brought a code of integrity to the students of BNS. He established a self-governing student body. Bennion directed 161 students during his time as principal. The BNS started classes with four teachers, now known as the Founding Four. Bennion, who acted as principal, taught history, geography, and physiology classes during his three-year tenure before he left in 1900 to teach at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

Howard R. Driggs Howard Roscoe Driggs (August 8, 1873 – February 17, 1963) was an English professor at the University of Utah and New York University. He also was the author or editor of more than 50 books, including at least seven novels. Driggs was born in P ...

acted as the first English professor at BNS until 1905. During his career, Driggs was both a professor of English education and a historian of the American West. SUU still honors his name with the Howard R. Driggs Collection located in the Gerald R. Sherratt Library and plays host to semi-annual lectures by national scholars. The third, George W. Decker, was a southern Utah native and was adamant about teaching from the student's point of view rather from a book. Students loved him so much that a request by the student body to proper authorities was the turning point leading to his appointment as the fourth principal of BNS. Annie Elizabeth Spencer Milne was also on the original BNS staff. She taught physical education and started the school's first basketball team. Under the leadership of Nathan T. Porter, the Science Building was constructed in 1901—now known as the Braithwaite Building — which doubled as classroom space. Interested in the arts, Porter enhanced student theatrical production and started the school's ballroom dance program. Porter remained BNS principal until 1904, when George W. Decker took the position. Decker was among the first four faculty members at BNS and also the first southern Utah native to take the position. He served the school for 16 years, seven on the faculty and nine as principal before he was elected to the office of state representative.

Branch Agriculture College

Roy F. Homer became principal in 1913 and ushered BNS into the next stage as the Branch Agricultural College (BAC). BAC was a branch school of the Utah State Agriculture College (now

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah ...

). BAC received its third building in 1927 as the Women's Gymnasium—now known as the Hunter Conference Center. It was then that ties were created between the school and

Zion National Park Zion National Park is an American national park located in southwestern Utah near the town of Springdale. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park has a unique geography and a variety of ...

that are still intact, raising the quality of classes, increasing enrollment, and creating the school's first Greek societies. The school continued to expand under the leadership of Henry Oberhansley and H. Wayne Driggs. Driggs oversaw the building of the Football Field Stadium in 1947 and the reconstruction of Old Main after it caught fire. Driggs also established a campus ROTC program for returning soldiers and expanded studies to a four-year program.

College of Southern Utah

In 1951, Daryl Chase became president and was responsible for the schools heightened vision and name change to the College of Southern Utah (CSU). The next college president was Royden C. Braithwaite, who took office in 1955. During his tenure, CSU campus almost doubled in acreage. Of the 28 structures on campus at the time of his death in 1991, very few had not been built or renovated under his direction. He oversaw the construction of the Library (now the Auditorium) in 1955, Science Building (now the General Classroom Building) in 1961, the Music Center in 1967, and an additional Library (now the Electronic Learning Center) in 1969. A monumental addition to the College of Southern Utah was the birth of the

Utah Shakespeare Festival The Utah Shakespeare Festival is a theatrical festival that performs works by Shakespeare as their cornerstone. The Festival is held during the summer and fall on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah, United States. Award ...

in 1961 by Fred C. Adams. In its first season it attracted 3,276 visitors and in 2012 it reached 130,000.

Southern Utah State College

In 1969, Braithwaite oversaw the school's name change to Southern Utah State College. He also coined the school's motto “Learning Lives Forever” and student enrollment grew from 360 to 2000. Orville D. Carnahan took over in 1978; during his three-year tenure he led the institution in an expansion of academic offerings. The largest expansion of growth happened under the direction of Gerald R. Sherratt who was president from 1982 until 1997. During his time he oversaw the creation of the Business Building in 1982 and the Centrum in 1985.

Southern Utah University

Southern Utah State College was given university status in 1991 under the direction of President Sherratt. Upon reaching university status, Sherratt was able to receive funding to construct 14 other buildings during his tenure. Sherratt also helped with the launching of the Utah Summer Games and the athletic program achieving

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

status. Steven D. Bennion, grandson of Milt, and built a teacher-education facility, and added two new colleges and several new baccalaureate and graduate programs.

Michael T. Benson Michael Taft Benson (born February 28, 1965) is an American academic administrator serving as the president and professor of history at Coastal Carolina University. He previously served as president of Eastern Kentucky University, Southern Uta ...

became president in 2007. Benson received his master's degree from Notre Dame and his doctorate from

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. During his time as president, he championed the most ambitious fundraising campaign in SUU history, raising more than $90 million of the $100 million goal, including the three largest donations in SUU history. He also oversaw the construction of the new Science Center, Cedar Hall, and the Carter Carillon. President Benson heightened academic standards and increased resources for instruction, significantly raised retention rates, and realigned SUU Athletics in the

Big Sky Conference The Big Sky Conference (BSC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the eig ...

