October 31, 2003 Highlights
Chair
of Trustees Named Utah's Lieutenant Governor
From "The Herald Journal" and Utah
State Public Relations and Marketing
Gayle McKeachnie likely will step down as chairman of Utah
State University’s board of trustees due to his appointment
as lieutenant governor for Utah, university officials said Wednesday.
 Gov.
Olene Walker selected the Vernal attorney and long-time public
servant from Vernal to become her lieutenant when current Gov.
Mike Leavitt resigns next week to become head of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
Utah State President Kermit L. Hall said McKeachnie will serve
admirably in the position, as he has served admirably during
his years at Utah State University.
"He is balanced, level-headed, honest and generous,"
Hall said.
John DeVilbiss, Utah State University’s executive director
of public relations and marketing, said that due to time constraints
and possible conflicts of interest, McKeachnie is expected to
resign. He has been chairman of Utah State’s board of
trustees since 2001.
"Unfortunately, that’s probably going to be the case,"
DeVilbiss said. "There are only 24 hours in a day."
DeVilbiss said McKeachnie would be sorely missed in Logan.
"Gayle McKeachnie is a wise choice for lieutenant governor,
a good man who has unselfishly served Utah State University
for a number of years," DeVilbiss said. "We’ve
been fortunate to have him as chairman of the board of trustees,
and the state of Utah is now fortunate to have him as our new
lieutenant governor."
DeVilbiss said that despite McKeachnie’s likely departure,
university officials are pleased to know they’ll have
a lieutenant governor who understands the missions and challenges
Utah State faces.
If McKeachnie steps down, Board of Trustees Vice Chairman L.J.
Godfrey would take his place, and the board would then elect
a vice chairman to replace Godfrey, possibly as soon as its
next meeting Nov. 21, according to Lee Burke, secretary for
the board and assistant to the president for government relations.
Lt. Gov. Olene Walker would then appoint a new board member
to replace the new vice chairperson, and the state Senate would
have to confirm that appointment, which would happen as early
as Nov. 19, Burke said.
Godfrey also praised the selection of McKeachnie.
"Gayle has served Utah State with absolute dedication and
distinction, qualities that will make him an excellent lieutenant
governor."
McKeachnie joined to board in August 1995 when he replaced a
departing board member mid-term, Burke said. That created the
possibility that McKeachnie would end up serving 10 years on
the board. Board members are generally expected to serve two
four-year terms.
McKeachnie was reappointed to the board in July 1997 and again
in July 2001. After initially being elected chairman by the
board in 2001, he was re-elected earlier this summer. His current
term would have expired in June 2005.
Burke, who spoke with the governor’s secretary about the
matter Wednesday, said he agreed that McKeachnie’s departure
is probable.
"We’re not absolutely certain," Burke said.
"The practice has been that he most likely will not be
able to be on the board and be the lieutenant governor."
"We’re still waiting to talk to Gayle. He’s
in a position to determine that better than anybody."
Representative
James A. Dunnigan visits Utah State students
Utah State Representative James A. Dunnigan addressed a group
of Utah State University students majoring in Special Education
on Wednesday about various government issues, including how
the state government works, how tax money is used, how bills
are created and what issues he faces daily as a state representative.
 Dunnigan
told the students that as a state representative he has learned
the importance of gathering adequate information to make educated
decisions. But the reality of the workload and the hectic pace
during the final days of the Legislature each year means he
often is faced with making tough decisions with limited information.
He said Utah’s shortage of funding for education is
always a tough dilemma for Legislators. Utah’s taxes are
the ninth highest in the nation, so some people argue that taxes
should not be raised any higher. But the counter argument is
that if more money could be spent on education, Utah could get
a more highly-educated workforce and thereby attract more high
paying jobs to the state, which, in turn, would bring in more
tax revenue to pay for needed services.
Dunnigan is a member of several committees in the Utah House
of Representatives, including the Executive Offices and Criminal
Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, House Business and Labor
Committee and the House Transportation Committee. He owns an
insurance company in Taylorsville.
During his visit to campus, Dunnigan met with Utah State’s
executive committee to discuss education issues in the state.
He also met with Weldon Sleight, associate vice president for
Extension and the associate dean for Continuing Education.
Dunnigan visited campus at the invitation of his niece, Emily
Stayner, who is a special education major at Utah State and
in a class called Special Education Policies and Procedures.
Ronda Menlove, who teaches the class, said Dunnigan’s
visit was a valuable, real-world part of a class discussion
about legislator perceptions regarding teacher education.
Utah
State University Ambassadors “Think” Service Is
Important
The Utah State University Student Ambassadors
continue their tradition of service and leadership at Utah State
and in the Cache Valley community.
 Each
month the student ambassadors choose a service project on campus
or in the community. For October’s service project, the
ambassadors conducted a campus clean-up. A group of 40 student
ambassadors met on the Quad and then separated to clean Utah
State’s campus.
Scott Teichert, assistant director of admissions, said the student
ambassadors play an important role in Utah State University’s
new “Think” campaign.
“Our student ambassadors, through their service and recruitment
efforts, are a key asset to Utah State University,” Teichert
said. (more)
utah
state today/archives/October
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