2-year status suits Snow

The new guy at Snow College plans to brand and market the college as what it is — a two-year college that's the best at what it does, rather than fight to make it a university as other schools in the state have done.

"We do a better job of delivering education to freshmen and sophomores than anyone can," newly named Snow President Scott Wyatt told the Deseret Morning News. "Students can get more from participating in the partnerships we offer than they would from having to compete for it at other schools."

The school, which carries an annual enrollment of about 3,000 students, offers programs with assistance from Utah State University faculty and staff at the Ephraim campus in order to serve the diverse needs of students in the region.

"There is no better place to go to get a better college experience," Wyatt said. "For a parent who wants their son or daughter to get a good education, it's perfect because there are few distractions in Ephraim, it's a safe environment, we offer the best class sizes, the best faculty — there are no teacher assistants or adjunct professors — there is just no better experience away from home."

As the 15th president of the community college, Wyatt wants to help the school better understand its mission in the state's system of higher education. He hopes to foster meaning and understanding of the college's mission statement, which defines the college as a two-year institution catering to students who plan to transfer or students who need certification to get into the work force.

"A comprehensive community college meets a lot of the diverse needs of students and is very important to the system as a whole," said Amanda Covington, Utah System of Higher Education spokeswoman. "They serve a different role, which is necessary because our students are our customers and not every customer requires the same things."

In addition to Snow, she said Utah's other public two-year institutions, Salt Lake Community College and the College of Eastern Utah, also have a definitive place in the system — to cater to the needs of students in their regions.

"We have to have the facilities, institutions and programs in place to serve various needs," Covington said. The three institutions set up partnerships with universities in the state to "enhance the way they educate and serve their students and the work force."