Commencement 2013

SUU Commencement was a fitting culmination to a remarkable academic year as we welcomed 1,756 graduates of the Class of 2013 into the ranks of the SUU Alumni Association. 

Honorary doctorate degrees were presented to golf legend Billy Casper, and author, speaker and religious leader Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. This year's student commencement speech was given by Blake Clark, an elementary education major from Cedar City, and the keynote address was given by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. 

Enjoy a few highlights from the celebration:

Ben Davidson ('72), distinguished and senior faculty member,
served as Marshal of the Commencement Processional and
carried the University Mace. Ben has worked at SUU in the
Beverley Taylor Sorenson College of Education and Human
Development since 1979. He retires this June. 

ROTC Graduates' Oath of Office was administered by 
Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Carl R. Templin, 
Dean of SUU's School of Business.

The SUU Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Kevin Baker,
performed "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" by John Rutter.

Blake Clark told graduates, "When we feel like all odds are 
against us, may we remember where we received our education. 
Southern Utah University made me a better person, a better teacher,
 a better husband, and a better friend. Because of this institution the odds 
are in my favor and they are in your favor. When national polls are 
showing statistics that are not in my favor of getting a job, I think 
to myself, 'The people that aren't getting jobs don't know what 
I know, they haven't been where I have been, and they didn't 
graduate from where I did. They didn't receive their education, 
and experiences, from Southern Utah University'"

Doctor of Public Service, Honoris Causa - Billy Casper
Left to right: Athletic Director Ken Beazer, President
Michael T. Benson, William Earl "Billy Casper, Jr.,
SUU Trustee Chair Gayle Pollock ('88).

Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa - Rabbi Shumley Boteach.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, an international leading relationship and
values expert whose speech has been called one of the best many 
have heard in years, said, "There is room for competition in
making money; for goodness sake there's room for competition
in sports, there's room for competition in life, my friends, but
only in what you do and never in who and what you are. You
must never allow that competitiveness to breach your soul."

On the count of three, SUU Alumni President
Mark Russell ('74) led the graduates in the
moving their tassels and welcomed them
into the SUU Alumni Association!

Commencement 2013 was Michael T. Benson's last as president
of Southern Utah University. Several tributes were made,
including this emotional standing ovation.

Centrum Arena.

SUU Wind Symphony, under the director of Dr. Adam Lambert.

Class of 2013

Class of 2013

Class of 2013

Class of 2013

Class of 2013 - "Peace Out!"

Dennis Key Pollman Endowment

The family of one of Southern Utah University’s most dynamic and popular students of the 1960s has established a scholarship endowment for sociology majors at SUU.

Dennis Key Pollman ('68), who enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the insurance and tourism fields in the Los Alamitos and Long Beach, Calif., area, died in February 2010 and his widow, Bette, elected to remember him with a $100,000 gift to fund the endowment. Earlier, she directed the same amount toward the completion of The Center for Health and Molecular Sciences building on campus.

The Dennis Key and Bette J. Pollman endowed scholarship will go to support students in a discipline that often attracts community oriented students looking to steward positive changes in their communities of choice whether that might be in such areas as medicine and health care, the elderly, youth, women and violence, or mental health.

“These students are often humble means, yet seek to make a difference in the world rather than simply pursue personal gain,” said SUU Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences James McDonald. “The Pollman Scholarship will help support these students achieve their goals and dreams of making a better world. The money is well invested and will change these students' lives for the better. It is rare that a major program of study in the social sciences receives such a generous gift. As such, the scholarship will help students who often do not have access to significant scholarships in this area of study, and underscores the Pollman family's vision for making an impact where it is most needed.”

Pollman, who lived in Seal Beach, Calif., minored in sociology at the University and retained a great interest in the field throughout his life. He often expressed a desire to aid others who had an interest in the discipline. While he was a charismatic student leader who warmly embodied friendship and fellowship, he continued to live a life of engagement in a wide range of civic and social clubs and endeavors. His College of Southern Utah/Southern Utah State College days as president of Sigma Pi Sigma Fraternity, as a student body senator and as executive secretary for cultural affairs were days of accomplishment and camaraderie and his legacy to both his fraternity brothers and students in general is one of leadership and inspiration. His student days were days of celebration of the collegiate life and he continued to use the skills he honed here for the remainder of his life as a successful businessman and civic leader. Following his graduation, he served for four years in the Peace Corps. His later affiliations include membership in the Seal Beach and Los Alamitos Chambers of Commerce, Cypress Rotary, Elks Club #888, Long Beach Police Officers Association, and the Long Beach Century Club. 
In 1980, he and two others founded the Long Beach Visitors and Convention Bureau. He served as its executive director and a board member from 1980 to 1986. In 2005 he was SUU alumnus of the year.

Last year, he was honored at the dedication of SUU’s Science Center as the building’s Dennis Key Pollman Plaza was unveiled. Numerous family and friends were in attendance at the dedication, including wife Bette and stepdaughter Stacy Chandler ('89).