Slate says, "In her early review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the New York Times' Michiko Kakutani explains that the paper scored its copy at a bookstore on Wednesday.
Her 1,100-word review posted that evening.
Wait, how can you read a 784-page book and write a considered take on it all in one afternoon?
In a 2004 column ... Slate's Jack Shafer looked into the instant-review phenomenon after several critics pumped out their responses to Bill Clinton's My Life a mere 24 hours after getting their copies.
The secret: Skip and skim.
One writer told him, "Did I read the whole thing? No." Another writer said he had read the whole book, but with this caveat: "Closely enough to take a short quiz? No.""
~
With that in mind, I present my review of
Rick Robinson's first novel:
The Maximum Contribution
“In The Maximum Contribution, Rick Robinson has vividly captured the essence of the deals that make…or more than likely... break so many DC politicians.
The 224 pages of The Maximum Contribution (ISBN 0929915690) fly by. This is a real page turner and a hardback bargain at $24.95. You'll want to reserve your copy now! Delivery September, 2007.
Do you want to understand Washington?
Read this book.”
--Rudy Maxa, former Washington Post investigative reporter.
"Rick Robinson? Yeah. I remember that guy."
--P. J. O'Rourke, author
Some may think a novel about the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance tedious. But The Maximum Contribution is really about power and the games people play to get it - and keep it.
The author is one of the foremost experts on KRS 121 AND 121A; Section 150 of the Kentucky Constitution; and KRS 6.811 which does not expressly prohibit a lobbyist from contributing to political parties, thus allowing a lobbyist to contribute to a party's executive committee a "maximum" of $2,500 per calendar year -- a topic that is all too real in 2007!
The Maximum Contribution elevates the Kentucky Code of Legislative Ethics to new heights as a metaphor for life; men, women, the sharing of expectations - and the inevitable disappointments.
At the same time, Robinson weaves an engrossing tale of a small town councilman, Richard Thompson, who aspires to the congressional seat in Kentucky's 4th district; fending off corrupt politicians along the way.
The young congressional hopeful learns the ropes at the hands of his mentor, an elderly senator, but ultimately, uses that rope to hang him.
The public sees front page articles on politics daily. But Robinson reveals the policy battles that rage beneath the headlines and beneath the sheets. For better or worse, the earnest young candidate cavorts with his sarcastic sidekick, a political humorist, thorough the urban side streets and suburban byways. Suddenly, life on the steamy summer streets of Washington and Newport take on a new meaning, becoming both human and understandable.
The strains that the protagonist's position puts on his marriage and the ethical dilemmas raised by his conflicted loyalties, as well as the seductiveness of power, make the novel more than just a good bedtime read. The graphic passages of seduction and domination with the red-headed stripper he calls "Honey," let the reader know Rick Robinson has been there. He has fathered!
Anyone who has served at the highest-levels of northern Kentucky politics will recognize much of their own experience woven into the book. And Robinson names names! Several character's names are anagrams of a real life politicos; thus a careful reading reveals secret predilections that Gary Moore, Jim Hamberg, Ruth Eger, Jim Bunning, Pat Crowley and Roxanne Qualls would have preferred remained secret.
The tensions between diplomacy and "hard power" play out in the bedrooms of Burlington and Ludlow, where "maximum contribution" takes on a completely new meaning.
Righteous by day, hungry by night, Robinson describes political entanglements with hyper campaign manager, Michael Griffith, and the gun-toting union officials, that cross party lines, lines of cocaine, and suspect line-ups.
Reminiscent of Grisham's best the plots, The Maximum Contribution is a well crafted slice of human drama that is all too real. The young protagonist is caught unawares by the Republican party's policy game, but slowly, sometimes painfully, learns to use an OAG advisory opinion to wrest control over his mentor's power and turn it to his own purposes.
The Maximum Contribution is not only a fun read, but because it was written by someone who has lived life as a flame beneath the cauldron of politics in Washington DC and northern Kentucky, it also provides an authentic insider's glimpse of how "all these little towns" really work.
Robinson also surprises as he reveals his tender, more thoughtful side. The passages portraying the protagonist's interaction with nature as he listens to Meat Loaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" on his iPod, while trying to work through his problems, are particularly lyrical.
The Maximum Contribution is an insiders gripping tale, and perhaps, a portent of things to come.
Richard Thompson is an affable Northern Kentucky councilman who chooses his restaurants based on the quality of their pork chops, listens to the '70s music of Meat Loaf and aspires to be the congressman from Kentucky's 4th District.
Rick Robinson is a Fort Mitchell attorney who maintains that Covington's Chez Nora has the best pork chops in town. He has talked to the musician Meat Loaf personally and in 1998, he made an unsuccessful bid for the 4th District U.S. House seat.
In Robinson's soon-to-be released first book, "The Maximum Contribution,'' the protagonist, Thompson, finds himself running for the 4th District seat, as well as fending off corrupt politicians and gun-toting union officials, and trying to explain how he wound up in bed with a red-headed stripper.
While Robinson never found himself the target of nefarious politicians and union officials, or the victim of a sexual set-up, he nevertheless mined inspiration for the book from his personal experience in politics.
And that experience has been extensive, starting in 1986 when Robinson and his wife, Linda, went to Washington to work for two Republican House members - he for Jim Bunning of Southgate and she for Connie Mack of Florida.
More recently, Robinson worked on the campaigns of Kenton County Family Court Judge Chris Mehling and former 3rd District U.S. Congresswoman Anne Northup in her unsuccessful bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination last spring.
In between was Robinson's own run for Congress 12 years ago.
Many of those experiences, both in Washington and on the campaign trail, led to the creation of the book's two central characters.
Thompson's character allowed him to write about what he'd learned from being a candidate and watching candidates. The character of Michael Griffith, Thompson's campaign manager, allowed Robinson to write what he'd learned while running campaigns.
"Really, both of them are me," said Robinson.
He said he lives life with a soundtrack running in his head, and "The Maximum Contribution" practically has one of its own. The book opens with a line about Meat Loaf, one of Robinson's favorite musicians, whose "Bat Out of Hell" Thompson happens to be listening to while driving along the AA Highway. Warren Zevon and John Prine references are also vintage Robinson.
"When I'm involved in a campaign I'll have two of three songs that I play over and over again, constantly," he said.
And then there are the pork chops, evident in chapter 49, when Thompson dines with a friend:
"Thompson turned and faced the man behind the bar. 'Jimmy, send over the regular.' Jimmy Gilliece and his wife Pati were the owners of Chez Nora and he didn't even have to take their order. It was always the same. Both men judged a restaurant on the quality of its pork chops, and Chez Nora served up the best pork chop in town, a thick cut presented on a bed of mashed potatoes and covered in a warm mango salsa."
As it turns out, a political thriller wasn't the book Robinson set out to write.
"I had always wanted to write a coming-of-age book, but I couldn't get past the third chapter. I guess I'd never come of age," Robinson said with a laugh.
It was friend and client Tom Saelinger, president of First Financial Bank in Hebron, who suggested that Robinson take the stories he's always told about politics and the campaign trail and wrap them around a theme. Robinson began work in November of 2004 and by the following January he was 150 pages into the story.
"He'd come in the office and I'd say, 'What did you write last night? I want to see what happens next,'" said Robinson's law partner, Jeff Landen, who also lent a critical eye to the manuscript throughout the story's development.
But cranking out a first novel, Robinson learned, was no easy task.
"A very good author told me, "Now, put it down for 30 days and come back to it, and everything will be fresh again," Robinson said.
But not being a seasoned writer, Robinson said it took him 10 months to get back to his manuscript. As he wrote, his wife edited.
"My wife kept coming back to me and saying, 'Oh, that character would never do that,'" Robinson said. "Make sure if you write a book, show it to your wife."
His initial plan was to self-publish, then give the book as gifts to close friends for Christmas, but once it was completed he decided to see what publishers thought of it. A couple of rejections later he was almost ready to go back to his original plan.
"I thought, well this is it," said Robinson. But it wasn't.
Robinson sent the manuscript on to 30 more publishing houses and three came back asking for full manuscripts.
Cathy Teets, president of Headline Books, a West Virginia-based publishing company, said she sent the manuscript to several of her "best readers," to see if there was interest. "It came back with glowing comments," Teets says.
After meeting with Teets, Robinson decided "The Maximum Contribution" had found a publisher.
It will be released in late-September by Publisher Page, an imprint of Headline Books.
Next up for Robinson was finding out what other political junkies thought of the book.
"When I started his book, I could not put it down," said local columnist Don McNay. "I stayed up half the night finishing it. It draws on his experience in Congress, but is a drama that reminds me of a John Grisham novel. A little bit of sex and rock and roll, but not too much. It would be PG rated."
McNay, who first met Robinson when they were students at Eastern Kentucky University, provided his friend with a blurb for the book, as did author and journalist P.J. O'Rourke.
O'Rourke and Robinson met 18 years ago when Robinson was working on Capitol Hill and O'Rourke was in town working on a book on government that would eventually become "Parliament of Whores."
"My 15 minutes of fame was that I got an acknowledgement in P.J.'s book," Robinson said. "The Bunning office would help with fact checking and we've remained friends."
Another friend, Ludlow artist Kevin Kelly, worked on the book's cover.
"The cover you see is not one he designed, but he helped direct the flow," Robinson said.
Accompanying the book will be an interactive Web site that will give readers extra morsels that aren't in the book. And for readers who want to follow Thompson beyond "The Maximum Contribution," his foray into political drama continues. Teets has already signed Robinson for his second book, and he's already 12,000 words into. An early glimpse: it finds Thompson elected.
As for Robinson, the idea of becoming a candidate again holds little appeal, which suits his wife just fine.
Rita and I had a nice road trip yesterday afternoon. The trees were a gorgeous palate of rusts, greens and golds; the air crisp. Our destination was the Crestview Hills' Border's Book Store to join Rick Robinson, and my top advisors, for one of his recent book signings.
In the interest of full-disclosure, Rick is my second semi-cousin 4 times removed, or something like that. His mother, my aunt... nothing that would hold up in court. We spent five years in the early 80s working in a branch of the Kentucky Jaycees sometimes called the "northern Kentucky mafia" with Steve Miller, Jeff & Ruth Eger, Gary Moore, Jim Parsons... Fun times; learning how to advance policy, speak in public and count votes.
Rick's first effort is an insider's political thriller in the tradition of other slightly more famous politician/authors Newt Gingrich, Jimmy Carter, Benjamin Disraeli & Gary Hart.
Small town [Ludlow] Kentucky councilman, Richard Thompson gets hands-on experience into the world of D.C. politics.
From heady ideals to sexual blackmail, it makes one wonder—when do they have time to govern? The fine line between fact and fiction quickly blurs and you may think you have picked up today’s headlines instead of one of the best new novels to break onto the political scene.Thompson has the chance of a lifetime when his political mentor dies in office and he becomes the nominee for a seat in the House.
With Washington’s premiere campaign consultants at the helm, Thompson is riding a well-oiled political machine to Election Day success. His victory is in sight when he stumbles upon an issue that places him in the cross-hairs of power-hungry politicians, corrupt lobbyists, gun-running union officials and an on-going FBI sting operation.
"Robinson swears the book is a work of fiction, not based on Bunning or any politician. What “real” people do exist in the book have all assumed fictitious roles with made-up names. “Names are changed to protect the guilty,” Robinson says...
Robinson paints a sinister Washington...
One night after dinner at The Palm followed by drinks at the hotel bar, Thompson wakes up with a red-headed stripper named Amber. He remembers none of it, but pictures are taken...
Robinson says he based the book on his 30 years working in politics. He worked for Bunning between 1987 and 1993 when the senator served in the House, handling the congressman’s banking issues on the Finance Committee. Robinson worked for several campaigns and ran for Congress in 1998 for the Ketucky-4 seat...
Robinson left Capitol Hill when President Clinton was sworn in. “The town wasn’t big enough for the both of us,” jokes Robinson...
Rick Robinson is "a paragon among Capitol Hill staffers and maybe the only person on Earth who both understands the civics book chapter on "How a Bill Becomes a Law" and knows how to get good seats at the Kentucky Derby," writes P.J. O'Rourke, author of Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government.
For a good time, try to get Rick to tell you the story of riding around DC in P. J. O'Rourke's 2-seater sports car with P J, and his girlfriend.
I am way behind in pimping my buddy "Ranger" Rick Robinson's rise to fame and a glorious life among the literati. My third semi-cousin twice removed and fellow Ludlow grad, Robinson really became "a friend" after high school (since he's my baby sister's age). We bonded during our Jaycee days in the early 80s when we first learned how to "count votes." Rick went on to count a lot more votes as Jim Bunning's chief counsel and court jester. Quick witted - even reminiscent of Robin Williams when he's on a roll - Robinson brings humor to every enterprise.
His last book, Sniper Bid, earned 5 national awards: Finalist USA Book News Best Books of
2009; Finalist Best Indie Novel Next Generation Indie Books Awards;
Runner-up at the 2009 Nashville Book Festival; Honorable Mentions at the
2008 New England Book Festival and the 2009 Hollywood Book Festival.
Throughout 2009 both books appeared on Amazon's Top 100 Best Seller List
on the same day.
In Writ of Mandamus, Congressman Richard Thompson's reelection campaign is sent into a
tailspin when his opponent files a lawsuit asking the Court to order
that Thompson live up to his campaign promises and vote against a
pending federal spending bill. Thompson's efforts to dodge the issue
thrust him into the middle of a nefarious business deal where arms
dealers are using the Keeneland horse sales to illegally run F-14 Tomcat
parts to the government of Iran.
In a fast-paced story that travels from the storied horse farms of
Kentucky to the green fields of Ireland, Thompson is forced to realize
that more is at stake than simply a campaign. In the end, an unlikely
hero steps forward to make his future path clear.
In 1980, I was the “student moderator” for an out of control Young Democrats debate at Eastern Kentucky University.
Student Regent Rick Robinson represented Jimmy Carter and Rob Dollar,
the editor of the student newspaper, represented Ted Kennedy. Young
Democrats president Jim Biaso was for Jerry Brown.
The “debate” grew more and more raucous each passing round. As
moderator, I lost control of the room and it started to resemble a
professional wrestling match.
In the final round, Dollar knocked over the podium and gave an
impassioned, from the heart, speech about how the country had lost its
focus under Carter and needed new leadership.
Robinson responded by singing “God Bless America”
Robinson went on to have a tremendous political career, first as an
aide to Congressman Jim Bunning and then as a candidate himself for
Bunning’s seat in Congress. Dollar went onto be an award winning
journalist in Hopkinsville and Clarksville, Tn.
Now both are successful authors. In a way, both of them can trace
their careers back to that debate at Eastern Kentucky University.
Rick’s career as a political insider is a central part of his books
and Rob’s passionate advocacy, as a journalist and activist, play into
his new book.
Robinson has put out four outstanding works of political fiction. All
four are regulars in the Amazon top 100 bestsellers on the political
fiction list.
The latest, Writ of Mandamus, was the Grand Prize Winner at the
London Book Festival. It is a stunning masterpiece. It has all the plot
twists and turns of a Grisham or Tom Clancy novel.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER London Book Festival Best Fiction
Robinson, who was named 2010 Independent Author of the Year, has a
main character based on Robinson himself and Rick’s campaign for
Congress.
Kentucky references and especially Eastern Kentucky University
references are peppered through all of Robinson’s books but especially
Writ of Mandamus.
Robinson dedicated the book to Dr. Thomas Myers, the longtime Vice
President of Student Affairs at Eastern Kentucky University. When Dr.
Myers died, Rick told me that he based his life on the standards that
his father, Dr. Myers and Senator Jim Bunning set for him.
A pretty good group of mentors.
Both Rob and Rick reference me in their respective books but Rick has
the most creative twist. He has me as a saloon keeper in Ireland.
Based on my family tradition as the ‘son of a son of a gambler” it was an inspired choice.
Rob Dollar co-wrote, When Newspapers Mattered: The News Brothers
& Their Shades of Glory with award-winning editor Tim Ghianni.
When Newspapers Mattered is funny, profane, zany, profound and an
auto-biographical history of how their work at small newspapers made a
difference in an era before a “bottom line” mentality set in the media
business...
Both Rick and Rob have remained close and loyal friends since college and I have been proud of their success.
I’m proud that both men have stayed true to the same values they
exhibited in college and never “sold out” or stopped following their
dreams. Being an author is hard work (I can tell you about that myself)
and I am proud of my friends for making their books a reality.
My alma mater also should be proud. The education they received at Eastern Kentucky University shaped the rest of their lives.
OK. So, he's a lousy Republican. But he's a good Goldwater type lousy Republican, and I'm alright with that. Besides he's a friend - and my fourth semi-cousin twice removed - so we're practically family.
Good luck with the new book, Ranger!
Terra Alta—Baseball and Politics? What better combination can there be? Find out in Headline Books newest release, Sniper Bid, the latest political thriller offering from award winning author Rick Robinson.
Murder on a baseball field catapults main character Congressman Richard Thompson into the spotlight on the issue of steroids and professional sports. Thompson takes on the ‘ole boy club in this fast paced mystery of professional sports and political intrigue. As he presses the United States Congress for new standards on the abuse of steroids, someone wants him quieted. The only question is who.
Rick Robinson has thirty years experience in politics and law, including a stint on Capitol Hill as Legislative Director/Chief Counsel to then-Congressman Jim Bunning (R-KY). He draws on his Washington D.C. experiences to develop fascinating characters who involve the reader and you will think you are reading today’s headlines.
Sniper Bid, Rick Robinson's second novel of political intrigue, does far more than establish Robinson's place as a first rate writer in the genre; it secures his main character, Freshman Congressman from Kentucky, Richard Thompson, a place in the hearts and minds of the reader and leaves us wanting to see him elected again and again.
As a die-hard Democrat and a luke warm sports fan, I was riveted to the page as Robinson's Republican Congressman unravels the demons behind steroid use, faces off the political consequences of taking a stand, and blunders through the balancing act of maintaining a public/private family life.
Robinson gives us an insider's look into the hallways of Congress, the backrooms of the sports arenas and the inner sanctum of a family under political and public scrutiny. Long before the crime is solved, we're casting our vote and knowing this is the guy we want representing our interests.
Sniper Bid, Rick Robinson's outstanding sequel to The Maximum Contribution, leaves me waiting for the next one. Warren Zevon would have loved this book,” writes Crystal Zevon, author of I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: the dirty life and times of Warren Zevon.
“Its a given that political junkies will love this book," says Patrick Crowley, political writer and columnist.
Actress Robin Arcuri writes that the book is a "must read for anyone who is passionate over the preservation of ethics, integrity and honor within sports, politics and life."
Syndicated columnist, Don McNay, calls Sniper Bid a “fun and easy to read a ‘must have’ which takes us through an insider's view of Washington, baseball, pop culture and Kentucky politics."
Robinson's first novel, The Maximum Contribution, was named Finalist in Best Political Fiction in the 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and earned an Honorable Mention in the 2008 Hollywood Book Festival for Best General Fiction. He has been active in all level of politics, from advising candidates on the national level to walking door-to-door in city council races. Rick ran for the United States Congress in 1988. He is currently the political reporter/columnist for http://www.onenewengland.com/.
Sniper Bid is available at your favorite bookstore and online at http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.richardthompsonforcongress.com/, http://www.publisherpage.com/.
"But if you don't like politics, I kill politicians."
--Rick Robinson
I was glad to see that Don McNay did what I should have done. Here's a little more shameless promotion, this time on behalf of a friend (and third semi-cousin twice removed) and a former collegue.
My longtime friend, Rick Robinson, just received a “six-figure” option for the movie rights to his novel “Manifest Destiny.” Rick writes political thrillers. His third book is the one that hit the jackpot.
Another longtime friend, Dr. Keen Babbage, just released his 13th book, “The Dream And The Reality of Teaching.” That’s a pretty good feat, since Keen has been battling cancer and spent a lot of the past year in chemotherapy. He is now cancer-free and back to teaching. It has been a struggle.
Rick, one of the funniest people I have ever met, draws on his decades as a political insider in Washington and Kentucky, and writes gripping novels that entertain. Keen writes books that draw on his expertise in education and life.
Rick is a successful author in the conventional sense. A lot of people talk about writing a novel, but few ever do it. With his first book, “The Maximum Contribution,” Rick achieved the rarified title of “author.” It was a good book. “Sniper Bid,” his second, was even better.
When “Manifest Destiny” came out, my review in the Huffington Post said that “‘Manifest Destiny’ is where ‘The West Wing’ meets ‘The Bourne Identity.’”
It looks like Hollywood shares my opinion. Businesses don’t hand out six-figure checks unless they plan on making far more in return.
What separates Rick from other authors is his enthusiasm and work ethic. He will go anywhere, anytime, to do a book signing. He has built up a strong and growing audience.
Rick does this while maintaining a full-time law practice and remaining a political insider who has his finger on the pulse of politics in both Kentucky and nationally.
Some writers give Rick a backhanded compliment in praising his marketing skills and not properly noting his writing ability.
As the people who promoted New Coke, the Edsel, or Pets.com can tell you, a great marketing campaign is useless unless you have a great product.
Rick can really write. He’s winning awards right and left. Although critical success does not always lead to commercial success, (e.g., KISS has never won a Grammy but has sold more records than many who have), Rick has both going for him.
Unless something dramatic changes in Hollywood, I doubt that they will be making “The Dream and The Reality of Teaching,” or any of Keen’s other books, into a movie. I don’t think Keen cares.
Keen is totally devoted to the teaching profession. He uses his books to instruct and inspire others.
His attitude reminds me of the wisdom of Thomas More in the movie, “A Man For All Seasons.”
More encouraged one of his political assistants to become a teacher. The assistant said, “Who would know me if I were a teacher?” More replied, “You would know, your students would know, and God would know. Not a bad audience.”
Many of Keen’s students have told me that he is an outstanding and inspiring teacher. One of the things that kept him motivated during his battle with cancer was the goal of getting back to the classroom and making an impact.
Through his writing, Keen allows the world outside his classroom to hear his insights about education and his teaching skills.
That is not a bad audience either.
I’ve been friends with Rick and Keen for more than 30 years. I knew them before they ever thought about writing a book. I’ve read most, if not all, of their books along the way.
In the way that Rick is capturing commercial and critical success and Keen is impacting the education profession, both have one thing in common:
This from C-J, photo of Rick finding out how it all ends by Patrick Reddy/The Cincinnati Enquirer:
Ex-D.C. insider puts politics in his plots
It would be the biggest political story of the year — and an even bigger sports story
A Kentucky congressman is the subject of two assassination attempts after raising questions about steroid use in baseball.
The entire story was created in the mind of a Northern Kentucky lawyer and former top congressional aide who has turned to writing novels that draw on his time in Washington, his campaign for the House — and, he says, his vivid imagination.
Rick Robinson, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, (R- Finished) always wanted to try fiction. He didn't sit down to write, however, until a friend wearied of his complaints about Washington political thrillers that read as if they were penned by Capitol newbies, not insiders...
Robinson debuted with "The Maximum Contribution" early last year. It introduced Richard Thompson, a congressional aide thrust into the limelight when his boss dies and Thompson gets elected to the seat from Northern Kentucky. Thompson only has to survive one attempt on his life in that book. Robinson followed it up late last year with "Sniper Bid," the steroids-related tale...
Robinson, who worked for Bunning when the Hall of Fame pitcher was still in the House, based Thompson on over three decades of up-close observations of politicians.
He based a political consultant, Michael Griffith, on real-life strategists he has known, including the late Republican icon Lee Atwater, who ran Bunning's first congressional race in 1986.
Robinson said the little money he's made writing so far has been plowed back into the books, promoting them and researching ones to come.
The next in the series is "Manifest Destiny," which has Thompson serving as an American observer of an election in Eastern Europe. It contrasts a huge political rally in Bucharest with the annual Fancy Farm Picnic in Graves County.
And numerous real-life Kentucky places and people show up in the books. From Fancy Farm to the Garden Party at the Victoria Inn in La Grange, to locations in Ashland, a Kentucky flavor runs throughout.
Other characters include Pat Crowley, political reporter for the Kentucky Enquirer, and Frankfort lobbyist John Cooper, who has been friends with Robinson for more than 30 years, since the two were active in Democratic politics as students at Eastern Kentucky University...
When he's not imagining folks shootin' at him, Rick writes for One New England. Check out his latest observations on Ms. Carrie Prejean's recent forray into the realm of free speech in Fake Boobs and Gay Marriage.
Musings on the most hilarious amicus brief ever filed
It is a rare pleasure to read a legal brief that is, at once, well-reasoned and funny. Such is the case when P. J. O'Rourke goes to bat for the first amendment's free speech protections. I've been a fan of O'Rourke since 1980 or so, when I first discovered his National Lampoon classic, "How to Drive Fast on Drugs While
Getting Your Wing-Wang Squeezed and not Spill Your Drink." To one degree or another, I have been living vicariously through his (and Elmore Leonard's) scribbles ever since.
Thanks to my favorite Republican, and semi-cousin, "Ranger" Rick Robinson for passing this along. According to Ranger, he ran around with P. J. in D. C. while he was staffing Jim Bunning. He tells a great story about a trip across town in P. J.'s tiny (was it an MG?) convertible with P. J.'s (hot) girlfriend (uncomfortably) on his lap.
Of course, that could have been yet another damn Republican lie.
Unless they are
covering the police beat (or attending their own child-support hearing),
writers and journalists steer clear of courts. This is particularly true for
funny journalists. Judges don’t appreciate good humor – just ask the attorneys
for Lenny Bruce.
In his best-selling
book “Parliament of Whores,” conservative humorist (not an oxymoron) P.J. O’Rourke attempted to explain how
government operated. On how the judiciary decides appeals, he wrote, “For all
we know, the Supreme Court decides cases by playing nude games of
Johnny-on-a-Pony. This would be a more interesting theory if the members of the
Supreme Court were younger and better looking.”
Of course, the Supreme
Court is a serious place where cases are decided by old people dressed in black
robes. Learned lawyers stand before the bench answering questions and stuffy
legal scholars file friendly briefs asking the court to lean one way or the
other.
And suddenly, in the
midst of all the Supreme Court’s pomp and ceremony stands the everyman of the
Baby Boom Generation – P. J. O’Rourke – who has filed an Amici Curiae (Latin
for “I don’t have a law degree, but want to stick my nose in anyway”) in the
case of Susan B. Anthony List v. Steven Driehaus.
In the case, a
pro-life group (the SBA List) claimed in campaign material that by voting for Obamacare,
an Ohio congressman (Rep. Driehaus) supported taxpayer-funded abortions. The
congressman filed a complaint with the Ohio Election Commission claiming the
allegation untrue and actionable under state law. Legal action and appeals
followed with the case making it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
According
to the brief filed by O’Rourke, the question before the Supreme Court is:
“Can a state government criminalize political statements that are less that 100
percent truthful?”
O’Rourke’s brief is
worth a read for two reasons. First, it’s damn funny.
In modern times,
“truthiness”— a “truth” asserted “from the gut” or because it “feels right,”
without regard to evidence or logic — is also a key part of political
discourse. It is difficult to imagine life without it, and our political
discourse is weakened by Orwellian laws that try to prohibit it.
After all, where
would we be without the knowledge that Democrats are pinko-communist
flag-burners who want to tax churches and use the money to fund abortions so
they can use the fetal stem cells to create pot-smoking lesbian ATF agents who
will steal all the guns and invite the UN to take over America? Voters
have to decide whether we’d be better off electing Republicans, those hateful,
assault-weapon wielding maniacs who believe that George Washington and Jesus
Christ incorporated the nation after a Gettysburg reenactment and that the only
thing wrong with the death penalty is that it isn’t administered quickly enough
to secular-humanist professors of Chicano studies.
Even the footnotes
are funny. On the topic of birth certificates in presidential campaigns,
Footnote 14 reads: “While President Obama isn’t from Kenya, he is a Keynesian –
so you can see where the confusion arises.”
And the Supreme Court
is not spared from O’Rourke’s pithy wrath. Footnote 15 states: “Driehaus voted
for Obamacare,
which the Susan B. Anthony List said was the equivalent of voting for taxpayer
funded abortion. Amici are unsure how true the allegation is given that
the healthcare law seems to change daily, but it certainly isn’t as “truthy” as
calling a mandate a tax.”
Along with being the
kind of funny you’d pay good money to download on Kindle, O’Rourke’s brief is
right: “Ohio’s ban of lies and damn lies is inconsistent with the First
Amendment.”
O’Rourke’s latest
book is about the Baby Boom generation. His Supreme Court brief has its
foundation in certain values and life experiences of our era. Remember, we’re
the age group that learned more about politics and government from Pat Paulsen
than we did from Pat Moynihan.
(Note to Stephen
Colbert and Jon Stewart fans – in the beginning there was Pat Paulsen.)
We reject a law
criminalizing false statements made “with the intent of impacting the outcome
of an election.” And, in fact, we revel in political false statements, often
laughing at them with the sophomoric lack of political correctness normally
attributed to frat boys drunk on hooch.
After reading the
brief several times, I contacted a well-known First Amendment lawyer in
Cincinnati who is familiar with the case. He said that O’Rourke’s
Constitutional arguments are right on point, but paused before commenting on
the facts of the case.
“They’re a bunch of
assholes,” he said of the folks involved with the Susan B. Anthony List.
And in the end, isn’t
that the point? Free speech – even the political lies of assholes – should be protected.
"We hear through the upper-level grapevine that Governor Steve Beshear and COT are removing the block on blogs for state employees beginning this afternoon."
Good. I hope the good folks at KDE find KSN&C informative and thought-provoking. ~ A Shout Out to Jacob:
In January, 2011, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) and U.S. News & World Report
announced their intention to evaluate and rank teacher education
programs in the United States. The goal of this study is to review the
quality of teacher preparation programs across the U.S., based on NCTQ’s
standards for teacher education. This followed a series of reports
assessing state-level Teacher Preparation policies across the nation.
On February 25, AACTE hosted a session at its Annual Meeting featuring
Kate Walsh of the National Council on Teacher Quality, Bob Morse of U.S.
News and World Report, Michael Feuer of George Washington University,
Rick Ginsberg of the University of Kansas and Sharon Robinson of AACTE.
Ms. Walsh and Mr. Morse spoke about the motivations for and
methodologies employed in the U.S. News/NCTQ project, and Dr. Feuer and
Dr. Ginsberg served as respondents offering concerns and recommendations
for the project. Dr. Robinson moderated a Q & A session with the
audience.
Because there are at least 1,400 university-based teacher preparation
programs in the US, NCTQ relied on two methods to assess the practices
of teacher preparation programs and the content in the courses offered
by the teacher preparation programs. The first method was to ask
preparation program representatives to respond to queries from NCTQ
about programs. The second method was to collect and analyze the syllabi
from the courses taken by students in teacher preparation programs.
The purpose of this blog is to examine the effort by NCTQ to
evaluate, judge, and rank university-based teacher preparation programs.
My comments are separated into five sections: (1) Inputs versus
outputs; (2) Lack of research foundation; (2) Methodology employed; (3)
Alternative programs ignored; (4) Superintendent critiques; and, (5)
Ultimate impact.
Approach Focuses on Inputs and Largely Ignores Outputs
One of the two most important criticisms of the NCTQ effort is the
almost unilateral focus on inputs and the lack of any consideration of
outputs. While inputs are certainly important to a preparation program,
the outputs are what matter. By outputs, I mean such outcomes as teacher
placement, teacher longevity in the profession, actual behaviors of
teachers in the classroom, and the effect of teachers on various student
outcomes.
NCTQ claims the barriers to assessing outcomes are simply too large
to overcome without the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars.
In fact, I would agree with NCTQ on this point—assessing the outcomes of
teacher preparation programs would be quite costly and difficult. For
example, analyzing outputs such as placement, retention, and impact on
student test scores would require states to collect and make available
detailed data in a number of areas such as: teacher characteristics and
prior experiences; teacher production, placement, and retention; the
link between test scores and students; the link between students and
their teachers and teachers and their preparation programs; a wide
variety of school characteristics; and, the characteristics of the
principal. Most states do not collect such data and, even if they wanted
to collect such data, lack the financial and human resources to
accomplish such a huge undertaking. Further, even if states were able to
collect such data and NCTQ was granted access to the data,
appropriately analyzing such data is extremely difficult and may simply
be impossible. Indeed, as Sass and his colleagues found in Florida,
fairly comparing teacher preparation programs based on graduates’ impact
on student test scores is not possible because of the need to control
for unobserved characteristics of schools.
Given the extreme difficulty in assessing outcomes, I can understand why NCTQ did not try to assess outcomes. What is terribly troubling, however, is that NCTQ makes the quantum leap from inputs to quality preparation.
Essentially, NCTQ claims it can assess the quality of a preparation
program’s teachers based almost solely on a review of syllabi in some,
but not all, courses taken by students in a program. There is simply not
enough evidence or research to make such a leap (see below for further
discussion of this) and NCTQ should have simply stated that they were
evaluating and ranking preparation programs on inputs only and left it
at that. This is simply another example of a think-tank not
understanding issues surrounding research.
Lack of Research Foundation
The second major critique of the NCTQ effort is that there is little
or no empirical research that substantiates the use of such standards in
an effort to evaluate and judge the quality of a teacher preparation
program. NCTQ admits that their standards are not grounded on a body of
research. Note that the “study” lists the number of research reports
underlying each standard. Yet, they do not list the papers. Are they
peer-reviewed? What was the quality of the research? Was the paper a
case study of one program or a large analysis of multiple programs? If
NCTQ was really confident and transparent about the research foundation
of their standards, they would have listed the papers and even provided
links to them. Give me any education topic and I can list 20 papers on
that tropic. Many won’t be pertinent or of high-quality, but it will
sure look impressive to the non-researcher that I could say “there are
20 research reports that substantiate this standard.” You need both
research QUANTITY and QUALITY in order to legitimately adopt a standard.
For example, NCTQ states: “[Our] standards were developed over five
years of study and are the result of contributions made by leading
thinkers and practitioners from not just all over the nation, but also
all over the world. To the extent that we can, we rely on research to
guide our standards.
However, the field of teacher education is not
well-studied.” Note that the word researcher is omitted from this
description. NCTQ relied on thinkers and practitioners, but not
researchers. While thinkers and practitioners can provide useful
insight, researchers are critical to such standard setting. In fact,
many beliefs based on common sense turn out to be incorrect after
research examines and issue.
While NCTQ is correct in that there is not a large body of research
examining the inputs of teacher preparation programs and any outcome
measures, there is some research and NCTQ apparently did not read it. Indeed, Eduventures (http://www.units.muohio.edu/eap/deansmessge/documents/EduventuresNCTQMethodologyCritique.pdf)
correctly points out that the NCTQ standards include many inputs for
which there is no research base that links the inputs to any type of
output while some inputs that are important indicators of teacher
preparation program quality are completely ignored by NCTQ and do not
appear in the standards.
Eduventures (2010) notes that important inputs that should be
assessed in an effort to link programs to outputs would include: the
quality of instruction provided in teacher preparation and content
courses, student support services, mentoring and induction provided by
the program, and the length of the clinical experience required of
students. Note that many of these inputs are simply absent from the NCTQ
standards. NCTQ will respond that they don’t have enough money to
properly conduct the study. So why do the study at all then? Is it okay
to do a bad study because the money is not available to conduct a proper
study? What would NCTQ say if a teacher preparation program claimed
that they could do better if they had more money? I seriously doubt NCTQ
would be sympathetic. Why should the public and the media be
sympathetic with NCTQ?
Examples of Incorrect Reading of the Research
There are numerous examples of NCTQ standards that are simply not
supported by existing research that was clearly available to NCTQ.
For example, NCTQ states that middle and high school preparation
programs should require students to obtain a content-area major or at
least 30 hours of content courses. Yet, Monk (1994) found diminishing
returns to teacher effectiveness past five courses at the high school
level. Moreover, at the middle school level, Alexander and Fuller (2003)
and Darling-Hammond (personal; communication) found that middle school
teachers trained in as elementary teachers were more effective than
middle school teachers trained as secondary subject area specialists.
With respect to student teaching, NCTQ requires that preparation
programs ensure that cooperating teachers for student teachers be proven
effective instructors as measured by student achievement. While this
makes common sense, there is no research base to support this
contention. Further, NCTQ does not say how districts should use student
achievement to assess teacher effectiveness. There is certainly no
consensus in this area and there will be great variation in the quality
of efforts of districts to do this. Ultimately, the measure is
meaningless because there is no method to ensure districts assess
teachers in an appropriate and accurate manner.
Also with respect to student teaching, NCTQ states:
When evaluated in the context of teacher preparation programs that
are in relative geographic proximity, the proportion of a program’s
student teaching placements that are made in schools that can be
classified as “high functioning and high needs” can signal a commitment
to ensuring that all teacher candidates experience teaching in such
learning environments. For purposes of classification, schools are
designated as “high functioning and high needs” if:
Average student performance in reading and mathematics both
exceed the district average or the school has been designated by its
state as having recently made significant improvements in average
student performance in reading and mathematics.
AND
Forty percent or more of students are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals.
Again, this standard has no research foundation. Moreover, it is
highly problematic. If districts use percent proficient to determine
student performance, then the determination could very well be
incorrect. Even more problematic would be the use of the change in
percent proficient to assess growth. This almost always provides an
inaccurate judgment about progress (Koretz, 2008). This makes me
strongly suspect NCTQ does not even understand basic assessment issues.
Another aspect of student teaching that is excluded from the
standards is the existence of a capstone project. NCTQ uses the standard
of five observations that was found to be statistically significantly
associated with teacher practice in a study by Boyd and his colleagues
(2008). Yet, the very same study found the existence of a capstone
project has the same impact. Why did NCTQ pick one finding and ignore
the other?
Perhaps most importantly, the standards for reading/English and
mathematics instruction are not grounded in the research that is clearly
evident in the standards developed by the National Council of Teachers
of English or the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Why NCTQ
believes they know more about instruction in these fields than actual
experts is beyond me.
Incorrect Use of Research
As is typical with think-tank reports, the authors at NCTQ do not
understand how research should be used. There is actually some
high-quality research on the link between teacher preparation practices
and outcomes, but we certainly need much more to make definitive
conclusions about best practice. But using research to identify
potential best practices and using research to rank institutions are two
totally different uses of research. When researchers like Donald Boyd
and his colleagues conduct research, they are looking for patterns in
the data to be able to say a certain characteristic of teacher
preparation programs is associated with improved teacher practice or
greater student achievement. Such research is extremely useful. However,
such research does NOT conclude that EVERY teacher preparation that
employed a particular strategy was high-performing or that EVERY teacher
preparation program that did not use a particular strategy was
low-performing. The researchers conclude that teacher preparation
programs tend to have better outcomes if they use a particular strategy,
but that some programs that use the strategy are low-performing and
some that don’t use the strategy are high-performing.
NCTQ, however, completely mis-uses the research by contending EVERY program MUST use a certain strategy.
That is simply NOT what research says or what researchers would
advocate in terms of how the data should be used. There is widespread
consensus that research should not be used this way which is why
researchers are loath to rank programs. They know that rankings will be inaccurateand cause harm to good people who run effective programs and give undue recognition to ineffective programs...
Life has tossed me several curveballs during the last three months. As a result, I have not been as attentive to my KSN&C musings. My new year’s resolution is to remedy that by writing more.
So blog readers, I wish you a Happy New Year and hopefully I can provide you some thought-provoking commentary.
The “Rest of the Story”
By Penney Sanders
I was always fascinated by the late Paul Harvey’s legendary radio program which provided the story behind the story to news headlines.
As a result, I have looked for what is happening behind the scenes in education to determine what may happen next-reading the tea leaves, so to speak. The tea leaves have been most interesting recently.
It will come as no surprise that I am a fan of Michelle Rhee, the recently deposed chancellor of the DC school system. The headline story was that she resigned prior to a new mayor being elected in Washington. The focus was on how controversial she was in her efforts to reform one of the lowest performing urban school districts in the country.
Rhee showed extraordinary vision and courage in her effort to advocate for the many poorly served students in DC. She exemplified the “no sacred cows” approach to changing schools. It was to be expected that she would run afoul of the educational establishment when she made administrative changes and sought to modify teacher contracts so that poor performing teachers could be more easily dismissed.
She was amazingly determined with a spine of steel. Her efforts produced positive change for children but it certainly irritated a lot of people.
Therefore, her leaving came as no surprise. But where did she go. Ah, that is the rest of the story.
Dr. Rhee has started her own foundation/advocacy group called “Students First”. In that role she intends to continue her work to change poor performing schools with a focus on student outcomes. Additionally, she has joined Florida’s governor-elect Rick Scott as a member of his transition team. In that role, she will help him develop education policy.
Florida’s two previous governors were committed to education transformation: Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist. It is good to see that Rick Scott will continue that strong commitment to educational improvement. Certainly, including Rhee on his transition team indicates he will continue a reform agenda, if not expand it.
This story would be interesting just by itself. However, buried in the education news was the announcement of a new group called “Chiefs for Change.” Five state chiefs: Tony Bennett/ Indiana, Debra Gist/ Rhode Island, Paul Pastorek /Louisiana, Gerard Robinson/Virginia and Eric Smith/Florida.
In the press release, the five indicated they will still work with the education establishment Chief State School Officers Organization(CCSO) on important policy issues, but will “push a subset of policies through the separate group”(Ed Week 12/8/10).
What does this “Gang of 5” bring to the education discussion? Each of these chiefs has exhibited the kind of thinking and leadership that Rhee demonstrated in DC. They are not establishment types. Their focus is on improving student achievement not on maintaining the status quo.
Pastorek is particularly notable because of his work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. As spokesperson for the group, he stated that Chiefs for Change seeks to “set ourselves apart and pursue a more aggressive path toward success…at the top of their agenda: value added evaluations for teachers and principals, more rigorous accountability systems based not on inputs but results; raising academic standards, and expanding school choice.”(Ed Week12/8/10).
Chiefs for Change will be based in the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a group headed by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
Do you see a convergence here??? No screaming headlines, just several scattered news stories about an exciting and energized effort around school reform.
These players are poised to dramatically influence public policy on education over the next several years. Each of these six education leaders has battled the “establishment” in their states and now they seek to influence the national agenda.
Overlaying Rhee’s Student First initiative with Chiefs for Change and the announced agenda of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, you can see similar themes which have to do with increased accountability, measureable yearly progress and alternatives for children in failing schools.
As the Kentucky General Assembly begins its deliberations this session, it will be interesting to see how KY’s education policy aligns with the above identified aggressive, student success agenda. What will be the “rest of the KY Education Reform story”?
The
following is the result of a few days worth of research on EKU Presidential finalist
Michael T. Benson. All of the material contained herein is cited or linked to
the original source for those who may wish to dig a bit deeper. For example, we hear that his dissertation is making the rounds through the Department of Government. It is our hope
that readers will gain a sense of the candidate, his career path, ideas,
skills, vision, and ability to communicate as a scholar and as a university
leader. What issues did the candidate face during his career and how did he
respond to them? How do his responses match EKU Sensibilities?
Background
information on Gregg Lassen and Alan T. Shao will follow in the coming days. We
encourage readers on the EKU campus to look over the material as background,
and then go meet the candidate and decide for yourself if we have found the
right fit for EKU.
The data is presented
in chronological order from earliest to most recent so keep scrolling ‘cause we
found over 80 pages of material, edited down.
To steal from the Desert Morning News, the record on Benson presents an ambitious,
energetic, piano-playing, globe-trotting, Sen. Orrin Hatch interning, BYU and Oxford-educated
(at age 27), low-handicap-golfing, speeding ticket-collecting, out-of-the-box-thinking, marathon-running,
Utah Appellate Court-nominating, Harlem-shaking, Huffington Post-blogging, Eagle Scout,
author, and regional university president, who is the religiously tolerant grandson
of the late LDS Church (Mormon) President Ezra Taft Benson.
We start in 1997.
Scholar
presents convincing case for Truman as one befriending Israel
Deseret News, The (Salt Lake City,
UT) - Sunday, September 28, 1997
Author: Dennis Lythgoe, Staff Writer
In response to the generally
accepted scholarly view that Harry Truman recognized the new state of Israel in
1948 for politically expedient reasons, such as his desire to attract Jewish
votes and money, Michael Benson has written an interesting and important new
book. Benson, whose doctorate is from Oxford University in modern Middle
Eastern history, has long been fascinated by the religious motivations of
American presidents.
While at Oxford, his research led to a dissertation on Harry Truman's decision
to recognize Israel, which in book form has become a welcome revisionist
approach to Truman historiography.
It is Benson's articulate thesis that Truman's moral and religious background,
lead him to recognize Israel, in spite of heavy opposition by his own State
Department, simply because he thought it was the right thing to do. ..
Unlike
Clinton, Truman put principles first
Deseret News, The (Salt Lake City,
UT) - Sunday, March 15, 1998
Author: Michael
T. Benson
Secretary of State Dean Acheson was everything Harry S.
Truman was not. With his well-manicured mustache and his penchant for
hand-tailored British suits, Acheson was a graduate of Groton, Yale and Harvard
Law. Conversely, Truman, the failed Midwestern haberdasher, was the only
American president of this century who did not graduate from college. If
Acheson embodied the consummate State Department ``striped-pants'' boy, Truman
represented the quintessential Missouri farm kid.
Notwithstanding such disparity in backgrounds, Acheson respected Truman for his
ability to inspire affection and devotion in those with whom he worked and even
dedicated his Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, ``Present at the Creation'' ``To
Harry S. Truman - The Captain With the Mighty Heart.''
In describing Truman and his unique leadership style, Acheson would often quote
the following lines from Henry V:
``And every wretch pining and pale before/Beholding him, plucks, comfort from
his looks/His liberal eye doth give to every one/A little touch of Harry in the
night.''
Such accolades are seldom heard emanating from Foggy Bottom, Capitol FEB, or
even from the West Wing, when America's chief executive is mentioned today.
Even Professor William Leuchtenburg, a prominent historian and two-time Clinton
voter, recently confessed to Albert Hunt, ``I think the president has behaved
abominably.'' While last Thursday's Wall Street Journal/NBC Poll found
Americans split in attitudes on presidential private lives and their public
roles, a jaded electorate certainly contrasts Bill Clinton with the ``Give 'em
hell, Harry'' Truman of the 1948 campaign who once confessed, ``I have never
deliberately given anybody hell. I just tell the truth on the opposition - and
they think it's hell.''
The 50th anniversary of Truman's assumption of office gave millions of
Americans the chance to question whether he was right on such watershed
decisions as the atomic bomb or Korea or the Middle East. Eric Sevareid, an
eyewitness to the momentous events of the late 1940s and '50s and the
president's role in helping to shape them, recalled that whatever anyone might
think of his executive judgments, Truman reminds people what a man in the Oval Office
ought to be like. ``It's character, just character. He stands like a rock in
memory now.''
Gen. George Marshall, ``the greatest of the great,'' as Truman called him, gave
one of the most moving tributes to Truman just two days before the two men nearly
had a falling out over the president's Palestine policy in May 1949. Their
bitter disagreements over this particular issue notwithstanding, Gen. Marshall
offered the following testimonial at a private birthday party held in Truman's
honor: ``The full stature of this man will only be proven by history, but I
want to say here and now that there has never been a decision made under this
man's administration . . . that has not been in the best interest of this
country. It is not the courage of these decisions that will live, but the
integrity of the man.''
In trying to explain President Clinton's favorable job rating in the face of
continuing controversy that daily envelopes the White House, Stephen Hess of
the Brookings Institution maintains that ``right from the beginning, Americans
knew who he was and what they were getting.'' Indeed, we did know what we were
getting, and the stark distinctions between Bill Clinton and Harry Truman are
readily apparent.
Truman, who held principle over expediency and valued integrity above
popularity, once told an aide, ``Don't worry about criticism. If you do the
right thing, history will take care of it.'' While Bill Clinton concerns
himself with his place in history, a shift in cultural mores as revealed in the
latest poll does not discount the fact that character always has and always
will count heavily in assessing American presidents.
Truman helped Israel survive its infancy
Deseret News, The (Salt Lake City,
UT) - Tuesday, May 26, 1998
Author: Michael
T. Benson
Fifty years ago on May 14, President Harry S. Truman
extended de facto recognition to the state of Israel, a mere 11 minutes after
David Ben-Gurion declared the new Jewish nation's independence. Truman's
historic act, diametrically opposite the advice of his most trusted foreign
policy advisers, astonished many, gratified some, but most importantly, in his
own words, ``righted an historic wrong.''
In the half century since, Truman has become widely recognized as the one
American who did more to assist in the creation of Israel than any other
individual. As Trygve Lie, first Secretary General of the United Nations,
stated, ``I think we can safely say that if there had been no Harry Truman,
there would be no Israel today.''
Critics of Truman's immediate act of recognition have accused the president of
everything from crudely pandering to American Jews for money and votes to
providing the classic case of the determination of American foreign policy by
domestic political considerations. A careful examination of the historical
record, however, reveals just the opposite.
Growing up in Independence, Mo., young Harry's poor eyesight kept him out of a
good many games - as a result, reading history became his most preferred
activity. One of his favorite books was the Bible. Truman's knowledge of the
Bible and his conversance with the history of the Middle East played a
significant part in the formulation of his own presidential policy toward
Palestine.
To be sure, Truman was heavily influenced by a biblical upbringing laden with
Judeo-Christian themes and by a Baptist training that stressed a Jewish return
to Zion. Truman's favorite psalm, number 137, is illustrative of this
background: ``By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when
we remembered Zion.''
Like Harry Truman, Americans in 1948 and now - schooled in the Bible and in
their own history - readily see the birth of modern Israel as a new Exodus and
a return to the Promised Land. As a natural result, they find it much easier to
empathize with a people who appear to be repeating the experience of America's
Pilgrim fathers and the pioneers.
Despite overwhelming public opinion in the mid-1940s in favor of a Jewish
homeland in Palestine, such a proposition posed substantial security risks to a
U.S. State Department bent on ``containing''' Soviet expansion in Eastern
Europe and the Middle East. All of Truman's foreign policy advisers were dead
set in their opposition to the president's support of a Jewish state. The
strongest opponent to Truman was, ironically, the man whom the president
admired most and even called ``the greatest living American'' - Gen. George C.
Marshall.
Two days before Israel's declaration of independence, Marshall made an ominous
threat to publicly oppose the president on this issue. While such opposition
would have been catastrophic for the Truman administration, the president
nevertheless granted immediate recognition to Israel. He thus fulfilled a
pledge made to the famed Zionist leader, Chaim Weizmann, just a few weeks
earlier, ``You can bank on us. I am for partition.''
Truman's steadfast support of Zionist aims is all the more astonishing when one
considers the tension-packed months of early 1948. Indeed, the Palestine
predicament was hardly the only pressing International concern at the time. In
March, Truman went before Congress and asked for a reinstatement of the draft
as talk of a potential third global conflict dominated the news. The New York
Times compared Russia's imperialistic mission to Hitler's quest for world
domination in 1939. Even Sir Winston Churchill claimed he could see the
``menace of war rolling toward the West.''
Notwithstanding the pressures he faced from nearly every direction, Truman held
his ground and maintained that the Palestine question was an exceptional
problem of a peculiar people and a unique land. When James Forrestal, then
secretary of the Navy, reminded Truman of the critical need for Arab oil and
the possibility of losing access to Middle Eastern reserves if America backed
the Jewish state, the president asserted that he would handle the situation
based on justice - not oil.
The supreme virtue of Harry S. Truman was his readiness - time and again - to
risk both his popular standing as well as his political career by making
unpopular decisions that were in the long-range interests of the country. ``One
of the proudest moments of my life,'' is how President Truman described his
courageous decision to recognize the State of Israel five decades ago.
Truman once remarked that it is impossible for a public man to constantly worry
about what history and future generations will say about the decisions he has
to make. Rather, ``he must live in the present, do what he thinks is right at
the time, and history will take care of it.'' Fifty years have certainly proven
that Harry Truman was right.
And a few book reviews. No raves.
Title:
Author(s): Michael B. Bishku
Source: International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 31, No. 3 (Aug., 1999), pp. 488-489
Publisher(s): Cambridge University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/176241
Title: A Morality Tale?
Author(s): Kathleen Christison
Source: Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Autumn, 1998), pp. 107-108
Publisher(s): University of California Press on behalf of the Institute for Palestine Studies
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2538064
Title:
Author(s): David Waldner
Source: Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, Vol. 33, No. 2 (Winter 1999), pp. 238-239
Publisher(s): Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA)
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23062465
U.
Assistant, 36, To Head Snow - Middle East expert Benson will be state's
youngest college president...
Salt Lake Tribune, The (UT) -
Friday, October 19, 2001
Author: KIRSTEN STEWART, THE SALT
LAKE TRIBUNE
EPHRAIM -- Delayed by road
construction and an encounter with police, Michael T. Benson arrived a
few minutes late to the announcement of his appointment as Snow College's new
president.
But Benson, who at age 36 ranks as the youngest president in Utah's 10-campus
system,
appeared no worse for the wear.
"I have a very good feeling about Snow and Sanpete County," Benson
dead-panned before a packed auditorium inside the college's administration
building. "I ended up getting a warning" instead of a speeding ticket.
Benson, currently special assistant to University of Utah President Bernie
Machen, was officially named Snow's president Thursday during a regents'
meeting held at the college's Ephraim campus.
But he was actually selected 24 hours earlier from among five finalists who
spent Wednesday in closed-door interviews with regents in Salt Lake City.
In fact, rumors of Benson's appointment reached Ephraim hours before he did.
Benson apparently shared the news early Thursday with students in his political
science class at the U. Minutes later one of the students called a relative in
Ephraim, said Beth Anne Erickson, who works for Snow's registration office.
Benson's name then spread like wildfire across the small campus, which enrolls
about 3,400 students, Erickson said. "You can't get away [with anything
in] Ephraim."
Benson's comparatively young age didn't escape notice, either.
"Oh yeah, he's young," said Erickson.
But with youth comes exuberance, which should serve him well, she said.
"Snow is ripe for fresh leadership."
Gerhard Bolli, a senior-level administrator at Snow in charge of grants and
contracts said, "We need someone with energy to get this place
moving."
But don't let Benson's age fool you, said Charlie Johnson, regents chairman. He
has "done things academically that many of us strive to do in a
lifetime."
An expert on Middle Eastern history, Benson has written several journal
articles and the critically acclaimed book, Harry S. Truman and the Founding of
Israel.
Benson did his undergraduate work in political science at Brigham Young
University and received his Ph.D. in modern Middle Eastern History at St.
Anthony's College in Oxford, England.
As Machen's right-hand man for the past two years, Benson gained experience
working with the university's many constituent groups and wooing power brokers,
Johnson said.
Johnson didn't mention it, but Benson also has deep Utah roots. He is the
grandson of former LDS Church President Ezra Taft Benson, is the younger
brother of political cartoonist Steve Benson and is related by marriage to
current church President Gordon Hinckley.
"He also happens to know how to fund raise," Johnson said.
Prior to being named to Machen's cabinet, Benson worked for three years raising
money for the U. "He's one of the best," Johnson said. "This guy
is tenacious."
Benson said it is too early to outline his vision for the college, but he made
two promises.
"I will listen and I will work very very hard," he said. "With
enthusiasm, vision and tons of hard work I promise to work on your behalf and
along the way we'll have a lot of fun together."
Benson, who currently lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Celia, and two
children, will take office Jan. 1. ..
New
Snow president is called 'a good fit for the community' - Regents say he'll
lead well and be good for town, too
Deseret News, The (Salt Lake City,
UT) - Monday, October 22, 2001
Author: Jeffrey P. Haney Deseret
News staff writer
Michael T. Benson has done his grandfather proud.
A descendant of Ezra Taft Benson, former president of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the new president of Snow College, a small
central Utah school that was founded in 1888 as part of the church's
educational system.
"Well, you know how he felt about pride -- so it's probably pretty
guarded," quipped Benson, who on Thursday became the youngest president of
a Utah college or university.
He's
Snow College's greatest 'cheerleader' - Michael T. Benson , 36, took circuitous
route to become Utah's youngest college president
Deseret News, The (Salt Lake City,
UT) - Saturday, November 10, 2001
Author: Sarah Jane Weaver Church
News staff writer
Give Michael T. Benson five
minutes and he will talk about Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.
He knows the school's pioneer history. He's memorized statistics. He's drawing
badgers, Snow's mascot, for his children.
To say he's enthusiastic is an understatement.
"You are not going to find a bigger proponent or cheerleader for Snow
College," said Brother Benson, who was named president of the two-year
institution Oct. 18.
After all, it's his enthusiasm -- coupled with his willingness to work hard and
his desire to be part of a small community -- that set the Church member apart
from other candidates with more experience. At age 36, he is now the youngest
president of any Utah college or university; he was selected for the post by
Utah's board of regents from a field of 79 candidates...
[W]hile attending BYU he learned of the school's Jerusalem Center. He sold
his car, applied for a scholarship and set out for Israel. Once there, he found
himself consumed with all things Middle Eastern.
When he returned to BYU he changed his major to Middle Eastern studies. He went
on to earn a doctorate in Middle Eastern history at St. Anthony's College at
Oxford and wrote the acclaimed book, Harry S. Truman and the Founding of
Israel.
After graduating in 1995, he began searching for employment. "Here I am a
newly admitted Oxford doctor and I could not find a job anywhere," he
recalled. "So I went to work with my cousin roofing houses."
While roofing houses he learned of and received a position in the University of
Utah development office. Soon he was serving as special assistant to the
president and secretary to the university. He also worked as a consulting
historian to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and an academic adviser
essayist at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, taught in the
University of Utah political science department, and helped establish the Neal
A. Maxwell Presidential Endowed Chair...
As a walk-on basketball
player at BYU, Michael Benson played with the [junior varsity] team. "I
was lucky if I got in," he said...
Just ask him the benefits to the two-year school and he'll talk for hours.
"Sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder what I have gotten myself
into," he said. "Snow has a very exciting future."
Budget
cuts foster myriad sacrifices at Snow College
Deseret News, The (Salt Lake City,
UT) - Sunday, May 12, 2002
Author: Michael
T. Benson
The legislative cuts necessitated by revenue shortfalls this
year have required higher education officials to take drastic action to keep
their respective institutions operating. As programs have been cut,
reductions-in-force implemented and tuitions increased, I am reminded of the
English poet, Christopher Anstey, who once stated: "Drastic measures is
Latin for a whopping."
Each campus has had to endure its own "whopping," but the manner in
which Snow College has undergone its beating is certainly worth communicating.
In doing so, my hope is that members of the state Legislature will recognize
what Snow College faculty and staff are willing to do in order to ensure both
access to and deliverance of an absolutely superb two-year educational
experience. Their willingness to collectively sacrifice on behalf of Snow
College, its students and the institution's future has truly been inspiring.
As one of only three remaining two-year colleges in the state of Utah, Snow has
been forced to further refine its academic focus and mission. Our goal is to
become the absolute best two-year transfer college in the United States. Next
year, Snow College will celebrate its 115th anniversary and has the distinction
of being the second-oldest higher education institution in the state.
In addition to successfully transferring to all four-year universities in Utah,
Snow College graduates have gone on to excel at such notable institutions as
Stanford, Cornell, UCLA, Cal-Berkeley, Oberlin, Harvard and Yale. A recent Snow
graduate narrowed his choices for advanced training in mechanical engineering
to Stanford and MIT, only to choose the latter because it offered a better
full-ride scholarship, teaching fellowship and monthly stipend. In terms of
athletics when compared to other institutions within the state, Snow College
boasts one of the highest numbers of graduates currently playing in the
National Football League.
In order to honor this unique history and to ensure our future successes, we
have decided to preserve -- at all costs -- the academic core mission of our
institution. At the end of this past legislative session, Snow's administrative
team placed everything on the table in order to meet our prescribed base-budget
cuts.
After weeks of painful deliberation and calculations, positions have been
frozen, early retirements offered and accepted, renovation and repair budgets
gutted, and two sports -- baseball and softball -- canceled. Still in all, we
were tens of thousands of dollars short toward our mandated-cuts goal. As an
institution with 80.5 percent of our budget tied to salary and benefits, we
decided to propose a campuswide base salary reduction plan, calculated
proportionally to the amount of money each employee makes. The administration
has taken the largest percentage cut, those on the opposite end of the salary scale
the smallest.
Initial reaction to our salary-reduction plan was, understandably, mixed. Some
one-income staff and faculty families were quite concerned about making ends
meet in these challenging economic times. Others asked if more areas could be targeted
for reductions or positions completely eliminated. Still others recognized the
unique opportunity to work at a place like Snow College and offered more of
their salary to the cause. One staff member e-mailed me the following: "If
it should be necessary, I would be happy to contribute more of my salary for
the 2002-03 year in order to help in this financially-critical time. I share in
the good of working at Snow and feel I should also share in the struggle. We
are all in this together." (This came from a resident of Sanpete County,
home of the second-lowest median-household income for any county in the state.)
After several campuswide meetings where both faculty and staff could express
their feelings and vent at the mandated cuts, the decision was made last Monday
to implement our salary-reduction plan. The process of reaching this decision
has been painful but necessary. Both faculty and staff accepted this apparently
Draconian measure with one condition: we must ALL communicate to the Legislature
that these cuts are the proverbial last straw! In the attempt to balance our
budget, everything now has been placed on the altar: programs, positions,
services, sports, benefits and now -- salaries. During this past legislative
session, I recall hearing one representative argue against tapping the state's
rainy day fund, stating that these times did not qualify as "rainy
days." I wonder if his attitude would have changed had his position been
eliminated on one of our campuses or one of his children's sports canceled as a
result of budget cuts.
Former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once observed, "Upon the
education of the people of this county the fate of this country depends."
The fate of the Utah economy, the well-being of its citizens, and the future of
its higher education institutions are inextricably linked to the level of
support offered by the state Legislature.
Snow College and its employees have demonstrated this year that they are
willing to sacrifice their own livelihood in order to retain the academic focus
and quality of one of this state's educational gems. My only hope is that our
Legislature will now stand up, take notice and support higher education.
Benson
installed as chief at Snow
Deseret News, The (Salt Lake City,
UT) - Friday, November 8, 2002
Author: Twila Van Leer Deseret News
staff writer
EPHRAIM -- Some 10 months after he
arrived here to take over a school in the throes of a financial crisis, Michael
T. Benson was installed Thursday as president of Snow College.
He used the event as an opportunity to point out fund-raising successes and
proposals for new programs that he believes will keep Snow "the best
transfer institution in the country."
Benson, at 37 the youngest college president in Utah, took the theme for his
talk from the early-20th-century saga of Sir Ernest Shackleton, a British
explorer who attempted to reach the South Pole, traversing more than 2,000
miles over uncharted and hostile territory. Though he fell 97 miles short of
his objective, Shackleton is a worthy exemplar because he put his men ahead of
his ambition and because he had the foresight to set reasonable short-term
goals…
There
was a down-homey feel about Benson's investiture, in keeping with the small
town where college students usually represent half the population.
Representatives of students, faculty, staff and alumni groups all welcomed
Benson warmly and lauded him for his efforts to become personally acquainted
with students. Representing the faculty, Kim Christison did a parody of
Shakespeare's well-known soliloquy from "Hamlet," "To be or not
to be," complete with skull. Altered for a college president, it read
something like ". . . For the budget to be in the black. Ah, there's the
rub."
Benson's arrival at Snow last January coincided with a budget crisis that saw
damaging cuts to higher education. One of his first acts as president was to
cut his own salary by 4 percent and convince other top Snow administrators to
do the same rather than making damaging program cuts.
Several of the speakers spoke of Snow's past, which evolved out of the Sanpete
Academy that was founded in 1888 by LDS pioneers. Karras told Benson that the
selection committee chose him to head Snow College because they believed he had
the "leadership and vision to know what Snow is and can become." He
then charged the president to fulfill that mandate.
Richfield CATC chief
denies wrongdoing
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Wednesday, February
19, 2003
An
ongoing investigation of finances on the Richfield campus could deepen the
problems, which may go back into the 1980s. A former Snow assistant vice
president, Kimball Blackburn, admitted to SnowCollege President Michael
Benson in December 2002 that he had misused college money and he was
fired in early January, the report said. He initially made the confession to
Holmes a day earlier, according to Holmes' statement, and Holmes then followed
through to see that Blackburn went immediately to Benson with the confession.
Embezzlement
accusations shock town
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Wednesday, February
19, 2003
In
early December, state auditors informed SnowCollege President Michael Benson they had
uncovered irregularities in Richfield campus finances. On Dec. 20, Blackburn,
assistant vice president for finance and facilities, confessed to Benson that
he had misappropriated funds, according to the audit report. Blackburn was
fired Jan. 2.
He had been with the Richfield campus since 1977 when SevierValleyAppliedTechnologyCenter opened. That institution subsequently became SnowCollege South and last
year was split into two components, SnowCollege at Richfield and Central AppliedTechnologyCollege (CATC), a branch of the Utah College of AppliedTechnology .
The preliminary audit report released Friday, covering July 1, 2000, to Dec.
31, 2002, says Blackburn used a complicated scheme that involved writing college checks for cash, cashing them, keeping the cash, and then
showing the checks as "void" in the college accounting system.
Because Blackburn not only wrote checks but also reconciled the college checkbook, the practice went undetected. So far, auditors said,
they have found $194,000 in voided checks that, in fact, had been cashed.
The audit report said college employees had
reported improprieties as early as 1988, but no action was taken. Now, State
Auditor Auston Johnson said, auditors are going back through the books to see
if more funds are missing. SnowCollege officials said privately that they fear the amount discovered
to date is the tip of the iceberg. …Following release of the report, Benson and
Richard White, executive vice president at the Richfield campus, met with college faculty and staff. "Some folks felt hurt and
betrayed," White said.
Middle
East in middle Utah
Deseret News, The (Salt Lake City,
UT) - Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Author: Twila Van Leer Deseret News
staff writer
What do a young Latter-day Saint
scholar, a New York rabbi and a black Baptist from New Jersey have in common?
Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. But for the three men involved, the
common experience was study at Oxford University in England. And the common
thread that they wove into lasting friendships was a shared fascination with
Jewish history.
The LDS scholar, Michael T. Benson , now is president of Snow College.
The rabbi, Shmuley Boteach, has a New York radio talk show focused on political
and social issues, and Cory Booker is an up-and-coming politician, having
recently lost a mayoral race in Newark, N.J., by only 4 percentage points. Time
Magazine has named Booker one of the 100 most promising young politicians in
the country.
Though life has taken them in different directions, the friendships built as
members of Oxford's L'Chaim Society have held true, Benson said. All three were
officers in the Jewish club at the same time. It was Oxford's second-largest
extra-academic program, said Boteach.
"At Oxford, we became friends, and Mike remains one of my best
friends," Boteach said in a telephone interview.
In Benson's case, the fascination with Jewish history has evolved into a unique
objective for the small Utah college located in the state's agricultural
midsection. One of several commitments he made when he was installed as
president of Snow was the pursuit of a Jewish studies program…
Utah
educators praise race decision
Deseret News, The (Salt Lake City,
UT) - Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Author: Twila Van Leer Deseret
Morning News
Leaders of Utah's colleges and
universities say they were vindicated by Monday's Supreme Court ruling
affirming the right of colleges and universities to consider diversity in
authorizing enrollments…
Some of Utah's smaller colleges, which have less diverse student bodies than
the U., also believe the ruling vindicates their efforts to get a greater mix
of students. Snow College, which has a "fairly homogenous" student
body, courts minorities through a number of avenues, President Michael T.
Benson said.
Exposure to peers of different race, cultural and ethnic backgrounds is an
important element of higher education, he said. The court decision is not
likely to have any major impact at Snow, he said. "We will continue to
take all comers."
Ex-Snow official
sentenced
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Wednesday, July 16,
2003
Author: Suzanne Dean For the Deseret Morning News
RICHFIELD -- A 6th
District judge Tuesday sentenced Kimble Blackburn, a former official at Snow
College at Richfield, to up to 15 years in prison and ordered him to pay
$424,000 in restitution in what officials said may have been the biggest theft
of state funds in Utah history.
Judge David Mower sentenced Blackburn, 48, former assistant vice president for
finance and facilities at the Richfield campus, to up to 15 years in prison on
30 second-degree felony counts and up to five years on six third-degree counts.
Those are the maximum sentences under law, but because the sentences on all of
the counts will run concurrently, it appeared he could serve a maximum of 15
years.
Pinning down the precise amount of missing money has been difficult, but Snow
College President Michael Benson said campus financial officials and
state auditors believe losses come to about $300,000 since 1996...
Snow College President Michael Benson said there is an inherent
possibility that someone at a higher educational institution can "do this
sort of thing."
But since Blackburn's misappropriations have been uncovered, all Utah colleges
have "really started to button down," he said.
Truman's actions speak
much louder than his words
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Sunday, July 20,
2003
Author: Michael T. Benson
Much has been made of the discovery of a
long-lost diary with the writings of President Harry S. Truman, especially his
derogatory musings on Jews. While even the director of the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial has dismissed Truman's writings as "typical of a sort of cultural
anti-Semitism that was common" in the 1940s, a much more important point
must be made relative to this finding: There was no other American who did more
to assist in the creation of the state of Israel than Harry S. Truman.
In point of fact, Trygve Lie, first secretary-general of the United Nations,
stated, "I think we can safely say that if there had been no Harry Truman,
there would be no Israel today."
In the rush to label the president's thoughts as evidence of thinly veiled
anti-Semitism, one marvels at the lengths to which Truman was willing to risk
support within his own administration -- and his own political future -- on
behalf of the nascent Jewish state.
In the 55 years since his historic recognition of Israel, critics of Truman's
action have accused the president of everything from crudely pandering to
American Jews for money and votes to providing the classic case of the
determination of American foreign policy by domestic political considerations.
A careful examination of the historical record, however, reveals just the
opposite.
Despite overwhelming public opinion in the mid-1940s in favor of a Jewish
homeland in Palestine, such a proposition posed substantial security risks to a
U.S. State Department bent on "containing" Soviet expansion in
Eastern Europe and the Middle East. All of Truman's foreign policy advisers, to
a man, were dead-set in their opposition to the president's support of a Jewish
state. The strongest opponent to Truman was, ironically, the man whom the president
admired most and even called "the greatest living American" -- Gen.
George C. Marshall.
Two days before Israel's declaration of independence, Marshall made an ominous
threat to publicly oppose the president on this issue. While such opposition
would have been catastrophic for the Truman administration, the president
nevertheless granted immediate recognition to Israel. He thus fulfilled a
pledge made to the famed Zionist leader, Dr. Chaim Weizmann, just a few weeks
earlier: "You can bank on us. I am for partition."
Truman's recently discovered writings are evidence of his reaction to the
overwhelming pressure placed upon the White House, in this instance a response
to a phone call from Henry Morgenthau in July 1947. During the period 1947-48,
Truman received 48,600 telegrams, 790,575 cards and 81,200 pieces of other mail
all urging the White House to support Jewish aims in Palestine -- far and away
a record for unsolicited mail for any president until that time. And all these
contacts occurred long before mass mailings, phone trees and the sophisticated
strategies of modem-day political action committees.
Truman's home of Independence, Mo., was very much a frontier town, and one in
which progressive attitudes toward ethnic minorities -- African-Americans and
Jews included -- were noticeably absent. Truman's own mother-in-law refused to
allow one of the president's closest friends and business partners, Eddie
Jacobsen, into her home because he was a Jew. It is a matter of record that
Truman made disparaging comments about African-Americans, yet he owns the
distinction of desegregating the armed services, something which led Strom
Thurmond to bolt the Democratic Party and form the Dixiecrats.
The supreme virtue of Harry S. Truman was his readiness -- time and again -- to
risk both his popular standing as well as his political career by making
unpopular decisions that were in the long-range interests of the country.
"One of the proudest moments of my life," is how President Truman
described his decision to recognize the state of Israel over five decades ago.
The proof of Truman's core values -- and his unyielding support of a Jewish
State -- is in the proverbial pudding of his courageous actions.
Truman once remarked that it is impossible for a public man to constantly worry
about what history and future generations will say about the decisions he has
to make or what personal writings might reveal. Rather, "He must live in
the present, do what he thinks is right at the time, and history will take care
of it." As it relates to his support of the Jewish state, 55 years have
certainly proven that Harry Truman was right.
Facts wrong about Snow
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Thursday, August 7,
2003
Saturday's edition of the Deseret Morning News
included its winners and losers section with the following report on recent
findings at Salt Lake Community College : "This comes on the heels
of an audit that showed SnowCollege officials misappropriated
more than $300,000 in funds over recent years."
Please allow me to make several clarifications to this misstatement:
First, as uncovered by the Office of the State Auditor, this misappropriation
and its accompanying scheme was the work of one individual, Kimble Blackburn,
who was recently convicted on 36 felony counts and sentenced to 1-15 years on
each count. The auditors' findings, in addition to our own internal
investigation, revealed that no other person was involved. To state that "
SnowCollege officials misappropriated" this money is both
damaging and untrue.
Second, Blackburn's embezzlement scheme far predated SnowCollege
's involvement with the campus in Richfield and began during the tenure of SevierValleyAppliedTechnologyCenter .
Third, SnowCollege states emphatically and unequivocally that
those who engage in this type of illegal action will be terminated by the
institution and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Thank you for your assistance in clarifying what has been a terribly damaging
situation with all its accompanying negative press coverage.
Michael T. Benson
President, SnowCollege
Ephraim
State of the State
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Sunday, August 17,
2003
Author: The Salt Lake Tribune - SANPETE
The president of Snow College has proposed building a joint city-county library
on the southwest corner of the Snow campus in Ephraim.
Snow President Michael Benson said the facility would be about 96,000
square feet and cost about $20 million.
A third of the structure would contain college classrooms.
Ephraim officials have meanwhile been discussing what to do about the
century-old city library on Main Street, which is in need of repairs.
Benson noted that money is tight, and new classroom buildings are not a high priority
with the Legislature. But a partnership with the city could bring extra credit
for non-legislative funding, and rural development grants might be available.
Safeguards ordered for
higher-ed accounts
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Sunday, August 24,
2003
Author: Twila Van Leer Deseret Morning News
OREM -- Determined
that there will be no repeats of "Utah's Enron" -- the embezzlement
by a college official of up to $300,000 from Richfield programs now associated
with Snow College -- the State Board of Regents has initiated a number of
reforms in auditing processes throughout the Utah System of Higher Education. …
Attention was focused
on institutional audits when it was discovered that Kimble Blackburn, an
official in an applied technology center that evolved into a Richfield campus
of Snow College, had siphoned off what is now estimated at $300,000 over a
period of several years by falsifying documents and manipulating accounts.
Blackburn was recently tried and found guilty on 36 felony counts. He was
sentenced to one to 15 years on each charge, to run concurrently, and was
ordered to pay the $110,000 cost of the investigation and $156,000 in
restitution, said Snow College president Michael Benson .
Seeking donations:
Nearly every area of higher ed relies on gifts
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Tuesday, November
18, 2003
Author: Stephen Speckman Deseret Morning News
Where would higher
education be without donations? …
Utah's 10 public colleges and universities are looking at more than $40 million
in budget shortfalls because the state hasn't been funding student growth,
which has repercussions throughout a school's budget.
Time to hit the street, literally.
At Snow College, for example, President Michael Benson ran a marathon to
raise $50,000 to go toward scholarships and to fix a broken scoreboard and
sound system.
That's a bit extreme.
Utahns
should invest in higher education
Deseret News, The (Salt Lake City,
UT) - Monday, December 29, 2003
Author: Michael
T. Benson
Looked to as the technology maven of the new economy, Bill
Gates was recently asked what the single most important thing his home state of
Washington could do to assure its economic future. Gates' response:
"Support your local university." Such advice underlies this
irrefutable truth: Investing in education is the wisest course any state can
pursue because brains are now our most important natural resource.
Utah's state Legislature is on the eve of reconvening and, during the course of
the 2004 session, will consider what investment it will make in Utah's
universities and colleges. While budget forecasts are suggesting that, for the
first time in years, a surplus may greet this coming session rather than a
deficit, difficult decisions are yet to be made relative to who gets how much.
Now, more than ever, our universities and colleges are in dire need of
additional legislative support as we produce graduates who are better prepared
to compete in today's ever-demanding global job market.
Some states have taken Gates' advice. The example of Arizona is very
instructive. Despite lean budgets and pressing needs, Arizona's legislature
voted last year to invest more than $400 million in biotech research labs and
facilities, not only at the state's Carnegie I Research Institutions -- Arizona
State and the University of Arizona at Tucson -- but also on other campuses
throughout the system.
Arizona is not unique. From Alabama and its commitment to a $90 million
biomedical research facility at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to
Illinois and its $123 million investment in the state's VentureTech Program to
North Carolina's staggering $4.5 billion commitment to new buildings and renovations,
legislators throughout the country are investing in colleges and universities
for the sake of present and future generations. Arizona State University has
cited 20 states who have recently invested substantial resources into research
space as a strategy for stimulating economic growth. Unfortunately, Utah was
not on that list.
But why am I, as president of a small, rural junior college in central Utah,
advocating for increased investment into higher education in general and
additional dollars for research space in particular? There are many reasons,
not the least of which is that Snow College graduates -- just like graduates of
other smaller schools within our system -- feed into these programs at our
larger campuses throughout the state. More than 70 percent of Snow College
graduates leave Ephraim and enroll in four-year programs. The success of our
graduates is inextricably linked to the level of support these upper-division
and graduate programs receive. Further, there is an interesting link to a college-educated
work force and demographic trends currently unfolding in America. A recent
Washington Post story titled "Brain Gain Cities Attract Educated
Young" chronicled the challenges cities with the lowest percentage of
college graduates -- Cleveland, Detroit, Newark, St. Louis -- face as they lose
ambitious, young people with graduate degrees. The cities on the winning end of
the talent war -- Seattle, Austin, Atlanta, Boston, San Diego, San Francisco
and Washington, D.C.-- have two common denominators: They are in the top 10 for
residents with college degrees and have the benefit of a research university in
their area.
Now is the time for Utah to invest even more in its institutions of higher
education. Daniel Evans and Booth Gardner, both former governors of the state
of Washington, are currently urging their state legislatures to consider
additional bond capacity of $1.7 billion in order to construct facilities to
accommodate 40,000 new students. With language that could be applied to Utah's
current situation, these former governors recently wrote: "First, we must
be prepared to provide higher education access to the rising tide of high
school graduates. Second, the jobs created by this proposal would assist many
of our citizens to go back to work. Third, current low interest rates make this
an affordable proposition. And finally, we must start reinvesting in our higher
education system if we are to retain our status as a progressive and
competitive state."
Other states are getting the message and acting upon it. For the sake of our
current students and the thousands of projected new students, I implore our
Legislature to consider this wisdom from Benjamin Franklin: "An investment
in knowledge always pays the best interest."
Universities tell of
big cutbacks
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Saturday, January
24, 2004
Author: Stephen Speckman Deseret Morning News
College presidents say
they didn't intend to "whine" or "grovel" Thursday in front
of the Higher Education Appropriation Subcommittee, but there was plenty of
talk about cutbacks and budget shortfalls on campuses. … Snow College President
Michael Benson had the unenviable task of eliminating the school's
baseball program.
Palestine in 1948
offers cautionary lessons for U.S. in Iraq
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Sunday, April 25,
2004
Author: Michael Benson
"We decamp ignominiously amid carnage and
confusion" were the words Colonial Secretary Leopold Amery used to
describe the British departure from Palestine in May 1948.
The current situation in Iraq and the looming June 30 deadline for America's
departure point to interesting parallels between Britain's experience in
Palestine during the first half of the last century and what the United States
faces in the months and years ahead in the Middle East.
Comparing Palestine in 1948 and Iraq in 2004 is instructive. Initially, both
Great Britain and the United States deployed liberating armies; upon cessation
of "formal combat," occupying forces were then dispatched by both
countries.
The British mandate to oversee Palestine came after the Allied forces defeated
the Ottoman Turks in World War I. Subsequent to the Allied victory in 1917
(secured through a multinational war effort) the League of Nations carved up
pieces of the Middle East and charged England with oversight in Palestine,
Transjordan and Egypt.
Much like the situation facing America in Iraq today, the mandate years posed
enormous challenges for British occupying forces as they struggled to mollify
the indigenous Arab population growing increasingly uneasy with waves of Jewish
immigrants.
The results were constant conflicts between Arabs and Jews, terrorist attacks
by both sides directed at the British and fewer and fewer resources and
personnel at the disposal of the occupying force. England's nadir in the Near
East in the 1940s was the bombing of the south wing of the historic King David
Hotel, Britain's headquarters in Jerusalem, by a group of Jewish fighters that
included future Israeli prime minister and signatory to the Camp David peace
accords Menachem Begin.
The explosion killed more than 90 people, including Britons, Arabs and Jews.
Despite England's best intentions, her occupation of Palestine was resented and
rebuffed by violent and targeted resistance, particularly in the 1940s. The
reaction to America's attempts to democratize the Middle East is not
dissimilar.
The question that continues to loom over President Bush's administration is
whether or not America has the stomach to battle insurgent groups in order to
implement a democratic framework in Iraq.
A quick scan of last weekend's developments is illustrative of the challenges
inherent in occupying Iraq today: In addition to trying to calm the
anti-American sentiment in Fallujah, discussions focused on the release of
hostages being held throughout the country and trying to stem opposition groups
led by militant Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
"I don't believe in a cut-and-run philosophy," intoned Democratic
presidential hopeful John Kerry at a campaign stop last week. Kerry did not
spell out what his alternative to such a philosophy was, other than to say that
should U.S. generals and other senior officials request more troops on the
ground he would favor such a plan.
At last week's press conference, President Bush said he would support a greater
military presence in Iraq.
For us to avoid what England experienced over a half century ago certainly
requires personnel, materiel and support for those brave men and women sent to
the Middle East to meet the challenge. It also requires a long-term commitment
from America to be involved in the region well into the future.
That is not to suggest that had these two conditions been present over 50 years
ago, England's occupation of Palestine would have met with different results.
In point of fact, the Empire was disintegrating from India to Turkey to Greece
to the Middle East. The sun had long set on British power post-World War II and
England knew it; their only option was to abandon Palestine after the United
Nations' partition vote in November 1947. England had neither the desire nor
wherewithal to maintain an occupying force in Palestine after 1948.
I do not believe it hyperbole to suggest that a great deal depends on what
America chooses to do right now. What happens in Iraq will have implications
for the entire region for decades to come. To use the phrase coined by
columnist Thomas Friedman, this era in world politics represents a vital
"hinge of history."
Sadly, unless some dramatic events transpire between now and the end of June
and America chooses to leave Iraq, head of the American occupation, Ambassador
L. Paul Bremer could very easily borrow the words of Colonial Secretary Amery
spoken less than 600 miles from Baghdad nearly 56 years ago.
I believe those American soldiers, and others from our partner nations, who
have fought and died so bravely certainly deserve better.
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Saturday, May 15,
2004
Author: Thomas Burr, The Salt Lake Tribune
Copyright 2004, The
Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County Auditor Craig Sorensen buys a lot of fuel for his 2003 Ford
Expedition, enough that last year he averaged 4.6 miles per gallon. ..
Call it a job perk.
Call it a necessity.
Call it whatever you want -- you're paying for it…
Snow College President Michael Benson , who gets a state vehicle as part
of his contract, recently requested to trade his state-owned 2001 Dodge Durango
for a used Buick LeSabre from the state fleet.
"Lately," Benson says, "every time I fill up at the pump I just
get tremendous pangs of guilt. To drive an SUV in the summer, it's just hard to
justify."
U., USU chiefs get
bigger raises than their peers
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Friday, June 4,
2004
Author: Shinika A. Sykes, The Salt Lake Tribune
EPHRAIM -- Like most
state employees, Utah's public college and university presidents will get a
raise July 1.
But paychecks for the leaders of the two research universities will get a
bigger boost than the 2 percent raise that was allocated by the 2004
Legislature, the state Board of Regents announced Thursday. …
* Michael Benson , Snow College, $117,300.
Reagan
proved that the words of a president matter
Salt Lake Tribune, The (UT) -
Friday, June 11, 2004
Author: Michael
T.Benson
As John Winthrop approached the New World aboard the
Arabella in 1630, he envisioned a shining "city upon a hill." This
was a phrase often employed by the late President Reagan as he endeavored to
hoist America out of the malaise into which it had fallen in the late 1970s.
Reagan's passing last Saturday has provided opportunity to reflect on the 40th
president's masterful use of the English language to lift and inspire, to
cajole and persuade, to transform and transcend.
Reagan's ability to communicate, honed through many years of acting and public
speaking on behalf of General Electric and other entities, was immediately
tested as he entered the Oval Office in 1981. Declaring that it was now
"morning in America," Reagan set out to effect a sea change in the
way we viewed ourselves as a nation -- and to radically alter the way the rest
of the world saw the United States.
Perhaps more than any other statement or speech, Reagan's remarks to members of
the British Parliament on June 8, 1982, defined his approach to the Soviet
Union and to the Cold War. This new approach marked a complete departure from
previous American policy in international affairs.
After World War II, America set out in its pursuit of a policy of
"containment" as defined by George Kennan and others in the Truman
administration. At its core, this policy was bent on "hemming in"
Soviet expansion proclivities whether it was in Europe or Asia or the Middle
East.