. President Benson concluded his tenure at SUU and Scott L. Wyatt succeeded him in November 2013. Between 2013 and 2014 Wyatt finalized an unprecedented funding campaign, ending in the groundbreaking of the Beverly Taylor Sorensen Center for the Arts in March 2014. He would also go on to launch a 3-year bachelor's degree program in 2020. In March of 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, SUU shifted almost completely to remote learning for the remainder of the fall and summer 2020 semesters along with the other public universities in Utah. After Wyatt accepted a position in the Utah System of Higher Education Office of the Commissioner, Mindy Benson was named interim president in August 2021. Benson went on to be named the 17th president, the institution's first female president.

Administration

Since 1969, three administrative bodies have governed SUU: the President's Council, the Board of Trustees, and ultimately the Utah Boards of Regents. The President's Council consists of eight top SUU administrators. These groups convene regularly to discuss issues of top importance to the University and help advise the president on executive decisions. The Board of Trustees, created by the Higher Education Act of 1969, is an integral part of the Utah System of Higher Education. The Board of Trustees help facilitate communication between the institution and community, strengthen alumni traditions and goals, select recipient of honorary degrees, and implement and execute fundraising and developmental projects. The Utah Board of Regents is composed of 20 Utah residents, appointed by the governor for six-year terms, and oversees all institutes of higher education in the state of Utah.

Academics

In May 2013, SUU had 8,000 students and 261 full-time faculty members, and another 102 adjunct faculty to give a student/faculty ratio of 20:1. SUU admitted 57.3 percent of freshmen that applied, making a total of 1,264 new freshmen in September 2012 boasted an average GPA of 3.5 and an average composite ACT score of 22.95. SUU currently boasts a 53 percent graduation rate. The University awards associates, bachelor's and master's degrees that are divided into four colleges and two schools. A combined total of 140 bachelor's degrees are offered along with 19 master's degrees. The University also offers a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) which is focused on clinical practices rather than research.

Rankings

In July 2012 the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges recognized SUU, one of only 27 universities in the U.S., as a designated public

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...

and sciences university.

Performing and visual arts

SUU has a large number of performing and visual arts opportunities for students and the local community. Students perform more than 250 performances each year and vocal students have won many competitions of the National Opera Association and the National Association of Teachers of Singers. The Department of Music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and offers SUU students a wide array of musical opportunities. The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance offers two types of degrees and is closely connected with the

, which is housed at SUU.

Student life

The Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service, named after Michael O. Leavitt, is housed at the university. There are three student-run media outlets at SUU: the monthly campus newspaper, ''University Journal''; KSUU 91.1 FM (Thunder 91), an FM radio station; and SUTV-9 cable television.

Utah Shakespeare Festival

The Shakespeare Festival, which is housed on SUU's campus, was founded by Fred C. Adams in 1961 and presented its first season in 1962, bringing in 3,276 spectators. The initial two-week season yielded $2,000 and demonstrated the cooperative relationship between SUU and the community. In 2003, nearly 150,000 ticket-holders viewed 246 performances in three theaters during a sixteen-week season. The Festival is now a year-round operation with a full-time staff of 26 and now an outgoing educational outreach program, including workshops and a touring version of one of the plays. The Festival's well-known outdoor theatre materialized in stages. The Adams Memorial Shakespearean Theatre, located on SUU's campus and one of the most authentic Elizabethan theaters in the world, was dedicated in 1977. The Festival continued to grow and opened the modern indoor Randall L. Jones Theatre on June 23, 1989, offering classics of world drama. The Festival's repertoire spans more than three centuries of playwrights and has included classics of France, England, Norway, and the U.S. In 2015, the Utah Shakespeare Festival completed its last season in the Adams Shakespearean Theater. In 2016, the new Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre and the Eileen and Allan Anes Studio Theatre were added to Festival's facilities as part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts at Southern Utah University.

Utah Summer Games

In 1986, President Gerald R. Sherratt was inspired by the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and, with the help of the local community, the first Utah Summer Games commenced. After more than 25 years, the Utah Summer Games brings in more than 10,000 athletes as young as three from the surrounding region in nearly 40 different Olympic-style competitions.Competitions include volleyball, water polo, tennis, archery, gymnastics, and basketball.

Intramural sports

Intramural sports are a large aspect of student life for Thunderbirds. More than 3,300 students participate each year. From badminton to pickleball to rugby, students have a long list of intramural sports to choose from that run the entire school year, with tournaments and events for each sport.

Outdoor recreation

SUU's, nicknamed the "University of the Parks," location in the southeast Great Basin about north of the northeastern edge of the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...

gives it a cooler and less arid climate compared to the nearby

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cover ...

region only 45 minutes south. With 13 national and state parks near SUU's campus outdoor recreation is a popular student activity, with many participating in rock climbing, hiking, backpacking, camping, mountain biking and boating in the surrounding red cliffs. SUU is a 60-minute drive from

, 90-minute drive from

Bryce Canyon National Park Bryce Canyon National Park () is an American national park located in southwestern Utah. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon, but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters along the eastern ...

and only a 30-minute drive to Kolob Canyons.

Greek life

SUU is home to four Greek-letter organizations:

Alpha Phi Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity (, also known as APhi) is an international sorority with 172 active chapters and over 250,000 initiated members. Founded at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York on September 18, 1872, it is the fo ...

