UVSC shuffling chiefs

HEBER CITY — Utah Valley State College is replacing two top administrators at the college's Wasatch Campus.

A college spokesman said this week's decision regarding Wasatch Campus dean J.D. Davidson, who was placed on paid administrative leave, and associate dean for community development Kimberly Beck, who also was placed on paid administrative leave, was not punishment for wrongdoing.

Rather, said UVSC spokesman Chris Taylor, it is standard procedure while UVSC President Bill Sederburg decides who will oversee the campus.

Taylor described the move as necessary for the future of the Heber City campus.

"President Sederburg has seen fit that there be a change in leadership," Taylor said. "We're looking for growth (at the Wasatch Campus). We're looking for community involvement."

In addition, the college's internal auditor is combing the Wasatch Campus' finances, systems, processes and structure. Such "exit audits" are routine when there is a leadership change, Taylor said.

Cory Duckworth, UVSC vice president for student affairs and strategic planning, will run the campus in the interim.

Davidson, a tenured English and literature professor, can return to the classroom if he chooses, Taylor said.

The administration has not decided whether to offer Beck another job at UVSC, Taylor said.

The Deseret Morning News was unable to reach Beck or Davidson for comment.

UVSC's Wasatch Campus — north of downtown Heber City and located just off U.S. 40 — has 350 students, plus additional Utah State University students who are taking courses at the campus.

"The service areas are Utah, Summit and Wasatch counties," Taylor said.

The campus currently has only one building, but UVSC administrators envision a cluster of buildings that would serve up to 10,000 students in the future, Taylor said.

UVSC opened the campus in October 2003 and offers a handful of associate degrees and a bachelor's degree in secondary education.

College administrators acknowledged in a statement about the change in leadership that Davidson was instrumental in the establishment of the Wasatch Campus.

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E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com