Reagan refused to accept containment, advocating rather a wholesale commitment
to defeating communism. As he stated: "What I am describing now is a plan
and a hope for the long term -- the march of freedom and democracy which will
leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history as it has left other
tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the
people."
The president concluded that the task he set forth would "long outlive our
own generation," but encouraged everyone to move toward a world "in
which all people are at last free to determine their own destiny."
Reagan's rhetoric soared and set in motion a revolution.
A mere five years later, Reagan again spoke in Europe, this time in front of
the famed Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin. His now legendary challenge to
Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" sent shock waves through
the continent all the way to Moscow. Recently interviewed about his
relationship with Reagan, Gorbachev questioned whether any of the tectonic
changes of the 1980s in the geopolitical landscape ever would have happened had
it not been for Reagan.
Even those opposite Reagan on countless political issues have conceded his
presidency marked a high-water point for America in the final stretch of the
20th century. Arthur Schlesinger Jr., a former aide to President Kennedy,
recently observed that "with eloquent words, a genius for simplification
and contagious optimism, he set forth the broad direction in which he wanted to
move the country and the world."
And E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post -- a paper more at odds with Reagan than
not during his two terms in office -- recently commented that three presidents
helped define the modern presidency of the past century more than any others:
the two Roosevelts and Reagan.
As befits a man commonly referred to as "The Great Communicator,"
words were sometimes not even needed to convey a principle or feeling. Several
associates have recollected the experience of James Baker, Reagan's first chief
of staff, entering the Oval Office in shirt sleeves and neatly placing his suit
coat on the back of a sofa opposite the president's desk just a few days into
Reagan's first term. No words were spoken, no verbal reprimand tendered, but
the look Reagan shot Baker told him that the former's respect for the Office of
the President demanded certain rules of comportment and decorum.
From that day forward, no one -- not even President Reagan himself -- entered
the Oval Office without jacket and tie. Such was the reverence Reagan wished
all to show the office looked to as the leader of the free world.
Interestingly enough, Reagan's political hero was Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Raised in a staunchly Democratic Irish-American home, Reagan idolized FDR. It
is altogether fitting, then, to borrow the words of The New York Times upon
Roosevelt's death in 1945 when it predicted that "men will thank God on
their knees a hundred years from now" that FDR had been the chief executive
to fight Hitler and Tojo.
As presidential historian Michael Beschloss has astutely observed, Americans in
2004 might "now give similar thanks that they twice elected a president
who saw the chance to end the Cold War in his own time."
What then is the legacy of the Reagan Revolution?
Of all the tributes heaped upon this son of Illinois, which will rise above the
rest? When pressed by one of his very capable speech writers, Peggy Noonan,
what he thought the meaning of his presidency was, Reagan reluctantly responded
that he "advanced the boundaries of freedom in a world more at peace with
itself."
Ousted leader fights
on
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Wednesday, November
10, 2004
Author: Suzanne Dean For the Deseret Morning News
EPHRAIM, Sanpete
County -- It's hard to tell what will happen next in the controversy over the
impeachment and removal of Snow College's student body president.
Justin Chandler, the deposed president, says he plans to "keep fighting
the rest of the school year." If he doesn't, he says, a pattern of
administrative meddling in student government won't change. ..
But Miriam Rasmussen, secretary of the Student Senate and spokeswoman for a
special impeachment committee that brought charges against Chandler, believes a
meeting last Thursday attended by about 300 students cleared the air. ..
Trust and confidence were perhaps the biggest problems, she said. "We had
a hard time trusting him because we kept getting two stories from him." …
One time, Rasmussen said, Chandler announced to a group of club leaders that he
had permission from Snow President Michael Benson to burn a Dixie State
College flag at a pep rally. Later, Benson informed the dean of students that
he had not given permission to burn the flag. The rally was held, but no flag
was burned. ..
Chandler strongly denied that he had lied or changed his story about the flag
burning. He said he had mentioned the idea to Benson. He claimed Benson didn't
object, so he assumed he had permission. Later, Chandler said, Benson e-mailed
the dean of students saying he had not given permission. After discussion with
the dean, Chandler decided against the flag burning.
Throughout the controversy, college President Michael Benson has
declined to comment, referring news media inquiries to college spokesman Rick
Pike.
"We as an administration are staying out of it because it's a student body
matter," Pike said Monday. "But we're encouraged by the productive
discourse" that occurred at last week's meeting.
Snow College gets
$200,000 for distance education
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Friday, December 3,
2004
Snow College announced
Thursday that it is getting a $200,000 federal appropriation to help the
central Utah-based school expand its distance education efforts. The money,
from the $338 billion federal appropriation budget passed Nov. 20, will be
administered through the proposed joint Snow College-Sanpete County Library.
The $14 million library is on the state's list of top 10 new construction
projects.
Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett were instrumental is directing money to
the two-year, state-owned school, according to Snow College President Michael
Benson in a statement released Thursday.
"We hope this is phase one of federal support. We will continue to lobby
for additional federal support for the library," Benson said. ..
Snow seeks a new
stadium
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Sunday, January 16,
2005
Author: Stephen Speckman Deseret Morning News
Snow College's current
football stadium may not be long for this world if Snow President Michael
Benson can find the funding for a new facility.
Benson told the State Board of Regents Friday he may be able to secure $4
million from one private donor.
Another $1 million would have to be raised through "other donors over the
next several months," Benson wrote in a letter to Utah System of Higher
Education Commissioner Rich Kendell.
Benson would not publicly identify what he called a "very reliable donor."
The donations would be spread over several years.
Tuition's double bite
may sting less
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Saturday, March 5,
2005
Author: Shinika A. Sykes, The Salt Lake Tribune
The one-two punch from
twin-pronged tuition hikes may not be as painful this fall for Utah college
students.
In fact, most schools are not anticipating double-digit increases at all. …
Snow College President Michael Benson acknowledged that students are not
happy about another tuition increase -- no matter how much. But they support
spending second-tier dollars to hire three more faculty members as a way of
"smoothing out the bottleneck courses" at the two-year college in
central Utah, he said.
"Students are happy when they get the courses they need to graduate."
Pro-Christian petition
causes stir at Snow College
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Wednesday, April
27, 2005
Author: Shinika A. Sykes, The Salt Lake Tribune
A letter seeking
student support for a petition asking President Bush to appoint a
"Christian" to the nation's top court created a stir this week at
central Utah's Snow College.
The letter, written on plain paper and signed simply "Student Life,"
was sent to faculty members. It asked them to alert their students about the
petition urging Bush to select a Supreme Court justice with religious
convictions.
Carl Sullivan, a language instructor, was bothered by the letter. "There
is a history of this kind of thing coming out of that [Student Life]
office," he said Tuesday. "There are some elements in this school who
want to turn [Snow College] into BYU," he said, referring to the LDS
Church-owned Brigham Young University in Provo…
And Michael Benson , president of the state-owned Ephraim college,
called the letter the handiwork of one "zealous" student, adding,
"No part of it was sanctioned by the college."
Persevere, Snow grads
told
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Sunday, May 1, 2005
Author: Sean Hales For the Deseret Morning News
EPHRAIM -- Between
humorous quips and quotes from rock 'n' roll musicians, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman
Jr. told graduates at Snow College's commencement exercises Saturday to
persevere through struggles and to love and respect humankind.
"A commencement speaker is like a corpse at a funeral; your presence is
needed, but not much is expected of you," Huntsman said. …
Prior to his address, Huntsman was presented with an honorary doctorate of
humane letters by Snow College President Michael Benson .
Benson addressed students to open the ceremony, and also spoke of courage and
perseverance. He quoted Winston Churchill: "Success is not final, failure
is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."
He said students need to make the most of opportunities, and have the courage
to face and overcome challenges.
Benson also announced the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York has
chosen Snow College as its western center for summer music camps.
Junior colleges a
great start for athletes
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Friday, December 2,
2005
Author: Michael T. Benson
When Snow College faces Butler Community
College of Kansas Saturday in the second annual Zions Bank Top of the Mountains
Bowl in Rice-Eccles Stadium, fans will be treated to a level of football that
sometimes goes unnoticed and unappreciated by some within our state. But for
those familiar with the junior college game in Utah, many recognize the
invaluable experience young student athletes gain from beginning their
collegiate careers in places like Ephraim or St. George. … In a place as
unlikely as Ephraim, one of our slogans is, "Start here, go
anywhere." For those student-athletes committed to excelling both
athletically and academically at Snow, our track record speaks for itself.
Old Man Winter makes
appearance
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Sunday, December 4,
2005
Author: Brad Rock Deseret Morning News
It is 31 degrees in
the fourth quarter and snow is falling. Jack Frost is nipping at my nose, which
is no surprise considering it's the third of December.
Where else would I be but Rice-Eccles Stadium, watching junior college
football? …
"When (Snow) President (Michael) Benson brought up having a bowl
game, did I think he was nuts? I did a little bit," said executive
director Rick Pike. "But he had a good vision about selling junior college
athletes and being in your face about. Hey, these guys can play."
Wiesel's Snow College
Lecture: Wrestling with God and questions of foregiveness
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Thursday, May 25,
2006
Author: Jessica Ravitz The Salt Lake Tribune
EPHRAIM - Cain was forgiven, even protected, after slaying Abel. Moses
contended with constant criticism and ended up threatening God. Jews in a Nazi
concentration camp put God on trial, found him guilty and then resumed prayers
- both to and for God.
These were just some of the thoughts Elie Wiesel, a man who has witnessed the
worst of humanity, mentioned when he spoke about forgiveness at Snow College on
Monday evening. He was there to deliver the Tanner Lecture on Human Values and
receive an honorary doctorate. It was the first time a Nobel laureate visited
the rural campus, and his being there was a longtime dream of Snow's President Michael
Benson and his dear friend Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. ..
Regents finalize
funding priorities
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Sunday, September
17, 2006
Author: Erin Stewart Deseret Morning News
Safer classrooms and
space for a growing student nursing population are the top priorities for
higher education leaders already looking toward the 2007 legislative session...
Requests by Utah State University, Salt Lake Community College and Snow College
also made the top five capital building requests for the regents, who finalized
their top funding priorities Friday. ..
Snow College also inched its way onto the priority list, a first since 2001
when the school received funding for its performing arts center. This year's
$17.7 million request is for a Snow College/Sanpete County library.
"We have been a team player, but we also feel that we're due. It's our
turn," Snow College President president Michael Benson said
5 finalists vying for
SUU helm
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Thursday, November
9, 2006
Author: Erin Stewart Deseret Morning News
Five finalists are
vying to take the reins of Southern Utah University, including current Snow
College President Michael Benson...
The five candidates are:
-- Michael T. Benson, president of Snow College since 2001. Previously, he was
the special assistant to the president of the University of Utah.
-- Beverlee J. McClure, cabinet secretary of higher education for New Mexico
since 2005. She also served as the president of Clovis Community College in New
Mexico from 1999-2005.
-- David E. Payne, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Sam
Houston State University in Texas since 1997.
-- Norval F. Pohl, president of the University of North Texas from 2000 until
2006.
-- David L. Soltz, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at
Central Washington University since 2001.
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Saturday, November
11, 2006
Author: Sheena McFarland The Salt Lake Tribune
Michael Benson will leave Snow College to become the 15th
president of Southern Utah University effective Jan. 1, the Utah Board of
Regents announced Friday.
Benson, 42, was the only Utahn among five finalists to replace Steve Bennion,
who retired earlier this year.
However, Commissioner of Higher Education Richard Kendell said Benson's ties to
the state "had no bearing on the decision" of the 20-member
presidential selection committee made up of regents, trustees, faculty,
students, staff and community members.
"He had what the college wanted. In another five years from now, the
college will need something else," Kendell said. "But he had the
right combination of talents for right now."
The search committee considered 67 candidates from 26 states...
Moving from governing about 2,800 students to nearly 7,000 will provide
challenges, he said, but he's excited to draw on his roots as a fund-raiser for
the U. of U. to kick off a capital campaign.
He also wants to get a feel for the campus that was the only public university
in Utah to show year-over enrollment growth this year.
"We haven't reached the perfect size at SUU, but they've been focused on
enrollment, which I'll continue," he said, adding Snow College was another
Utah school that showed enrollment growth. "SUU has a very unique niche in
the system as a provider of a private liberal arts style education at public
education prices."
Fred Esplin, U. vice president for university relations, worked with Benson
during his time at the state's largest public university.
"Mike is one of the most gifted people I know in developing and nurturing
good relationships," Esplin said. "I'm sure he's going to be very
good with working with the Legislature, the community and the supporters of the
university." ...
Regents name Benson to
head SUU
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Saturday, November
11, 2006
Author: Nancy Perkins Deseret Morning News
CEDAR CITY -- Snow
College President Michael T. Benson will take over as the 15th president of
Southern Utah University on Jan 1, 2007, the state Board of Regents announced
Friday on SUU's Cedar City campus.
The board interviewed Benson and four other finalists for the position on
Friday during a marathon executive session. A presidential search committee had
recommended the five candidates from a pool of 67 applicants representing 26
states.
Benson and his wife, Debi, were introduced to a gathering of faculty, staff and
community leaders at 4:45 p.m. in the Randall L. Jones Theater following his
official selection by the board.
"Debi and I had a chance to walk around the campus today, and there's a
palpable vibe, a feeling of good things happening, and we want to add to
that," Benson said after shaking hands with a long line of well-wishers
and old friends.
Getting a new science building funded and constructed at SUU is a top priority,
said Benson, adding he is anxious to begin raising funds for the project.
Benson's success as a fund-raiser and his experience in leading a higher
education institution in a rural setting were noted in a news release following
the announcement....
"I am humbled by this opportunity and will work as hard as I can," he
said. "I will do my level best to represent you as you would want me
to."
Snow College continues
to be vital to region
Richfield Reaper, The
(UT) - Monday, November
20, 2006
When Michael T. Benson
came to SnowCollege in 2001, he pledged to work toward making it
the finest two-year institution in the country.
That is just what he did.
However, he was thrown a curve ball early in his administration by inheriting
the Richfield campus, which was the product of years of work by people who
wanted to see a higher education facility in Sevier County. The
situation was unique in the state - a college with two campuses.
Formerly the SevierValleyAppliedTechnologyCenter, SnowCollege South was an institution that was facing some
challenges. The campus was dealing with the issues of how to integrate a
technical school with an academic institution in an experiment that looked like
it may fail.
Things had to change, and Benson recognized that the status quo wouldn't serve
either campus. Working with the Utah Board of Regents, the state Legislature
and others, Benson drafted an operational model for the campus during the
summer of 2002. With the new model of operation, came a new name - SnowCollege
Richfield. Benson also appointed Rick White as the executive vice president of
the Richfield campus.
Since that time, the road to linking the two schools hasn't been completely
smooth. Early in 2003, Snow Richfield was the subject of a huge
financial scandal stemming from embezzlement and mismanagement of funds by an
administrator over the span of several years.
Benson, White and many others worked through the challenges and have
accomplished the goal of providing a viable, higher education institution to
the people of Sevier County.
Benson's efforts have been to the benefit of both campuses as he has pursued
financial gifts to build up scholarship funds, endowments and capital
facilities. Benson helped raise money for both the performing arts center
on the Ephraim campus, as well as the SevierValleyCenter
in Richfield.
While it may seem that the big challenges are behind, the future is always in
motion.
We wish Benson the best as he moves on to Southern Utah University. However, it
is now time to start looking for Snow 's next leader...
1. What are you most excited for in
coming to SUU?
I'm most excited by the prospects
in SUU's future.
Given the recent recognition by
U.S. News (ranking in western master's degree-granting institutions), the
university's steady increase in enrollment (defying the state trends and being
the leading institution in growth for the past three years), the quality of our
faculty, staff and campus infrastructure - all these things and more bode for a
very positive future for SUU.
I'm most excited about being a part
of that future and, hopefully, contributing to the upward trajectory the
university is currently following.
2. Where do you see SUU in five
years? Ten years?
In five years I see the university
nearing the end of the most ambitious capital campaign in its nearly 115-year
history.This campaign will focus on all
areas on campus - faculty, student scholarships, facilities, the Utah
Shakespearen Festival, athletics and more - and I anticipate its effects will
be profound and long-lasting.In 10 years, I see the university
further distinguishing itself as the best "public-private"
institution in the West.
That means students can come to SUU
and have the private, liberal-arts college experience one finds at William '
Mary or Oberlin or Bowdoin but that training and education comes at a public
university price.
3. What class do you hope to be
able to teach?
I've taught Theories of
International Relations at BYU, the U.S. Presidency and International Politics
at the U of U and American National Government at Snow College. I'm happy to
teach any of those courses at SUU or whatever else Dean Decker and to-be Chair
Stathis ask me to teach on campus!
4. Do you see a need for a faculty
pay raise? If so, what is your plan for helping get one?
Retaining and recruiting the best
faculty is one of my top priorities. I intend to look very carefully - along
with Provost Harraf and the rest of the administrative team - on how we can
raise faculty salaries through a whole variety of means, including a targeted
legislative appropriation, tuition increase, budget re-allocation or some other
avenue.
Given SUU's recent - and fairly
steep - tuition increase I am very reluctant to go that route but I will put
everything on the table and see which option is the best.
The faculty need to know that I
will be their advocate and will do whatever I can to help them succeed.
5. As you work to raise funds for
SUU, where is the balance between state funding and private sector fundraising?
We will continue to work very hard
on the state level - as well as at the federal level - to secure government
funding for SUU.I commend Wes Curtis, Greg
Stauffer, Dorian Page and many others for their help at the legislature and
anticipate a concerted effort from all of us to continue to push the
university's agenda forward with help from our local government officials.But to provide that "margin of
excellence" that will further distinguish SUU from other institutions,
both in the state and throughout the nation, private support is absolutely
vital. That's why private fundraising will be one of my major areas of focus at
SUU.We were very fortunate to realize
some significant private gifts at Snow College during my tenure there - we
raised more money in five years than the previous 115 years combined - and
that's one reason I believe I was chosen for this opportunity at Southern Utah.A major comprehensive campaign will
be announced in the near future that I believe will energize the entire
community, both by its scope and ambition but also by its results.
6. During the upcoming legislative
session, what do you think the state legislature needs to do for SUU, and for
Utah higher education in general?
First and foremost, I believe the
State Legislature needs to make higher education a higher priority, much like
it has public education and roads and tax cuts. I commend our state
representatives for their hard work and commitment to the citizens of this
state.
I also believe an investment in
higher education pays more dividends than any other investment our state could
ever make. What better way to spend tax dollars than in investing in human
capital? That's exactly what our higher education institutions do - they invest
in and train human capital. As it relates to SUU, I am very
supportive of Senator Bill Hickman's institutional priorities legislation,
which earmarks an increased appropriation for each school in the state, based
on pressing needs and intend to lobby very hard for its passage.I also intend to thank the
legislature for its funding of the teacher education facility, while lobbying
for funds both for the Utah Shakespearean Festival as well as preparing our
case for a new science facility which we hope to get funded next year.
7. Are you going to make any major
changes to the university right away? What projects do you see yourself working
on during your first semester?
I'm not the type to make immediate
changes without first taking some time to familiarize myself with campus and
trying to get a feel for issues, personnel and priorities.
I've tried to do that the past few
weeks while also wrapping up my responsibilities at Snow College.I hope to spend the first semester
lobbying very hard at the legislature for higher education in general and for
SUU in particular.I also intend to make some fairly
significant announcements in the coming weeks about private gifts to the
university that will help launch the campaign I've mentioned earlier.My wife, Debi, and I are also
expecting a baby boy in March so this semester should be pretty busy!
8. What do you think is the biggest
problem facing SUU right now?
My understanding is that the
Chinese character for "danger" also means "opportunity."
As an inherently optimistic person,
I prefer to see opportunities more than problems and SUU has a whole host of
prospects ahead!I intend to focus on further
enhancing SUU's niche within the system of higher education in the state as the
"public-private" I mentioned earlier, while ensuring we're good neighbors
and good community citizens, both locally and regionally.You'll see a great deal of me out
in the community trying to do what I believe I'm hard-wired to do: build
bridges and partnerships and collaboration.
9. Where did you graduate and what
did you study?
My undergraduate degree is from BYU
in political science with a double minor in English and history. My doctorate
is in Modern Middle Eastern History from Oxford University. I wrote my
dissertation - which was published as a book in 1997 - on President Harry S.
Truman's decision to recognize the State of Israel in 1948.
10. In what ways do you think you
can specifically help SUU? What are your strengths as a university president?
I hope I've outlined some specifics
about how I intend to help SUU. My skill set lends itself, I believe, to some
of the pressing needs of this institution: namely, private fundraising, helping
get the word out about SUU and what a great place it is and further enhancing
its stature through increased state and private support. I will also be an incredibly strong
student advocate.Anyone who knows me and my career
at the U and Snow will tell you that my number one priority is students and
their success.I am also keenly aware of the many
sacrifices made by this community and its citizens to make SUU what it is
today. I also readily recognize the service and commitment of my predecessors
and plan to build on the foundation they have put in place. You will
undoubtedly find those more talented and work harder for this institution than
I will. As the saying goes, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't
work hard."
I see one of my strengths as being
the ability to surround myself with very good and able people, giving them the
tools to get their jobs done, working very, very hard and - all the while -
having a great time doing it!
My wife and I could not be more excited
to be here and thank everyone for their most generous and kind welcome. Now
let's get after it!
State approves center
to help Latino students navigate school system
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Saturday, January
20, 2007
Author: Roxana Orellana The Salt Lake Tribune
A new academic center
will help southern Utah's growing Latino population become more familiar with
the American educational system.
The State Board of Regents on Friday gave Southern Utah University permission
to create the Hispanic Center for Academic Excellence, the first such center at
any state college or university, according to Regent Michael Jensen.
The center will enable the university to offer information on the personal,
cultural and economic opportunities offered from kindergarten through college.
It will have an outreach component that will do early intervention for Latino
students in K-12 schools and get them thinking about college early. Students
who go on to college then would continue to receive support from the center.
"This is a very significant step for us," SUU President Michael
Benson told the board.
Benson, who is 20 days into his new position as SUU president, said the center
is a way to respond to the ever-growing Latino population of the area.
SUU lands $3 million
grant to help build life sciences building
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Friday, February 2,
2007
Author: Sheena McFarland The Salt Lake Tribune
Less than a month into
his new job, newly appointed Southern Utah University President Michael
Benson has secured a $3 million grant for a new life sciences complex.
The donation comes from a scientist and SUU alumnus who wants to remain
anonymous. The 50,000-square-foot building will adjoin the current science
building, and it will house the nursing, biology and life sciences program as
well as a museum.
"We're basically getting all of our science people in one place,"
Benson said.
The money may help the science complex move up on the list of priorities for
the Legislature, which will have to provide between $17 million and $19 million
to complete the project. Benson won't ask for any state funding this year, but
does plan to ask for the money to complete the life sciences building in 2008.
He isn't stopping with the complex. He is launching a fundraising campaign with
a goal to raise $115 million by the school's 115th anniversary in 2012.
"A major capital campaign is a really great way to get a place moving
forward," he said.
Benson added that "one of the primary reasons he was hired" as president
was for his ability to raise money. He worked at the University of Utah
beginning in 1995 to be a major fundraiser, and he raised a large amount of
money in his tenure at Snow College in Ephraim.
"I feel like SUU is poised and ready for this endeavor," he said.
Thinking big: Michael
Benson delivers the goods at Snow, SUU
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Sunday, March 25,
2007
Author: Doug Robinson Deseret Morning News
Not everyone was happy
when Michael T. Benson -- the ambitious, energetic, piano-playing,
globe-trotting, Oxford-educated, low-handicap-golfing, speeding
ticket-collecting, marathon-running grandson of the late LDS Church President
Ezra Taft Benson -- was appointed president of Southern Utah University.
Much to his dismay, Benson, who collects friends like a guy who just won the
lottery, learned that a committee of students had rejected his candidacy 10-0
weeks earlier. Of the five finalists, he was the only one not to receive a
single vote.
"Even the Boston Strangler would have received one vote," one SUU
administrator quipped to Benson.
With his usual deft touch, Benson met with the 10 students and heard their
concerns, then calmly addressed them one by one. Among the complaints: During
the interview process he had vowed to raise $115 million in time for the
school's 115th anniversary in 2012. The students thought he was campaigning
with a promise he couldn't keep.
A couple of weeks later, Benson flew to New York and secured a $3 million
donation. Before he had even officially begun his new job, he had collected the
biggest donation in school history.
"I decided that if they were going to have a problem with me raising that
money, then I'll show them," he says. "They saw me as being arrogant.
It was confidence."
Benson earned a reputation for thinking big and delivering the goods during his
five years as president of Snow College in Ephraim. He raised more money in
those five years than the school raised in its previous 115-year history --
almost $6 million in cash and $4 million in pledges.
This is no small feat at a school that, besides being based in a tiny, isolated
town and having relatively few alumni (annual enrollment is about 3,000), alumni
loyalties are usually divided between the junior college and the university to
which many students subsequently matriculate.
Benson nevertheless made Snow the first Nike-sponsored junior college athletic
program in the country.
He made Snow an all-Steinway junior college, securing 32 of the famous pianos
for the music department through purchases and donations, some with a price tag
of $90,000.
He made Snow the host for the famed Juilliard School of Music's annual summer
camp.
He built the Eccles Performing Arts Center.
Told that the project would be scrapped if he didn't raise $2 million in one
month, Benson did just that, collecting $1.5 million from the Eccles family and
$500,000 from the Horne family in Arizona.
No detail escaped his attention, from conceiving and building a bell tower as a
campus landmark to recruiting his older brother Steve, the Pulitzer
Prize-winning political cartoonist, to "mean up" the school mascot.
He put artificial turf on the football field.
He ran a marathon to raise $50,000 to pay for a new scoreboard and a charter
flight to take the football team to a bowl game.
He lured Roger Reid, the former BYU head coach and NBA assistant, to Snow to
become the head basketball coach (then this month hired him at SUU).
He brought Elie Wiesel, the writer and Nobel Peace Prize winner, to speak at
the school.
Last month, funding was approved for a new library at Snow -- Benson's
long-time pet project.
"Not a week went by without him throwing out yet another big idea for
Snow," says Rick Pike, who served as development director at Snow.
"The trick was to stay focused long enough to get previous ideas
accomplished before moving on to new ones."
After only a few weeks under Benson at SUU, Dean O'Driscoll, the school's
marketing director, says, "This is going to be an amazing adventure.
"He is so quick to action. One morning we talked about a problem at 8
a.m., by 9 we were working on it, by 2 we were done with it and moving on to
something else. There was no sitting around trying to figure out what to
do."
Benson's strength, say those who work with him, is his skill with people.
Relaxed, humorous and warm, he moves easily in all circles. He counts among his
friends Rhodes scholars, college football players and coaches, governors,
rabbis, Nobel prize winners, senators and congressmen, philanthropists, LDS
Church leaders and, of course, students.
"It isn't fair," says Benson's long-time friend, Danny Humphrey, who
proceeds to list Benson's assets -- handsome, athletic, a scholar, a 7-handicap
golfer, a published author, a dapper dresser, a classical pianist, a man of
eclectic interests who can converse on anything from the Utah Jazz to food to
the politics of the Middle East.
"And he speaks Italian. And he's nice!" says Humphrey. "C'mon,
is that fair? When we're in a social setting, I'll say, 'C'mon, annoy me with
your well-roundedness.' He has an amazing presence."
Oh, and he looks about 10 years younger than his 42 years.
You could really learn to hate this guy.
During his first day on the job at Snow College, Benson stood on the sidewalk
and handed out doughnuts to students. "Hi, I'm the new president, Mike
Benson," he said. Finally, one student looked him up and down and sniffed,
"President of what?" One man admitted to Benson, "I thought you
were the student body president."
Taking the advice of an LDS Church leader, Henry B. Eyring, Benson met with
every employee of the college in the employee's office to learn about the
person and the school. At larger SUU, he has vowed to meet individually with
every vice president, department chair and dean in the school, and he has
distributed questionnaires to all employees.
"He's all about relationships," says O'Driscoll.
Pike recalls that Benson greeted almost every student by name as they walked
around campus.
"He knew all their names," says Pike. "He knew all the
custodians, too, and all about their families. This sounds cliched, but this is
a man who treats the janitor the same as the CEO. The grounds people at Snow
would go to war for that guy. He loved them."
After hearing the complaints of the SUU student committee, Benson won them
over. Several students later approached him to apologize. "There wasn't a
student who left the meeting with a concern," says O'Driscoll.
Dialea Adams, Benson's assistant at SUU, has been directed by her new boss to
interrupt meetings if necessary when a student comes to his office to see him.
"Students have been very impressed with how he responds," she says.
Marlon Snow, a member of the Utah Board of Regents, is effusive in his praise
of Benson:
"Everything he does is so positive, and he has such a love for people. I'm
impressed with everything about him, and I've never talked to anybody who
doesn't have the same impression. I don't think (his career) will end at
SUU."
Benson -- with the new job, a second marriage and the recent birth of a son --
is on a roll after surviving the darkest time in his life.
Benson grew up the youngest of six hard-working, talented children born to Mark
and Lela Benson. Mark took a degree in educational administration at Stanford
but wound up selling cookware and china and dedicating himself to church work.
He moved his family from Texas to Indiana to serve as a mission president for
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for three years, and then
returned to Utah.
There were no real vacations and no extravagances. The family's spare money was
used for music lessons and instruments. The four pianos in the family home were
rarely quiet.
The children were expected to practice a couple of hours a day or more. Lela
once walked into the middle of Michael's eighth-grade basketball practice and
took him home to finish piano practice.
Benson, already thinking creatively, resorted to creative ways to escape the
piano bench. He persuaded his sister Mary to play the piano for him so he could
shoot baskets in the driveway instead. ("And make lots of mistakes so Mom
thinks it's me," he directed her.) To maintain the deception, he had to
catch each shot before the ball hit the concrete so his mother wouldn't be
alerted by the noise. Later, he made recordings of his piano practices and
played them while he shot baskets.
"Now I thank my mother for my love of music," says Benson, who still
plays regularly, favoring the work of Chopin and Rachmaninov (he once performed
with Snow's jazz band). The sound of classical music emanates from his SUU
office as he works.
Benson was an able and involved student at Salt Lake City's East High School.
He served as president of the a cappella choir, president of the LDS seminary
council and co-captain of the school basketball team. He was named East's top
senior basketball player.
Well before then he was already engaging, popular and precociously motivated.
Name another fourth-grader who, weary of such nicknames as "Chubby"
and "Crisco Kid," took up running to lose weight. ("I remember
him as a cute, roly-poly, squishy little boy," says his brother Steve.) By
the time he reached high school, he had done more than lose weight with his
running.
He ran the half-mile in under 2 minutes for the East High track team and
covered a marathon in 2 hours and 41 minutes in the summer. After Benson was
spotted running in a BYU P.E. class, the school track coach invited him to join
his team (Benson declined).
Instead, Benson played for the BYU junior varsity basketball team for one
season. Years later, he lettered for the Oxford basketball team, serving as a
player-coach one year.
The young Benson was an achiever in an achievement-oriented family that was
headed by Ezra Taft Benson, who in the 1950s served as U.S. secretary of
agriculture in the Eisenhower administration, was an LDS general authority and
in the 1980s became president of the LDS Church.
"In public, his image was very stern and serious," says Benson.
"But in private my grandfather was warm and affable. He had a great sense
of humor."
In Benson's house there is a photo of the young Ezra Taft, and visitors
frequently note the similarities between him and his grandson. "I think of
Michael as having all of my grandfather's best attributes -- intelligence, love
of government, public service and love of people," says Benson's sister,
Mary Richards.
Benson was going to pursue a career in athletic administration, not academics,
but his older brother helped to convince him that his talents could be better
used elsewhere.
"I can't see my little brother in a long-term career wearing sweats,"
Steve told him one day.
Instead, Benson, armed with a doctorate from Oxford University, wound up
wearing jeans and roofing houses after returning from three years of study in
England.
The CliffNotes of Benson's formative years: Served an LDS Church mission to
Italy; attended BYU; sold his car to finance a trip to study in Jerusalem for
two semesters; interned for Sen. Orrin Hatch in Washington, D.C.; took a
political science degree at BYU; worked full time for Hatch as a junior staff
member in Washington; entered Oxford at 27, and earned a doctorate in modern
Middle Eastern history.
Along the way he developed a passion for Israel and President Harry S. Truman.
He wrote his doctoral dissertation on Truman to support his contention that the
president's major role in the creation of Israel was not politically motivated
but was based on altruism and religious beliefs.
Benson returned to Israel on a fellowship for further research and turned his
dissertation into a book -- "Harry S. Truman and the Founding of
Israel." It made him a sought-after expert on Israel, a country he has
visited 16 times.
"While writing that book, I would get the feeling that someone was looking
over my shoulder," he says. "I felt an otherworldly presence
sometimes when I was writing. My book was the first to take on the premise that
Truman did what he did with Israel for political reasons. He did it because it
was the moral and right and compassionate thing to do."
After returning to the United States, Benson applied for teaching positions and
found none. He roofed houses and sold suits at Nordstrom's for several months
before landing a position as a fund-raiser at the University of Utah and later
as a special assistant to U. President Bernie Machen and then secretary to the
university board of trustees.
"After a few a years I decided I loved campus life and being around bright
people and ideas and young people who are in the formative period of their
lives," he says. "Acquiring knowledge seemed like a noble, worthy
cause."
In 2001, at 36, he was named president of Snow College, making him the youngest
college or university president ever in Utah's higher education system.
Benson, who already has served as the president of two schools, authored a book
and graduated from BYU and Oxford, seems bound for other things, but if he's
thinking that far ahead he's not letting on.
"I believe if you're given a task and you work hard, things will take care
of themselves," he says. "If I hadn't produced at Snow, I wouldn't
have been considered at SUU. I want to build on what's been done at SUU."
It hasn't all been mortar boards and building projects for Benson. The events
of the past few months have marked a comeback from the lowest point in his
life.
His marriage to the granddaughter of LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley
united two of the greatest names in the church. The 10-year marriage, which
produced two children, ended two years ago. That was devastating, Benson says.
"The divorce didn't fit," says Humphrey. "He had painted the
perfect picture. This was a big piece of the chain that broke. People who knew
him were shocked that this would happen to him. That was not part of the
plan."
The situation was exacerbated by the rumor mill.
"When all that went down, there was nasty stuff spread about him, about
the kind of father and husband he was, and that his faith in his church was
failing," says Pike. "Well, I can tell you that I traveled with this
man, and at the end of the day I saw him on his knees praying."
"It's worth noting that he always had (an LDS) temple recommend,"
says Mary. "He was hurt. He's not a critical person. I will admire him
forever for how he handled it gracefully, never bitterly. He didn't respond. He
went about conducting himself in an exemplary way. He was restrained and
respectful."
Benson met the former Debi Woods on a blind date, and they married last summer.
He calls her "the best thing that has happened to me in a long time."
They had their first child earlier this month and named him Truman Taft --
after his favorite U.S. president and his grandfather.
"The smile is back on his face," says Marlon Snow.
"I learned a lot of things about myself and my faith," says Benson,
"and that's what kept me going. And I leaned a great deal on my family.
"You find out who your friends are," he says.
Says Steve, "There is a certain weight with bearing the name that he
does."
Steve Benson should know. Years ago he made a very public and acrimonious
departure from his LDS faith and distanced himself from his family, although
family members say he has moved closer to them over the years. That, too,
wasn't part of the Benson plan.
"It was hard on all of us," says Mary. "We all love Steve; he's
our brother."
Mike and Steve have maintained a strong relationship and express mutual
admiration and respect for the other.
Says Michael, "I've remained close to him. He's asked us to respect his
decision and his agency in life, and I've asked the same of him. We don't
attack and criticize the path each of us has chosen.
"In the final analysis, he's my brother, and I'll always love him."
"We've developed a bond that means a lot to both of us," says Steve.
"He is very genuine. What you see is what you get. He is a very bright
person with a real talent for connecting with people."
Steve Benson recalls staying at his brother's house once when a troubled
student showed up at the door late at night. Michael "spent an hour
talking to him," says Steve.
On another occasion they were touring the Snow campus together when they
spotted a student practicing piano on stage in the Eccles building. After
observing for a while, Benson approached the student and introduced himself.
They talked for a while and then Benson sat by her and they played a
spontaneous duet.
"He made an immediate connection," says Steve. "Here's the
president of the college playing with an undergrad student."
Chase Palmer, a former Snow football player, made a similar connection with
Benson. He was planning to attend medical school, but after observing Benson he
changed his mind.
"I'd love to eventually follow in his footsteps and be in college
administration and become a college president," he says. "It's his
influence. He's an example to anyone who comes in contact with him. I've
observed his association with students, and his love for what he does and his
love for people. It's unmatchable."
Tanya Spencer, a single working mother, praises Benson for helping her to
return to school for a degree at Snow. "He would call me and ask, 'What
can I do to help?' says Spencer, who now teaches English. "He was my conscience.
"Professors told me he would call and ask how I was doing. Snow is not
going to be able to replace him," Spencer says.
Benson works long days but manages to mix fun into the routine. He has taken
his two children from his first marriage, Emma and Samuel, to New York to see
Broadway. He travels the world, golfs with a vast cross-section of people he
has met on the job, and races around the state meeting with legislators and
boards and philanthropists, which accounts for his impressive collection of
speeding tickets (including one he picked up en route to the press conference
in which he was to be named president of Snow).
"He is so on the go, just buzzing from one flower to the next," says
Steve.
Considering all his brother has accomplished already, Steve might be right when
he says, "I think his star is rising fast."
Benson attended Brigham
Young University, from which he
graduated cum
laude. He became the cartoonist
for the Arizona Republic in 1980.[1] In the late 1980s he was at first a supporter, then a prominent
critic, of Evan Mecham, the first Mormon to be elected governor of
Arizona. Benson's criticism
stirred controversy among Arizona's Mormon population,[2][3] leading some LDS church members to seek the intervention of Benson's
grandfather in the matter;[4] Benson was later relieved of his position on a church council.[5][6]
In 1993 Benson
faced further controversy within the LDS church, when he stated that his
grandfather, then nearing his 94th birthday, was suffering from senility that was being concealed by church leadership.[8] Later that year, Benson publicly left the church.[4][9] He has since become a critic of religious belief, appearing at Freedom
From Religion Foundation's annual
conventions and stating in its paper Freethought Today, "If, as the true
believers claim, the word 'gospel' means good news, then the good news for me
is that there is no gospel, other than what I can define for myself, by
observation and conscience. As a freethinking human being, I have come not to
favor or fear religion, but to face and fight it as an impediment to civilized
advancement."[10][11]
In 1997, a Benson
cartoon used the image of a firefighter carrying a dead child to comment on the
death sentence that had just been imposed on Oklahoma
City bombing defendant Timothy McVeigh. Benson forcefully defended his work against some readers' contentions
that the cartoon was insensitive.[12]
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Friday, July 20,
2007
Author: Suzanne Dean For the Deseret Morning News
EPHRAIM -- Scott
Wyatt, an attorney, state legislator and longtime member of the Snow College
Board of Trustees, was appointed as Snow's president Thursday. ..
Commissioner of Higher Education Richard Kendall said that often, being
president of a small college is primarily a stepping stone to a bigger college
presidency. ..
Wyatt's predecessor, Michael Benson , did, in fact, use the Snow College
presidency to propel himself on to the helm of Southern Utah University.
Buy SUU license — and
park for free
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Saturday, July 28,
2007
CEDAR CITY -- Show
your school spirit and get a parking perk.
Utah motorists can buy a Southern Utah University license plate, starting
Wednesday. Much of the extra $25 fee will go to the school's scholarship fund.
Any vehicle with a license plate adorned with Thor, the school mascot, will be
allowed to park for free on campus.
"You've got a plate, you've got a parking space," President Michael
Benson said.
Cedar City Mayor Gerald Sherratt, who was the school's 13th president, received
the first license plate. It says "PRES13."
Benson started a Snow College plate when he was president there.
"This is an excellent idea, a stroke of genius," Sherratt said.
"This is good advertising for Cedar City, as well."
Taking Snow reins:
President aims to raise college to new heights
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Tuesday, September
25, 2007
Author: Wendy Leonard Deseret Morning News
As an alpine climber,
Scott Wyatt has conquered many a mountain on his own. But in his new quest as
president of Snow College, he will enlist the help of the entire campus and
possibly the community. …
While the objective of Snow's former president, Michael Benson , was to
raise money for the school, Winn said Wyatt's focus will most likely be on his
own goals for the college, including statewide recognition and a new vision for
the future.
2007 fundraising sets
record for SUU
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Tuesday, January
22, 2008
CEDAR CITY (AP) --
Southern Utah University set a new fundraising record in 2007 with $15.5
million in pledges in donations.
That amount is almost $6 million more than the school's previous record,
university officials said.
"We hope it's the first of many great years ahead," President Michael
Benson said. "If we're going to reach our ambitious goals, we'll have
to have years like this. People have been very generous. That means everything
to a school our size."
Benson said the totals are indicative of a renewed emphasis on fundraising by
the school's advancement campaign.
Scholarship policy
close to approval
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Saturday, April 19,
2008
Author: Amy K. Stewart Deseret News
The state Board of
Regents is one step closer to approving guidelines for a Regents' Scholarship
program, which was created through the Legislature's passage of SB180…
Michael Benson , president of Southern Utah University, said he hopes
the program encourages high school juniors and seniors who sometimes decide to
take it easy toward the end.
"This gets them to think of a rigorous program and offers them incentive
with scholarship money," Benson said. "I can't think of a better way
to get them motivated."
Utah college chiefs
want liquor-free sports TV
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Friday, August 8,
2008
Author: Tad Walch Deseret News
PROVO -- A broad
coalition of football and basketball coaches, athletic directors and college
presidents is asking the NCAA to ban beer commercials from college sports
broadcasts…
USU President Stan
Albrecht and athletic director Scott Barnes and SUU President Michael Benson
and athletic director Ken Beazer also signed the letters.
Cedar City remembers
10 crash victims
Deseret News, The (Salt
Lake City, UT) - Friday, August 29,
2008
Author: Nancy Perkins Deseret News
CEDAR CITY -- Words of
comfort, songs of wisdom and thoughts of love were all showered on the
surviving relatives and friends of the 10 people killed in a plane crash near
Moab last Friday.
Thousands of people gathered on the campus of Southern Utah University to mourn
and celebrate the lives of those who died. Bigger-than-life portraits of the
victims were displayed on the stage, overlooking more than 180 family members
who sat in rows on the floor of the Centrum Arena.
"Mourning is one of the deepest and most profound expressions of
love," said SUU President Michael Benson , whose remarks were
punctuated with pauses while he struggled with his emotions. "Our
community has banded together in our grief. We have forged stronger bonds
because of our attendance tonight."
