S.J.R. 20

1

JOINT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING
2 RETIRING PRESIDENT OF DIXIE STATE
3 COLLEGE
4 2005 GENERAL SESSION
5 STATE OF UTAH
6 Sponsor: John W. Hickman
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This joint resolution of the Legislature extends its deepest appreciation to retiring Dixie
11 State College of Utah President Robert C. Huddleston.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 . proclaims gratitude, recognition, and honors the exemplary achievements of
15 President Robert C. Huddleston for his 12 years of service to the students,
16 faculty, and staff of Dixie State College as well as to the Dixie community.
17 Special Clauses:
18 None
19
20 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
21 WHEREAS, Robert C. Huddleston, President of Dixie State College, has announced
22 his retirement effective June 30, 2005, and will return to teaching full-time at Dixie State
23 College beginning in 2006;
24 WHEREAS, Robert C. Huddleston, named the 15th President of Dixie State College on
25 July 1, 1993, is currently Utah System of Higher Education's longest tenured president and has
26 served in this capacity as long as any president in Dixie State College history;
27 WHEREAS, President Huddleston's years of service at Dixie State College have been a

28 milestone in the history of the college;
29 WHEREAS, his perseverance, dedication, and passion have led to many
30 accomplishments that have been paramount to the growth and the success of the college;
31 WHEREAS, accountability, both of self and of those he has managed, has been his
32 mantra throughout his tenure and is evidenced through his plan of institutional effectiveness
33 and annual reports, which have been praised by many;
34 WHEREAS, economic development has been another focus of President Huddleston's,
35 having established the first paid professional position for economic development in
36 Washington County;
37 WHEREAS, President Huddleston has vitalized the Washington County Economic
38 Development Council, and the council's efforts have resulted in over 700 county jobs, over a
39 million square feet in new facilities, and $111 million in capital investment in Washington
40 County;
41 WHEREAS, President Huddleston was the positive force to oversee Dixie College
42 becoming Dixie State College and expanding its mission to offer baccalaureate programs, four
43 of which are now available to students;
44 WHEREAS, President Huddleston later led the college in achieving top accreditation
45 marks at the baccalaureate level;
46 WHEREAS, President Huddleston has been an advocate of the students, personally
47 seeing to it that tuition at the college has remained among the lowest in the state;
48 WHEREAS, tremendous growth has occurred at the college under the administration of
49 President Huddleston, with total enrollment soaring from 3,000 in 1993 to nearly 9,000 in
50 2005;
51 WHEREAS, the physical campus has also grown extensively under his leadership and
52 has included an expanded library, a new institutional residence, an expanded student union
53 building, the Udvar-Hazy Business Building, a seven-acre encampment mall, Pine Valley
54 Conference Center, a fitness center, computer center, soccer and practice fields, a
55 baseball/softball complex, and the new Graff Eccles Fine Arts Center;
56 WHEREAS, President Huddleston also acquired a former grocery store and LDS
57 institute building, transforming them into instructional buildings;
58 WHEREAS, President Huddleston took the college to the communities of Hurricane

59 and Kanab, establishing education centers in both cities;
60 WHEREAS, an average of $3 million annually has been raised from private donations,
61 plus millions more in deferred gifts, during President Huddleston's tenure, and he has been the
62 driving force behind the college's capital acquisition campaign;
63 WHEREAS, President Huddleston improved the working relationships with the Board
64 of Trustees, Utah State Board of Regents, and the Legislature to fund the College to meet its
65 operational and capital needs for students and the community;
66 WHEREAS, the college's athletic department has played for seven national
67 championships, winning four, and 27 conference championships since 1993;
68 WHEREAS, President Huddleston's current passion is health-related programs, and he
69 has established and expanded both two and four-year health sciences programs in the areas of
70 nursing, dental hygiene, emergency medical services, and other health sciences licensure
71 programs;
72 WHEREAS, President Huddleston developed strong partnerships with Intermountain
73 Health Care (IHC) and other health service providers in the county;
74 WHEREAS, President Huddleston implemented a countywide inservice project for all
75 faculty and staff in conjunction with the Washington County School District;
76 WHEREAS, President Huddleston established a community educational television
77 channel, which serves the county and is headquartered on campus;
78 WHEREAS, President Huddleston challenged the faculty to examine the general
79 education curriculum, which resulted in a complete revision of that curriculum;
80 WHEREAS, President Huddleston has promoted and implemented energy conservation
81 practices on campus by upgrading the cooling and heating systems and redesigned landscaping
82 plans for the campus, converting existing lawns to xeriscaping in order to conserve water use;
83 WHEREAS, President Huddleston has taught an accounting course off and on while
84 serving as president and will now return to the classroom on a full-time basis to teach in the
85 business administration program he established on campus in 2000; and
86 WHEREAS, President Huddleston's efforts on behalf of the students and community
87 will continue to impact many individuals for good both now and for many years ahead:
88 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
89 extends its deepest appreciation to retiring Dixie State College of Utah President Robert C.

90 Huddleston for his many years of service to the students, faculty, and staff of the college and to
91 the community.
92 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be presented to President
93 Robert C. Huddleston.




Legislative Review Note
as of 2-18-05 3:51 PM

Based on a limited legal review, this legislation has not been determined to have a high
probability of being held unconstitutional.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel