November 2025

Institutional Update

Happy 137^th Anniversary to Snow College! It’s been wonderful celebrating service milestones with so many of you this month. With Thanksgiving around the corner, I’m especially thankful for the people who make Snow College such a special place.

Our students continue to amaze us with their curiosity, determination, and enthusiasm. Their achievements in classrooms, labs, shops, studios, and on the field remind us that we’re lucky to have a front-row seat to their learning and growth.

The talent, dedication, and care of our faculty and staff make a lasting difference in the lives of our students. Through teaching, mentoring, supporting, and leading, you strengthen not only students but colleagues.

Our shared focus on areas like the student experience, completion, and retention—central to the Badger140 plan—reflects our commitment to intentional, meaningful progress. Special thanks to those who are serving on Badger140 task forces this semester. We accomplish more when we work together, listen to one another, support and lift our colleagues, and keep students at the center of our decisions.

Thank you for all you do to strengthen and elevate Snow. I love serving with you. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Stacee

Academic Affairs

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Rachel Keller

Snow College is proud to recognize one of our exceptional faculty members, Dr. Rachel Keller, of the English and Philosophy Department. Renowned for her engaging instruction and deep commitment to student success and well-being, Dr. Keller exemplifies the College’s core values of engagement and personalization in everything she does.

A respected colleague, Dr. Keller has served on numerous committees and currently represents faculty on both the Senate and the Advancement and Tenure Committee, where her thoughtful insight and steady leadership are deeply valued by her peers.

Dr. Keller’s impact extends well beyond Snow College. This month, she was named the 2025 Academic Fellow by the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters (UASAL) in recognition of her outstanding leadership and contributions to the State’s higher education community.

We are proud to celebrate Dr. Keller for her many contributions to her students, her colleagues, the College, and to higher education across the State of Utah. She continues to embody the service, leadership, and excellence that make Snow College a remarkable place to learn and grow.

Finance and Administrative Services

Advancing AI Integration Across Campus

Two dedicated Badger 140 task forces at Snow College have completed draft versions of key Artificial Intelligence (AI) policies designed to guide the college’s responsible and effective use of this transformative technology.

AI in the Classroom Policy — This policy promotes the ethical, educational, and responsible use of AI in teaching, learning, research, and administration. It highlights how AI can enhance learning outcomes, develop adaptability skills, streamline academic and administrative processes, and prepare students for a workforce that increasingly values AI literacy.

Generative AI Policy — This policy establishes a college-wide framework to ensure the secure, transparent, and ethical use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. It supports Snow College’s mission in teaching, research, service, and operations while creating consistent expectations for all members of the Snow College community, including faculty, staff, students, administrators, contractors, and affiliates.

Both policies have been reviewed by the College Council and are now open for a 30-day campus-wide review. Feedback from the college community is encouraged and will help shape the final versions. To further support responsible AI use, Snow College will invest in additional ChatGPT licenses and offer training opportunities in collaboration with the College Council and the IT Department.

Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

Our 4th annual Student Support Services (TRIO) College Survival Night was held on September 23rd. Snow College English professor Rachel Keller kindly agreed to come and speak at the event to our SSS students about her experiences as a First-Generation college student. Rachel shared some of the obstacles that she faced during her college years and how she was able to navigate through them. Money shortages, difficulties asking for help- and a lack of confidence/feeling that she didn't deserve to be in college- were all challenges that she said she experienced. It wasn't easy for her, just like it isn't easy for our students today. We appreciated Rachel sharing her journey and visiting with our students afterwards. VP's Cody Branch and Tim Tingey were also in attendance, and we appreciated their support of our students and our SSS program.

Student Support Services is a federally funded TRIO program. We provide additional support to qualifying students. We are funded for 200 students and currently have a few openings- if you know of anyone that may qualify, our offices are in the Greenwood Student Center, room 250 or students can apply online.

Technical Education and Industry Connections

As the semester passes the 2/3 mark, I want to highlight the progress of the technical education program expansion to the Ephraim campus that was announced at fall assembly.

Thanks to Joe Western as the Welding Instructor and Program lead, our new Welding Instructor Denny Dennis, Anthony Beal BTE Dean, and a special shout out to Leslee Cook and her facilities team for making the expansion possible.

Welding is a high demand and high enrollment program. There are 41 students enrolled in the program. Of the 41 enrolled students 12 students enrolled in the Ephraim Welding courses, which significantly eased the pressure on Richfield’s Welding program resources. Welding’s expansion to Ephraim opens the door for more interdisciplinary opportunities for students, such as Pre-Engineering students taking welding courses. Technical education has long range plans (in the next 2-5 years) for expanding additional technical programs to Ephraim and technical programs only offered in Ephraim to Richfield.

In case anyone missed it, I also want to highlight the groundbreaking for the Innovative Agriculture Building that took place on October 29. Thanks to Snow’s Economic Development team and Ag Faculty for acquiring private donations, and the collaboration of Snow’s grants office with the team to secure significant grant funding. And Senator Derrin Owens and Representative Carl Albrecht and the Utah Legislature for additional significant funding. With the ground broken and construction underway, phase one, the indoor arena phase will be available for program and student use by Fall 2026.

On a crisp autumn afternoon, Richfield Main Street buzzed with excitement during the fourth annual Richfield Fall Festival on October 10. From 4-9 p.m., the festival stretched across four blocks, featuring 83 vendors, 31 local businesses, and 13 food trucks that filled the air with laughter and delicious aromas.

A highlight of the event was the thrilling wrestling matches held right on Main Street, where current Snow College athletes faced off against alumni. The crowd, four people deep, spanned all ages, eagerly cheering on their favorites. Additionally, student leaders hosted engaging SnowMobile activities, with athletes volunteering to help set up and take down the event.

This celebration of homecoming was not only a showcase of community spirit but also a true collaboration of local talent. With 16 stunning photo backdrops capturing joyful memories, live music, and limited-edition shirts available, Richfield Main Street transformed into a vibrant haven of warmth, excitement, and unforgettable experiences.