Vicky Dewsnup, President of Stevens-Henager College in Ogden, Utah, was recently recognized for her outstanding service to students, faculty, staff and alumni on her 20th anniversary at the college.
Dewsnup has guided the institution through a series of changes and modifications during her tenure. Under her leadership, the College expanded and enhanced its educational offerings, now providing degree programs at the Associate, Bachelor’s, and Master’s levels.
Stevens-Henager College has been serving students in Utah since 1891, when it was founded by Professor J.A. Smith as the Intermountain Business College. From the beginning, the College’s primary mission was to prepare its students for successful careers. For the following 68 years, the institution was known as Smithsonian Business College, Moench University of Business and Ogden Business College. In 1959, the name was changed to Stevens-Henager College.
For more than 100 years, Stevens-Henager College has graduated thousands of students to work for respected employers both in Utah and elsewhere. The main campus is in Ogden, with branches in Provo, Salt Lake City, Logan and most recently in Boise, Idaho.
When Dewsnup joined the College in 1986, she became a member of the faculty teaching Computer and Office Skills. In 1991, she was made President of the institution. She has been a part of the relocation of the College several times from buildings on Grant Avenue, to Washington Boulevard, and now in West Haven, each time with larger, newer, more improved facilities.
In honoring Dewsnup, Carl Barney, Chairman of the Board for Stevens-Henager College, said to the assembled group, “Today we recognize the outstanding and unusual leadership skills of Vicky Dewsnup. As an organization we have benefited in many ways from her dedication and tireless efforts to improve and build upon the past.”
Barney said that Dewsnup is responsible for expanding the College with campuses in Logan and Boise, Idaho, “which she accomplished while maintaining her position of responsibility on the Ogden campus.
“In today’s world, when people change jobs on a regular and frequent basis, it is unique to have the opportunity to recognize a 15-year anniversary. We are truly proud of her for all of her achievements and this deserving recognition.”
There are many examples of Dewsnup’s dedicated concern for her students. Lana Moon, who has worked for Dewsnup for seven years and directs the institution’s financial aid department, remembers many such experiences.
“Elisa Harris was one,” Moon said, “who, as an African American single mother of five children was living on welfare. She enrolled and was in and out of the school for seven or eight years. She was a good student but had been raised on the welfare system and didn’t have the drive to complete her schooling. She needed to take responsibility for her family. President Dewsnup spent many hours counseling and encouraging her to come to school and complete her program. Elisa accomplished that in 2003 when she graduated with honors and is now working, free of her welfare connection.”
Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey participated in the recognition. “As Mayor of Ogden, I would like to express our appreciation and support to you for your 20 years of service at Stevens-Henager College,” Godfrey said. “I salute your outstanding efforts as an educator to provide an alternative education for the citizens of Ogden and the surrounding area.
“Stevens-Henager College’s success as a private college is credited to your expertise, marketing skill, and leadership. You are responsible for many students being successful who may not have succeeded at a traditional college.”
Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., wrote to congratulate Dewsnup. His letter states, “The high standards you have taught will certainly live on through your students. I am proud of the dedicated service you have so willingly offered to others, and the efforts made in transforming lives and making a difference for your students.”
Mayor of Salt Lake County Peter Corroon concurred with the Governor and told Dewsnup, “As President of the original Stevens-Henager College, its seems appropriate that you are the champion for the school’s legacy of education to the community. Your leadership and promotion of the work has allowed the college to flourish with expansions in Utah and Idaho. These are wonderful accomplishments for you, the school and the community.”
About Stevens-Henager College
Stevens-Henager College offers its programs both on campus and online. The institution is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). The College offers Master’s, Bachelor’s and Associate’s of Occupational Studies degrees in a variety of fields. For more information about Stevens-Henager College, please visit www.stevenshenager.edu.
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