Benson was one of several speakers at the special memorial who shared poignant
memories of those who lost their lives…
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Friday, October 17,
2008
The 60th anniversary
of the founding of the state of Israel will be commemorated this month with a
photo exhibit and lecture series at the Salt Lake City and County Building.
Southern Utah University President Michael Benson will speak on
Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. in the building's third floor council chambers on
"The American Cyrus: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel."
…Benson is an expert in Middle Eastern history, and has served as a consulting
historian and essayist for the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Mo.
Bond issue: Recession
right time to invest in infrastructure
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Saturday, December
27, 2008
Author: The Salt Lake Tribune
With every day
revealing yet more dire news for our state, national and international
economies, one would think government should not adopt the policy of increasing
expenditures while revenues decline.
And yet billions in assistance dollars have been and are being requested for
insurance and financial institutions as well as the automobile industry.
Federal aid is even going to homeowners to stem the tide of foreclosures across
America.
I certainly don't profess to be an economist but I do recognize that experts
from John Maynard Keynes to John Kenneth Galbraith have recognized that
government spending is necessary to spur the larger economy in times of
recession.
Historians have argued for decades as to what exactly kicked America out of the
Depression of the 1920s and '30s -- many maintain it was World War II -- but
none can doubt that Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal, with its alphabet soup
of new government agencies, put thousands back to work while ushering in a
whole new era of government intervention.
Even with the current climate, I am one of a growing chorus in Utah that is
urging our state leaders to consider bonding for much-needed infrastructure
throughout our state. The moment is right in which need can be met with
circumstance and done in such a way that current and future generations will
benefit from this investment in our institutions.
Three factors are converging to support such a position. First, the market for
government bonds is good and getting better for preferred rates and terms;
second, construction costs -- while varying from one industry and market to
another -- are generally favorable, and contractors and subcontractors are
motivated to get work; and third, and perhaps most important, bonding for
facilities now will be a significant boon to our economy and ensure that
thousands of Utahns are kept employed in one of our state's most important
industries: construction.
To be sure, I have a vested interest in encouraging our Legislature and
governor to support these bonds since Southern Utah University is on the
government project list for the expansion of our science building (fourth on
the State Board of Regents' list and 12th on the State Building Board
rankings).
This project is absolutely vital to our future success in preparing students in
the sciences and ensuring our role as offering the best undergraduate education
anywhere in these areas. The university has been very aggressive in moving this
building priority up the list by securing $5 million in non-state money.
Without question, a significant bond issuance -- backed by Utah's AAA rating
and benefiting citizens everywhere with projects from Logan to St. George --
would be a bold move and would require broad support and political courage. But
pressing infrastructure needs will only grow more acute if we do not act now.
These bonds provide a significant means whereby Utah, its economy and its
citizens will benefit for years to come.
A time to bond
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Thursday, January
8, 2009
Author: Public Forum Letter
Every now and then The
Tribune Sunday Opinion section brings together individuals from different
stripes of life with the same reasoning. This happened last Sunday. Both Bruce
Wilson's "Bond, bond, bond" (Forum, Dec. 28) and Michael Benson
's op-ed "Bond issue: Recession right time to invest in
infrastructure" (Opinion, Dec. 28) extolled the virtues of using Utah's
excellent bond rating to take advantage of the super-low interest rates and
invest in the state's infrastructure. ..
SUU graduates 1,767
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Saturday, May 2,
2009
Author: Mark Havnes The Salt Lake Tribune
Cedar City » Anna
Cunningham received her associate degree in science Saturday during
commencement exercises at Southern Utah University -- and in three weeks,
she'll get her high school diploma….
Cunningham was one of 1,767 students to receive an associate, bachelor's or
master's degree during the 112th commencement at the school. The graduates were
addressed by Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. ..
SUU President Michael Benson reflected on the commitment and sacrifice
of those who started the Branch Normal School, as SUU was originally named.
"They set the foundation that continues to be built upon," he said.
SUU plans new
on-campus art museum
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Monday, September
7, 2009
Author: Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune
Jim Jones has spent
the better part of 33 years gazing on Utah and Arizona's redrock vistas during
a career replicating them on canvas. The Springdale-based artist has produced
hundreds of landscape paintings, including many depicting iconic landforms of
Grand Canyon and Zion national parks.
Some of Jones' oeuvre will find a permanent home in his hometown of Cedar City,
where Southern Utah University plans to build an art museum next year with the
help of paintings and property Jones is donating. Jones is at work on a series
of 14 landscapes for the proposed museum that local officials expect will
cement the city's status as the region's cultural center.
"There are so many good art collections around and no home for them,"
said Jones, 76, a 1961 University of Utah graduate. "When I was little, my
dad took me to the Springville Museum of Art. I was enchanted by this big
building in this little town, filled with art. I would like to see that for
Cedar City."
SUU President Michael Benson revealed the plans at the most recent Board
of Regents meeting, promising to raise the entire $10 million cost from
philanthropic and other nonstate sources. That means putting out his hat in the
worst economic climate in decades, but Benson and local officials are confident
the university can pull it off.
"It's a lofty goal but we have cash and pledges in hand of $2
million," said Benson in a phone interview last week from his office, in
which hangs one of Jones' earliest landscapes, a winter-time view of the Grand
Canyon.
Officials envision the 28,000-square-foot museum as the first leg of a
three-phase plan to develop a university arts complex at the corner of 300 West
and University -- a campus gateway spot facing downtown and across the street
from the Utah Shakespearean Festival.
"We want to do this without state money to show we are serious. It will
also contain a campus welcome center and a little cafe," Benson said.
The museum would house a Jones gallery, exhibition spaces and provide an
expanded home for the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, currently in a cramped
two-room basement suite in SUU's Braithwaite building.
"It's in the middle of the campus and you can't visit because there's no
place to park," said Cedar City Mayor Gerald Sherratt, a retired SUU
president. "We're very excited about this. It is something we truly
need."
Benson pointed out there are no public art museums along the busy 240-mile
corridor between Springville and St. George.
"You have an entire swath of the state that doesn't have a access to a
repository for sculpture and art," Benson said. "That's a terrible
disservice to the public." …
Jones' new series of 14 landscapes will go on display at the Braithwaite
starting Oct. 15, following an unveiling event to kick off the museum
fundraising campaign. The first pledge came in the form of Jones' Springdale
home, which he built in the early 1980s on a mesa with views into Zion Canyon.
It is valued at between $1.5 million and $2 million and is to be sold upon his
death to fund the museum project, Benson said.
"It would be a wonderful contribution. It would be free and open to
all," Benson told the Regents. "We talk a lot about science and
technology. It should not be lost how important music, art and poetry are in
our daily lives."
College students:
Prepare for another tuition hike
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Wednesday, March
31, 2010
Author: Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah college students
should brace themselves for yet another year of tuition hikes, this time
averaging 8.7 percent across the state's nine public colleges and
universities….
Southern Utah University is proposing the largest hike at 12.5 percent. Next
year the Cedar City school will charge more than the $4,290 students will pay
at Brigham Young University, the state's most selective institution, which
enjoys a hefty subsidy from its owner, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
Re-branding itself as a small liberal-arts college serving the whole state, SUU
is pursuing an instruction model that relies on tenure-track, doctoral-level
faculty teaching small classes. That kind of education is more expensive and
SUU tuition should be more in-line with what similar institutions charge,
according to SUU President Michael Benson .
A town named nicely:
Benson
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Wednesday,
September 23, 2009
Author: Lee Benson ; Deseret News
BENSON — Talk about
hospitality!
I rounded the corner and the sign said, "Welcome Benson." …
Benson, it turns out, is a slow-moving, peaceful slice of Cache Valley located
eight miles northwest of Logan that was settled a century and a half ago by
Mormon farmers who liked the idea of their alfalfa fields adjoining the Bear
River. They started a trend that today we call having a home office.
I would have bet any of their farms that Benson wasn't named after my particular
line of Bensons because when my grandfather Adolph came to America from Sweden
his name wasn't Benson, it was Bengtsson. He shortened it to Benson when one
too many Englishmen spelled it wrong.
Besides, Adolph didn't even arrive in this country until long after Benson was
named Benson.
A much better bet was that it was named after Ezra T. Benson, one of the
original Mormon pioneers who came to Utah in 1847. Ezra T. was an apostle to
Brigham Young and soon after arrival built a beautiful home on the corner of
Main Street and South Temple in Salt Lake City, where the Zions Bank tower now
stands.
But no sooner had he gotten comfortable than Brigham Young ordered him to move
and settle what is now known as Cache Valley.
I learned all this when I called Michael Benson, the president at
Southern Utah University and a great-great-great-grandson of Ezra T. Benson.
A student of his family lore, Mike confirmed that the Benson I rode through is
indeed named after his great-great-great-grandfather.
"The people in Cache Valley thought so much of him they named a town after
him," he said.
Ezra T., however, was never aware of the honor. He died in 1869 and although
people had been farming in the vicinity since 1862, the area wasn't officially
named Benson until 1871…
SUU plans museum to
honor Jim Jones, other local artists
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Friday, December
11, 2009
Author: Wendy Leonard ; Deseret News
Long before he died
last Saturday, famed Utah landscape artist Jim Jones pledged his home and his
final project, which contained 18 of his best landscapes, to Southern Utah
University. Now that gift will help the Cedar City university fulfill a
commitment to build an art museum, the only one between Springville and St.
George.
The proposed Southern Utah Museum of Art still needs donors to come through to
begin work on the building, but local community members and others have come up
with $3 million of the nearly $12 million necessary for the project. The
"easily accessible" plot of land, on the corner of 300 West and
University Boulevard, where the 28,000-square-foot museum will stand, will be
ready by the end of next summer, according to SUU President Michael Benson...
Higher ed cuts are
akin to eating the 'seed corn'
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Tuesday, January
12, 2010
Author: Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune
Enrollment caps at
Salt Lake Community College. Goodbye to small classes and graduate programs at
Southern Utah University. Research grants drying up at the University of Utah.
That's what would be in store for higher education if the Legislature exacts
another 5 percent in cuts, institution presidents told lawmakers Tuesday. Utah
colleges and universities will be eating their "seed corn," dooming
them to a future of mediocrity or worse, officials warned. ..
SUU, a 7,500-student campus in Cedar City, is cutting scholarships and closing
its student health center, said President Michael Benson . Now it may
eliminate graduate programs, cap enrollment, defer maintenance, and replace
full-time faculty with adjuncts, threatening its status as "best in the
West" in terms of student value, he said.
SUU's Mormon-themed ad
campaign raises questions
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Saturday, June 5,
2010
Author: Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune
Southern Utah
University's recent ad campaign frames its Cedar City campus as a place that
supports Mormon cultural values, raising questions about whether a public
school should play on faith to recruit students.
In recent years, SUU has burnished its image as a traditional liberal arts and
sciences college providing private school-caliber baccalaureate education for
the price of public-school tuition. The small Cedar City school markets heavily
in the urban Wasatch Front, often featuring women and people of color on
billboards on the sides of buses.
Dean O'Driscoll, SUU's vice president for university relations, said the
Mormon-themed campaign supports this broader message, portraying SUU as an
intimate campus where students enjoy close attention from full-time faculty.
SUU spent $12,000 on six ads in April and May portraying it as an ideal setting
to prepare for a mission -- the two-year proselytizing tour of duty many
college-age Mormons serve -- in the Deseret News ' "Mormon Times"
section.
But as a legal matter, publicly-supported institutions ought to steer clear of
favoring one religion, race or gender over others, except to address the
continuing effects of past discrimination, said Barmak Nassirian, associate
executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and
Admissions Officers.
Noting that Latter-day Saints have enjoyed a favored status in Utah, he found
the SUU ad "troublesome" and recommended the state's public schools
avoid religious pitches without commensurate efforts to recruit Baptists,
Catholics and members of other non-Mormon faiths.
Otherwise, "you very quickly cross the line from affirmative action to
outright pandering to the dominant forces of society," Nassirian said.
"Is the point of education to bring together like-minded people?" he
asked. "The whole point is to bring together people who have different
perspectives, different backgrounds. You are best prepared if you have that
kind of experience." …
SUU is led by president Michael Benson , who is from a prominent Mormon
family. Benson, a professor of modern Middle Eastern history and former
president of Snow College in Ephraim, is the grandson of the late Ezra Taft
Benson, the LDS Church's 13th president.
The SUU ad features a well-groomed youth from Sandy named Ryan Copeland
sporting a Thunderbird red T-shirt morphing into the dark blazer and tie, the
standard attire associated with male missionaries. The words "LDS"
and "Mormon" don't appear.
"Going to SUU was the best thing I could've done to prepare for my
mission," the ad says, quoting the student. "I got away from home and
grew up. I gained Church leadership experience at Institute. I made friends who
encouraged me to go."
Because SUU is small, it affords leadership opportunities that Utah's larger
urban universities cannot guarantee, O'Driscoll said. He noted one-fourth of
SUU's 8,000-strong student body attends the Institute and about 230 freshman,
or 18 percent of the class, leave school on LDS missions each year.
"Those numbers are just too large to ignore," O'Driscoll said.
"It is a smart marketing decision to reach the potential students and
their parents in a single publication for a reasonable price."
But others question whether public schools should spend public money to cast themselves
as faith-promoting.
"We are talking about a public school that appears to have a specific
interest in recruiting one religious community, a community that is well
represented to begin with," said Barry Lynn, executive director of
Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "It seems odd to have
public funds spent to recruit students from one religion, arguing that this
will be good for their religious faith."
SUU finding new niche
as state's only public liberal arts-focused campus
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Saturday, June 12,
2010
Author: Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune
Cedar City » On the
Southern Utah University campus, a new 76-foot-tall carillon stands framed by
two of the most dignified buildings in southern Utah, Old Main and the
Braithwaite Liberal Arts Center, the scene of a new fall ritual. Incoming
freshmen are marched under the tower greeted by cheering peers, faculty and
staff on the grassy quad.
Then they are admonished to not walk under that tower again until they
graduate, when they will again parade under its 25 pealing bells on their way
to commencement.
"There's nothing more collegiate than the sound of bells. We are trying to
start traditions that will really take traction," said SUU President Michael
Benson , a Middle Eastern history scholar who is leading the school's
transformation into a traditional liberal arts and science campus.
As one of his first initiatives as the new president in 2007, Benson raised the
$250,000 to erect the tower and buy the bells. The goal was to promote the kind
of campus atmosphere that seems to be getting left behind as Utah struggles to
broaden access to higher education.
All over the state, institutions are expanding their missions in an effort to
serve as many people as possible. For example, Utah State University is
providing a community college mission in rural areas and Dixie State College is
moving from a community college to a "comprehensive regional
university," a leap Utah Valley University (UVU) has recently completed.
SUU is heading in the opposite direction, compressing its mission and
emphasizing the baccalaureate experience on its intimate 133-acre campus a few
blocks west of downtown Cedar City. Home to the Utah Shakespearean Festival and
the future Southern Utah Museum of Art, SUU is aspiring to be The College of
William & Mary of the West -- a small, high-caliber publicly supported
liberal arts institution.
In Utah, the closest thing to SUU is the private Westminster College in Salt
Lake City, where tuition is more than five times that of SUU's $4,700 annual
price.
The school is bumping up its selection criteria, building up its cultural and
athletic infrastructure, forging partnerships with the national parks, pushing
study abroad and seeking membership in Phi Beta Kappa, better known as The Phi
Beta Kappa Society, the nation's pre-eminent honors organization. This honed
mission fits in with the larger vision for Utah's eight-institution system of
higher education, according to a member of the state Board of Regents...
SUU will be harder to get into. Its admissions index will be hiked
from 85 to 90, equivalent to a 3.0 GPA and 17 on the ACT, for the fall of 2011,
putting in on par with Utah State University's.
"Raising entrance standards is a natural consequence of limiting
growth," Jordan notes.
This small-campus feel requires an expensive education model and SUU tuition
has been rising faster than at its sister institutions. The school has won
designations as one of the nation's top values and one of the West's best
schools by the Princeton Review, Consumers Digest and U.S. News & World
Report. SUU leverages these accolades in its marketing to Utah's populous
Wasatch Front, where billboards and bus boards boast a private-school
experience on a diverse, student-oriented campus....
The Carter Carillon, now a centerpiece of SUU's historic upper campus, chimes
daily at 5 p.m., its bells programmed to play at least 100 songs. The bronze
bells came from Holland, the largest weighing two tons. Among those passing
under the bells in May was Brian Vaughn, the Shakespeare festival's leading man
and artistic director, who attended SUU in the 1990s as a student actor. He had
failed to complete his degree for want of a math class, so last spring Benson
arranged a tutor to help him pass Math 1010.
"The true measure of an institution isn't the student you admitted, but
the student you graduate," Benson says, describing his ideal alumnus as
someone who gained broad experience, yet deep knowledge in his major.
"Did they study abroad, did they do a service learning project to Mexico,
did they see a Shakespeare play, did they hike Angels Landing and write a
reflective essay about it, did they see a Division I football game?"
Benson says. "Our graduate, we hope, is someone who looks back and says,
'I did all that and I did it in a small place and they knew who I was and I'll
forever be a T-bird.'"
SUU's Big Sky dream
comes true
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Monday, November 1,
2010
Author: Steve Luhm The Salt Lake Tribune
Cedar City » Christmas
arrived early this year at Southern Utah University, which realized a
decades-old dream Monday by accepting an invitation to join the Big Sky
Conference.
The Thunderbirds will start play in the Big Sky in 2012, when they become
members of a league that in recent months has evolved into one of the most
high-powered in the Football Championship Subdivision.
"There are tectonic forces going on all over the United States as far as
intercollegiate athletics are concerned," Southern Utah president Michael
Benson said. "... This just happened to be the right moment for us and
we couldn't be more pleased."
Kragthorpe: These
Irish aren't so fightin', but this game is significant for Utes
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Friday, November
12, 2010
Author: Kurt Kragthorpe The Salt Lake Tribune
Michael Benson , the president of Southern Utah University
and a former Utah administrator, will pursue what he labels a
"fascination" with Notre Dame by watching the Utes play the Irish in
person.
Benson's attachment stems from three brothers-in-law from Salt Lake City who
have attained Notre Dame masters degrees in business. That led him to enroll in
the school's Master of Nonprofit Administration program in the summers.
Benson's influence can be heard at Snow College, where he formerly worked, and
SUU. Among his first moves at each school was to have the "Notre Dame
Victory March" programmed into the bell tower. Notre Dame observes
"traditions every institution should emulate," Benson once wrote,
suggesting SUU could follow its example of and "strive to rise above the
mediocrity that is all too prevalent in the world today."
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your
own selves.”
(2 Corinthians 13:5)
Recently, I had occasion to spend some time with a good
friend who is a devout Catholic. Our late afternoon golf outing followed a day
spent on the campus of Wheaton College, where a graduate school classmate of
mine had been inaugurated as the eighth president. Wheaton is a 150-year-old
evangelical school just west of Chicago, Illinois, which counts among its
eminent alumni the Reverend Billy Graham. As we came up the eighteenth fairway,
my friend said to me: “Mike, I’ve decided to use you as an example with others:
here you are a committed Mormon in the midst of finishing a degree at Notre
Dame, golfing with your Catholic friend after spending the day at Wheaton
College. Now that’s ecumenical!”
While I was flattered by my friend’s observation, my experience
is hardly unique. I have been blessed throughout life to see much of the world,
to be exposed to many of God’s creations and children, and to experience many
cultural, intellectual, and religious traditions. Within these various settings
and among a whole host of different people, the Lord has provided opportunities
for me to try as best I can to adhere to the Apostle Paul’s admonition:
“Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”
Two of my very best friends have religious traditions far
different from my own: Roman Catholicism and Judaism. These friends are
committed to their faiths, they make tremendous sacrifices, they serve others,
and they positively impact the lives of their families and associates. They
have my unending respect and admiration for their adherence to their own
traditions and faith. I am a better person for knowing them. My own beliefs
have been reinforced and deepened by witnessing first-hand the devotion my
friends demonstrate on a daily basis. In many areas, the devotion of my friends
to their faith and principles exceeds my own—their examples have motivated me
to do better and to try harder to live my own religious beliefs.
I must confess that, throughout my life, neither a great
deal of attention nor time has been spent contemplating the mysteries or being
consumed with theological—or even historical—discussions relative to doctrine
or events in our Church’s past. This is not to suggest that I am not
intellectually curious nor that I have never experienced periods of doubt nor
questioned my own religious tradition. Frankly, there are parts to our history
and dogma which I do not understand. Nonetheless, I do not allow discrepancies
in records, accounts, or even theological arguments to interfere with what I
might term a very simple faith. For others, these nagging questions or doubts
prove to be insurmountable obstacles and have steered them off on a life path
different from the one I have chosen to walk.
My faith is rooted and grounded in the Lord Jesus Christ, in
His life of service to others, in His sacrifice, death, and resurrection, and
in His role in my everyday life. All else, as Joseph Smith said of our
religion, is mere appendages to the incontrovertible fact that Jesus died on
the cross, rose again in the third day, and lives today. This faith is what
motivates me to try to do good and what keeps me among the Mormon faithful. It
also motivates me to continue in good standing within the LDS Church so as to
avail myself of priesthood ordinances and blessings, and thereby bless the
lives of my family and friends. The organization of the Church, regardless of
the congregation’s location—together with its members—has proven to be a
constant in my life when other influences have ebbed and flowed.
