UVSC names Heber campus chief

OREM — Leaders at Utah Valley State College announced a new chief for the Wasatch Campus and a set of responsibilities that will accompany his job.

Shad Sorenson will head the campus, located in Heber City, college officials announced Friday.

Last month, UVSC leaders placed former Wasatch Campus administrators J.D. Davidson and Kimberly Beck on administrative leave. Beck has accepted another position at UVSC. Davidson has not publicly announced his future plans.

The college maintained it was not disciplining Davidson or Beck for wrongdoing. Neither former administrator returned messages from the Deseret Morning News.

Sorenson, who has worked at UVSC since 1998, has most recently served as assistant vice president for Student Services at the Orem campus.

A college spokesman called Sorenson a "perfect fit" for the Wasatch Campus because he is a native of nearby Summit County and holds a doctorate in educational leadership and policy.

Sorenson plans to move to Wasatch County soon, according to the announcement. Sorenson could not be immediately reached for comment.

While Davidson and Beck held the respective titles of dean and associate dean, Sorenson will be an assistant vice president.

"Essentially, an assistant vice president and a dean, they are on two different tracks but they are on par with one another," college spokesman Chris Taylor said. "The difference is on the academic side of the house and on the administrative side of the house."

The administrative duties necessary at the Wasatch Campus will require a vice president, Taylor said.

Friday's announcement also included a list of "activities" that will "provide the framework for the Wasatch agenda," including planning to begin a nursing program, clarifying degree offerings and ensuring course availability, developing a marketing plan to recruit students and building a cohesive and trusting staff environment.

"I guess some of that stuff was stuff that happens on any college (campus)," said Cory Duckworth, UVSC's vice president for student affairs and strategic planning. "These are areas the (UVSC) president has indicated he wants Dr. Sorenson to focus his initial energies in to move things forward and accelerate growth up there."

The Wasatch Campus opened in 2003 and serves 350 mostly local students. It is located in a single building north of downtown Heber City, off U.S. 40. Campus leaders have said they envision a multi-building campus.

UVSC leadership has not specified how many students it would like to see in Heber City, Duckworth said.

The Wasatch Campus has space for a nursing lab and UVSC leaders are willing to provide money for it, Duckworth said.

The goal of building a cohesive and trusting environment is "a general goal we try to accomplish in any of our programs," he said.

---

E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com