(sorority), Delta Psi Omega (sorority),

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more t ...

(fraternity), and

Chi Phi Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest of these organizations was for ...

(fraternity). Every year Greek students provide hundreds of hours of community service, raise thousands of dollars for charities and build leadership skills. Greek students also tap into a network of chapters around the world and build connections with Greek alumni such as former Utah Governor

Jon Huntsman Jon Huntsman may refer to: * Jon Huntsman Sr. (1937–2018), corporate executive and philanthropist (father of Jon Huntsman Jr.) * Jon Huntsman Jr. (born 1960), U.S. politician and the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, China and Singapore * John A. ...

(Sigma Chi), award-winning actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Alpha Phi), renowned news anchor

Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' for 19 years (1962–1981). During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the mo ...

(Chi Phi).

Athletics

Southern Utah Thunderbirds have a rich history of competing against college teams throughout the country and in the State of

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. Teams compete in the

with football in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly known as Division I-AA). When the Thunderbirds entered the Big Sky Conference in 2012 they discontinued baseball and established men's and women's tennis in its place. In the summer of 2020, SUU discontinued tennis. The SUU gymnastics team competes within the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference (MRGC). The Thunderbirds currently have fifteen athletic programs. The Thunderbirds compete in: * Football *

Gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

* Cross Country *

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

* Soccer *

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

Track and Field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

Notable alumni

* Ricardo Dominguez, Electronic Disturbance Theater,

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...

, U.S. Senate Majority Leader (2007–2015) * David C. Houle, National Coaches Hall of Fame, US record 68 State championships at Mountain View High School. * Michael O. Leavitt, 14th Governor of Utah and

Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

in the George W. Bush cabinet. *

Jill Stevens Jill Stevens (born February 28, 1983) is a Miss Utah 2007. She was chosen as Miss Southern Utah University and Miss Davis County. She is a combat medic in the Utah Army National Guard and served as a medic during an 18-month tour in Afghanistan ...

, Miss SUU 2006, Miss Davis County 2007,

Miss Utah The Miss Utah competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Utah in the Miss America pageant. Two Miss Utah titleholders have won the Miss America pageant. Lindsey Larsen of Lehi was crowned Miss Utah 2021 on June ...

2007,

Miss America 2008 Miss America 2008, the 81st Miss America pageant, was held on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, on Saturday, January 26, 2008. The pageant was broadcast live on TLC from the Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Planet Hollywood Resort ...

"People's Choice" semifinalist. * Nick Miller, NFL wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders, SUU wide receiver from 2007 to 2008. 2008 Great West Special Teams Player of the Year. *

DeWayne Lewis DeWayne Lewis (born October 4, 1985) is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. While attending high school, Lewis won the Colorado state championship in both the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints three consecutive yea ...

, NFL cornerback, Lewis was a 2 Time Conference Athlete of the Year. *

Lonnie Mayne Ronald Doyle "Lonnie" Mayne (September 12, 1944 – August 14, 1978) was an American professional wrestler in the 1960s and 1970s who frequently went by the name Moondog Mayne. He wrestled in various National Wrestling Alliance territories, as w ...

, Professional wrestler in the 1960s and 1970s. NWA United States Heavyweight Champion. * Cameron Levins, 2012 NCAA Track and Field Champion in the 5 and 10k, 2012 and 2020 Olympian, and 2012 Bowerman Award Winner. * Sean O'Connell, professional

Mixed Martial Artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

* Tysson Poots, 2012 Arena League Rookie of the year with 109 Receptions 1,183 Yards, and 30 Touchdowns for the Utah Blaze. Currently a member of the Arizona Rattlers. * Keala Settle, Broadway performer and Tony Award nominee, featured role in the major motion picture The Greatest Showman. * Brad Sorensen, 2012 and 2013 Payton Award finalist, threw 3,139 yards and 23 TDs in 2012, drafted in 2013 to the San Diego Chargers *

James Cowser James Cowser (born September 13, 1990) is a former American football outside linebacker. He played college football at Southern Utah. Cowser was Football Championship Subdivision Defensive Player of the Year (2015). He holds the FCS record for ...

, a former NFL defensive end for the Oakland Raiders. All-time career FCS leader in sacks. * Miles Killebrew, NFL safety drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round of the

2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...

. * LeShaun Sims, NFL defensive back drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. * Peter M. Johnson, First African-American general authority and current member of the first quorum of the seventy for

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

. *

Christopher Dorner Christopher Jordan Dorner (June 4, 1979 – February 12, 2013) was a former officer of the Los Angeles Police Department who, beginning on February 3, 2013, committed a series of shootings in Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside Count ...

, a Los Angeles police officer who committed a series of shootings in Southern California in February 2013

Notes

References

External links

*
Southern Utah University athletics website
{{authority control Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Tourist attractions in Iron County, Utah Education in Iron County, Utah Cedar City, Utah 1897 establishments in Utah Public universities and colleges in Utah Public liberal arts colleges in the United States