In short, I try my best to find fellowship with the Mormon
Saints for three simple reasons:
First, it is the faith of my fathers. As the anthem in our
church hymnal concludes: “Faith of our fathers, holy faith—we will be true to
thee ‘til death” (Hymns, no. 84). The examples of my forebears are not
only humbling and motivating, but they also steel me for the challenges I face
in my own life. In many ways, my devotion to the precepts of the LDS Church is
in part an expression of gratitude to family members and others for what they
sacrificed. Although I have my own agency and could choose any number of paths
to take, my belief system has propelled me to never betray the trust of my
family by abandoning the faith of my ancestors. And from my examination of other
faiths and belief systems, Mormonism is the best fit for me personally and
spiritually. It is what I know and what I believe.
Second, a commitment to and belief in the LDS Church have
provided a solid and secure foundation by which I try to live a Christ-centered
life. There are many areas where I fall short but I am buoyed up by our faith’s
promise of forgiveness and eternal progression. I firmly believe in the
principle of personal revelation and the importance of the Holy Ghost in
prompting me daily as I strive to live in such a way as to merit its
companionship. I also value our faith’s commitment to truth—in all of its forms
and wherever it may be found—and the affirmation that we as mortals are
expected, even commanded, to “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom;
seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118). My own
personal quest and pursuit of knowledge has led me back time and again and to
the faith and traditions which my family and friends have inculcated in me
since birth. Mormonism is as much a part of my cultural and personal DNA as any
genetic code inherited from my parents.
Further, adherence to gospel principles has enabled me to
make decisions that have served me very well and that don’t require that I
“remake” these decisions over and over. A simple but profound example: while
living and studying as a graduate student in England, I saw daily the
destructive and addictive power of substance abuse in classmates’ lives. My
abstention from these substances freed me from the consequences they had to
face because of their own personal choices. Life can be hard enough without the
compounding complications that come from making unwise life choices that could
easily be avoided.
Third, the principles espoused by the LDS Church have
blessed my life and provided opportunities for spiritual growth and service to
others. While the latter years of high school—and most of my professional
life—have been spent in Utah, I have often been among the minority in work and
school circumstances as I have lived in other parts of the United States and
the world. These settings have provided ample chances to demonstrate my active
LDS faith by my actions. My hope is that these actions characterize me as one
of the “believers” to those who observed my actions on a daily basis.
This, then, is my faith and my testimony. I choose to not
share experiences or instances that are more private in nature because they are
just that—they are personal to me and my life’s journey and I hold them sacred.
As Isaiah says in my favorite passage in chapter forty, I have tried to “wait
upon the Lord” (verse 40) and he has answered my prayers in powerful ways which
I reflect on frequently to provide support during difficult times in life.
For me, the best way to “testify” of my beliefs is how I
live my life. Jesus taught, “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew
7:16). Arguably one of organized religion’s most revered figures, and the
author of hymn number 62 in our LDS Hymnal, St. Francis of Assisi once wrote:
“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
If the primary purpose of websites such as this is to build
and strengthen faith, I would hope that my own personal life and my attempts to
serve others as best I can are a much stronger testament than anything I might
write or say.
SUU v.p. arrested in
prostitution sting
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Sunday, December
12, 2010
Author: Dennis Romboy ; Deseret News
CEDAR CITY — A
Southern Utah University vice president was among eight men authorities
arrested Friday in a prostitution sting. …"Given the charges filed against
Wes Curtis, the university is placing him on paid administrative leave, per
university policy. This leave is effective immediately and pending the outcome
of an investigation into the alleged misconduct," SUU President Michael
Benson said in a statement Saturday.
Utah college VP
resigns after prostitution arrest
Associated Press State
Wire: Utah (UT) - Tuesday, January
25, 2011
A Southern Utah
University vice president has resigned following his arrest and prosecution in
a Cedar City police prostitution sting…SUU President Michael Benson
accepted the resignation in a statement also posted on the website.
Higher ed: Lawmaker
laments 'degrees to nowhere'
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Thursday, February
3, 2011
Author: Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune
The state is wasting
billions of dollars conferring "degrees to nowhere" on college
students because higher education is badly "misaligned" with the work
force, according to an influential lawmaker.
Sen. Howard Stephenson's presentation to the Higher Education Appropriations
Subcommittee on Thursday fueled an ongoing debate about the value of liberal
arts, long viewed as the cornerstone to a well-rounded education. Stephenson,
R-Draper, contends too few students are graduating in scientific and technical fields
and that jobs are going unfilled as a result.
Stephenson, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, argued that Utah's
colleges and universities should be graduating more students in STEM fields --
science, technology, engineering and math. He proposed spending $8 million on a
"web portal" for students, educators and employers to share
information about career opportunities and the needed pathways to reach them.
"We need to be more student-centric. Instead, we are institution-centric.
Each is in its own silo, and information is not shared," said the senator,
who holds degrees in psychology and aerospace studies from Brigham Young
University. Implicit in his "degree to nowhere" argument is the
notion that the humanities and social sciences are a drain on higher-education
resources and don't help students get jobs.
Several college and university presidents sat quietly behind Stephenson during
his hour long presentation. They included Utah State's Stan Albrecht, who holds
a degree in sociology from BYU; the University of Utah's Michael Young,
political science, BYU; Utah Valley's Matthew Holland, political science, BYU;
and Snow College's Scott Wyatt, economics and philosophy, Utah State. None rose
to rebut Stephenson, but in a phone interview after the meeting, Southern Utah
University's Michael Benson challenged Stephenson's assumption that a
liberal-arts degree leads "nowhere."
"On our campus, where we place heavy emphasis on traditional liberal arts
and sciences, we believe any college student should have a breadth of exposure,
as well as drilling down into one discipline," Benson said. "One
thing I learned as a history and English major, some of the most enlivening
experiences were those that taught me how to write, think, reason, argue my
point and listen to others' perspectives."
The liberal arts might not always lead directly to a particular job, but they
connect students to their cultural heritage and promote civic engagement.
"When the pioneers got [to Utah], they had nothing. What was the first
thing they did? They founded the University of Deseret to teach those very
things -- literature, art, philosophy," Benson said….
Regents consider
tuition hikes of 5 to 12 percent
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Monday, March 21,
2011
Author: Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune
The State Board of
Regents will consider tuition increases averaging 7.5 percent for the state's
eight colleges and universities when it meets Friday in St. George. The
proposed hikes are expected to raise an additional $38 million from Utah
students, highlighting an unrelenting upward trend in the price of a college
education…
Southern Utah University proposes the largest dollar amount increase at $462.
For the second year in a row, the Cedar City school is seeking an 11 percent
increase. But with tuition and fees combining for $5,200 annually, SUU would
remain a bargain considering it is providing a small-campus liberal arts and
science experience which includes a new program in Shakespeare studies,
according to President Michael Benson . SUU tuition will remain 30
percent less than its peer institutions in other states.
The increase "will go to 20 new faculty and new advisors and new resources
for our experiential learning requirements. It's all tied to our academic road
map that will further differentiate us from the other institutions in the
system," Benson said. "We are trying to focus more on quality. That
costs a bit more and our students are supportive."
USU's Albrecht not
alone in donating pay raise
Herald Journal, The
(Logan, UT) - Sunday, September
25, 2011
Author: USU's Albrecht not alone in donating pay raise
Kevin Opsahl The Herald Journal
Turns out Utah State
University President Stan Albrecht isn’t the only one who doesn’t feel the need
for extra dough.
By the end of last week, seven of the eight public college and university
presidents in Utah had declared they would put their extra money toward
students or other endeavors…
Southern Utah
University President Michael Benson said he would use part of his
$13,441 raise with the First Lady to endow a scholarship, Dean O’Driscoll, vice
president of university relations, told The Herald Journal. The other part will
go to pay off student loans for a master’s degree he earned at University of
Notre Dame.
Center at SUU is named
in honor of Harry Reid
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Saturday, September
3, 2011
Author: Mark Havnes The Salt Lake Tribune
Cedar City » One of
the most powerful politicians in the country was at Southern Utah University on
Thursday reminiscing about his time at the school he graduated from in 1959 and
being recognized with an academic center named in his honor.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was invited to the Cedar City university,
which has named its new Center for Outdoor Engagement after the Nevada
Democrat.
A year after
prostitution sting, resignation, administrator returns to Southern Utah
University
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Saturday, December
24, 2011
Author: The Salt Lake Tribune
A year after he
resigned in the wake of prostitution sting, a former Southern Utah University
administrator will return to the Cedar City campus in a new role as director of
regional services.
Wesley Curtis, the one-time vice president for government relations and
regional service, was among 50 candidates to apply for this post, and was
picked as a finalist by a search committee.
"Wes is to be commended for working hard to make things right with his
family, his friends, and his work associates. We are pleased to once again be
able to avail ourselves of his considerable talents," said a new release
quoting SUU President Michael Benson , who made the decision to re-hire
Curtis.
Curtis, 59, was among eight people arrested at a Cedar City motel in December
2010 where an undercover officer posed as a prostitute and negotiated with men
to exchange money for sex. He later resigned, then pleaded guilty to a class B
misdemeanor of solicitation. He was fined $623 and ordered to pay restitution.
"I believe in second chances, and know that Wes has paid a significant
price professionally and personally," Benson said. "I am confident
Wes Curtis has done all that could be expected of him as he has made amends for
his past mistakes."
Michael
T. Benson in the
Huffington Post: (1) Comments
| Posted January 2, 2013 | 12:01 PM
With the dawn of a new year come the
requisite New Year's resolutions to lose weight, to be a better person and, in
my case, to shave a few strokes off the golf handicap. But I've also decided to
focus on the principle that suggests that life is really about...
Many opinions have been voiced as
Former Vice President of Regional Services Wes Curtis returns to SUU’s campus
as the new director of regional services.
Curtis will return after resigning
as VP and pleading guilty to a Class B misdemeanor for sex solicitation last
year. The final decision for the rehire was made by SUU President Michael T.
Benson, who chose Curtis out of 50 candidates.
Curtis said he was humbled and
grateful for being hired as an SUU employee again.
“Nobody makes it through life
without making a mistake of some kind,” he said.
Curtis said Benson’s decision shows
“courage and compassion,” and Curtis said he hopes the community and university
will respect that.
Benson said he believes in second
chances and Curtis is back on board after making amends, such as paying the
$623 fine and restitution.
“I am happy to have Wes back and
know he will do a superb job,” he said....
Brooke Gibbens, a sophomore
education major from South Jordan, said she doesn’t feel uncomfortable with
Curtis being on campus, but she is disappointed with SUU.
“I would expect the college that I
pay good money to attend to step their game up and do whatever needs be so that
we can maintain a good reputation,” she said. “If you play in the pasture long
enough, eventually you’ll smell like (excrement) too.” ...
Is higher education in
Utah getting enough state funding?
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Saturday, February
4, 2012
Author: Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune
Anticipating a boost
in tax revenues next fiscal year, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is calling for a 1
percent increase in compensation for state employees -- except those who work
for colleges and universities. Higher education officials and business leaders
are concerned that campuses could see an exodus of top faculty and staff, now
experiencing their third year of frozen pay.
University presidents pleaded with legislators this week to raise pay for
higher ed, calling it their highest funding priority this session and a
critical investment if Utah is to meet its goal of having 66 percent of the
workforce holding a post-secondary credential…
Colleges and universities are allowed to hike tuition to fund compensation increases,
but only Southern Utah University has done so in recent years. The Cedar City
school, which has retooled its mission with an emphasis on liberal arts and
sciences, established 20 new faculty positions under this year's steep tuition
hike, President Michael Benson told the committee. Yet SUU remains a
bargain relative to similar colleges.
Sorenson gives $3M to
Westminster to expand arts education
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Wednesday, February
15, 2012
Author: Ben Fulton The Salt Lake Tribune
On Monday, Westminster
College announced a $3 million gift from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation for a
new position of endowed chair in arts education…
"Beverley's commitment to arts education and her tireless efforts on
behalf of school children everywhere will be evidenced in the daily activities
of this magnificent facility," SUU President Michael Benson said.
S. Utah college gets
$4 million donation
Associated Press State
Wire: Utah (UT) - Monday, February
20, 2012
Southern Utah
University has received a $4 million donation a gift officials say is the
single-largest gift in the 115-year-old school's history.
In a statement, SUU President Michael Benson says the donation is a
game-changer for the school.
Mormon leader on Utah
Democrat's list of possible running mates
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Wednesday, April 4,
2012
Author: Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune
Advisers to Peter
Cooke have forwarded the Democratic gubernatorial candidate a short wish list
of potential candidates for lieutenant governor that includes retiring LDS
general authority Marlin Jensen…» Michael Benson , president of Southern
Utah University and grandson of former LDS Church President Ezra Taft Benson.
President Michael T. Benson
presented positive news to the faculty, staff, students and community members
on Thursday during the 2012 spring semester Campus Forum.
Benson announced during the meeting
that the College of Science and Engineering naming ceremony will take place on
May 3 at 4 p.m. in the sculpture garden north of the Science Center.
The new science building, which
opened in September, will be named the L.S. and Aline W. Skaggs Center for
Health and Molecular Sciences.
The Skaggs donated $1 million to
help finish the building and another $1 million to put their name on the
building. $500,000 of their donation went to instruction and $1.5 million went
into endowment.
The university’s science program
now has more than $5 million worth of endowment which equates to $250,000 worth
of scholarship every year…
A rabbi, a Mormon and
a black Christian mayor walk into a room...
Deseret News, The
(Salt Lake City, UT) - Sunday, June 24,
2012
Author: Christian Ross ; Deseret News
Our take: Jessica
Ravitz writes about the friendship between Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, Michael
Benson , president of Southern Utah University, and Mayor Cory Booker of
Newark, who met each other at Oxford University in England.
Mormon mission fallout
to shake up Utah colleges
Salt Lake Tribune, The
(UT) - Wednesday, October
10, 2012
Author: Brian Maffly The Salt Lake Tribune
Saturday was supposed
to be about NCAA football for Southern Utah University President Michael
Benson .
But news out of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints promptly
changed the subject less than three hours before the Thunderbirds' kickoff
against Sacramento State.
Instead of boasting about the mighty arm quarterback Brad Sorenson, Benson
spent the morning fielding questions from trustees and alumni about how reduced
ages for missionary service will affect the Cedar City school.
"I had more questions about it than I knew how to handle," Benson
said. "We're in the nascent stages of trying to figure out what policies
we can come up with to accommodate them. It will impact our recruiting and
scholarship policies."
He also expects a dip in enrollment next semester if many students, who now
qualify for Mormon missions under the new policy, opt to leave school.
Currently, nearly a fifth of SUU's freshman class leaves on missions each year.
At last weekend's General Conference in Salt Lake City, church leaders
announced they were lowering the minimum mission age from 21 to 19 for women
and from 19 to 18 for men. The policy change, which takes immediate effect, is
expected to have a profound influence on college life across Utah, whose
universities bid a temporary farewell each year to thousands of students
answering the call of their church. Now faithful Mormon men can embark on
two-year tours of proselytizing duty right out of high school (women go for 18
months), but it is unclear how many will choose to do that….
SUU's
Benson said he hopes elite schools will see that missionary experience will
enable applicants to bring greater maturity and study skills to their campuses.
He suspects many college-bound students could be better off completing their
church service out of high school. That way they avoid breaking up their
college studies and arrive at school with greater confidence. Benson cited his
nephews who attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, but could not graduate with
the cadets they started with because they left Colorado Springs for two-year
missions.
BYU’s call to “go forth to serve”
has taken alumni across the country and around the globe, but for Southern Utah
University President Michael Benson, he only had to travel three hours south to
make a world of difference.
Benson’s contribution’s to SUU have
been enormous. He is one of five current college and university presidents in
Utah who graduated from BYU, and he cited his time as a Cougar as important to
where he is today.
“I always wanted to go there,” he
said, even though most of his high school classmates did not.
Michael T.
Benson is president of Southern Utah University and is a BYU graduate.
Benson
graduated from East High School in Salt Lake City in 1983. He was one of four
students in his graduating class who went to BYU, while the other 250 went to
the University of Utah. Benson studied political science and minored in both
English and history.
“I will always be very grateful for
those experiences I had at BYU,” he said.
Some of his favorite times as a BYU
student were interning through the Kennedy Center on Capitol Hill in
Washington, D.C., and studying in Israel.
“That was a seminal time in my
life,” he said. “It opened my eyes.”
Benson eventually returned to BYU
as a political science professor. However, he soon found himself in
administration.
“I was at the right place at the
right time,” he said.
He worked as an assistant to the
president at the University of Utah and focused on fundraising, something he
would come to be known for later in his career. In 2001 he was named president
of Snow College. During his five-year tenure, he helped the university raise
more money than the rest of its 117 years combined.
In 2007, he was appointed president
of SUU, but didn’t receive the warmest welcome. A student committee felt Benson
was making promises he couldn’t keep when he talked about the money he wanted
to raise for the university. After addressing student concerns and securing a
$3 million donation a few weeks later, Benson convinced his doubters.
Benson has helped the university
raise millions of dollars as part of its “The Future is Rising” campaign, and
his wife, Debi, said his enthusiasm has been critical to convincing donors.
“More than anything, it’s his
enthusiasm and excitement for what the university can do,” she said. “He’s got
a fresh vision. It’s hard to be around him and not feel that excitement.”
Debi said the strains of raising
three young children can be hard, but her husband works hard to balance his job
with his family.
“We could be doing something every
single night,” she said. “We take the kids everywhere though.”
Student body president T.J. Nelson
said Benson’s contributions to SUU extend beyond fundraising.
“He is so cool and he is so good at
what he does,” Nelson said. “He brought in a lot of talent I don’t think we’d
have otherwise.”
The talent and money Benson has
helped the university attract is all part of a plan to position SUU as a
“private college experience at a public university,” something he said is
unique in Utah higher education. He hopes students will not only learn in the
classroom, but they will be able to have hands-on experience.
By Michael T. Benson in the Huffington Post: (1) Comments
| Posted May 29, 2012 | 5:34 PM
The following is not intended as a
defense of the current BCS system, racked as it is with imperfections and
inherent unfairness. Rather, I choose to celebrate the pageantry that is
college football. And it is meant as a counter to an argument, recently promoted, by Buzz Bissinger...
By Michael T. Benson in the Huffington Post: (0) Comments
| Posted June 5, 2012 | 10:59 AM
As I approach my twentieth year
working in public higher education, there are two times of the year that remain
my absolute favorite: the excitement that surrounds the start of each academic
year in the fall, and the collective sense of accomplishment -- and relief! --
that accompanies graduation in...
By Michael T. Benson in the Huffington Post: (2) Comments
| Posted June 18, 2012 | 4:26 PM
Sociology, history, political
science, economics and philosophy -- some have maintained that these and other
"liberal arts" subjects are throw-away degrees offering little to no
promise that those pursuing them will have any chance of employment in today's
uber-competitive job market.
However, this list also represents,
respectively, the undergraduate...
By Michael T. Benson in the Huffington Post: (0) Comments
| Posted July 19, 2012 | 2:16 PM
A recent Chronicle of Higher
Education cover story detailed the "graying presidency"
and the inherent challenges are facing in grooming the next generation of
university chief executives. Having become a president eleven years ago at age
36, I recognize the incredibly small group of us under the age...
By Michael T. Benson in the Huffington Post: (2) Comments
| Posted August 9, 2012 | 3:29 PM
London is a city of monuments. This
is especially evident as images of this remarkable city and its Olympic venues
are beamed to billions of people around the globe during this unparalleled
sporting event. Equestrian statues, buildings, arches, parks, bronzes,
boulevards -- all these speak to the glorious history of...
By Michael T. Benson in the Huffington Post : (2) Comments
| Posted October 22, 2012 | 3:05 PM
I recently had the chance to make my
17th visit to the State of Israel and was struck, once again, by a phenomenon
unique to a nation created in May of 1948. Never before had a "dead"
language been resurrected to become the national language for a new state.
While...
By Michael T. Benson in the Huffington Post: (10) Comments
| Posted November 6, 2012 | 9:31 AM
I witnessed a miracle Tuesday
morning. I did not have an epiphany or experience any type of revelation or
reckoning. Rather, like millions of other Americans I walked into a polling place
-- not unlike thousands across this country -- and in the privacy of a booth,
cast a ballot...
The SUU President’s Council is
taking students’ suggestions on how SUU should adjust to a leaner tuition
revenue in the fall because of an expected enrollment drop.
President Michael T. Benson sent a
letter to students via mySUU Portal on Feb. 1 containing a link to the
suggestion webpage.
Nicole Bunker, a freshman
accounting major from Payson, said she saw the note from Benson earlier this
week.
“I’m glad that he is trying to
include the students in how to help with the budget cuts,” she said.
Benson said two days before the
message was sent to students, a similar letter went out to professors…
“The bread and butter of SUU really
is the undergraduate residential campus experience,” Benson said. “We do not
want to in any way jeopardize the SUU experience.”
By Michael T. Benson in the Huffington Post: (0) Comments
| Posted February 13, 2013 | 4:22 PM
Recent headlines from newspapers and
periodicals across America portend the imminent burst of the higher education
bubble while calling into question the usefulness of a postsecondary diploma in
the face of crushing debt encumbering so many college graduates. Even the noted
pundit and author Charles Murray advocates "getting rid of...
“As an Eagle Scout myself, I believe that
Scouting is one of the greatest forces for good that exists in our Country
today. At a time when our youth are bombarded with so many challenges, I am
grateful for the positive influence Scouting continues to play in the lives of
so many young people.”
Rick's first effort is an insider's political thriller in the tradition of other slightly more famous politician/authors Newt Gingrich, Jimmy Carter, Benjamin Disraeli & Gary Hart.
