Skip to content

Snow College Inaugurates New President

Bradley J. Cook inaugurated as 17th president of Snow College

November 7, 2019 -- Ephraim, UT – The investiture ceremony for Snow College’s 17th president, Bradley J. Cook, took place today in the Eccles Center for Performing Arts on the Snow College Ephraim campus. Speakers included Lieutenant Governor Spencer J. Cox; former Snow College president, Michael T. Benson; Vice Chair Nina Barnes of the Utah State Board of Regents, and Snow College Board of Trustee Chair, Leslie Keisel.

Vice Chair Barnes delivered a formal charge on behalf of the Utah Board of Regents. Barnes stressed the importance of charting a path for the school’s ongoing success and keeping the focus on student access and completion. She also encouraged Cook to make Snow College a force for economic growth in the region and reminded him to contribute to the overall Utah System of Higher Education’s success.
President Cook accepted this charge and assured the college community that he is up to the task. As part of his address, he made several exciting announcements:

  • The launch of a new scholarship campaign aimed to help low income students. Cook announced that nearly four million dollars have already been donated for this campaign and asked that friends, alumni, and industry leaders help the school reach the five-million-dollar goal. He thanked Dan and Elaine Jorgensen, Roger and Colleen Thompson, Bob Graham, and Terry and Nancy Foote. The Footes were recognized for their gift, which was the largest gift from an individual donor in Snow College’s history. In appreciation of this gift, Cook announced that Badger Stadium will be renamed the Terry Foote Badger Stadium.
  • The development of Snow Online to vastly expand the school’s online offerings, making a Snow College education accessible for more students.
  • A partnership with computer science school Bottega. This partnership will enable Snow College to expand its offerings in the computer sciences.
  • The building of the Mark and LeAnn Stoddard Center for Rural Studies and Community Development. This new facility, when it is built, will be dedicated to rural innovation and development and will house the social and behavioral faculty to harness the power of interdisciplinarity, and provide students with the skills and competencies needed to understand the economic, social, political and cultural dynamics of rural places.
  • The establishment of the GRIT Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. The acronym GRIT stands for Grassroots, Resourceful, Innovative, and Tenacious. The Grit Center for Rural Entrepreneurship aspires to help college students learn how to bootstrap businesses with hands-on entrepreneurial experience.
  • Snow College will produce the First Annual Mormon Pioneer Heritage Festival, a multiweek festival of music, storytelling, pioneer demonstrations, native American performers, Utah art and artisans, and western and pioneer cuisine.

The president’s wife, Jen Cook, also addressed the audience. Jen has worked in education for twenty years and is passionate about the field. The bulk of Jen’s remarks were directed to Snow College students. She encouraged students to believe in themselves and their ability to make a difference. She said, “We need you. The world needs you. In a time of growing divisiveness and serious global challenges we need you to model what’s good and right. We need your kind and strong voices to inspire change where it’s needed. You will be the ones to use your own unique talents and passions to find solutions to the problems we’re facing individually and globally.”

President Cook is grateful for the opportunity to serve and he feels that Snow’s best days are ahead of the college. He says, “I am thrilled and honored to be in this position. Our challenge moving forward is to remain loyal to our past and our heritage, yet ever be faithful to our future.”

 

ABOUT SNOW COLLEGE

Snow College, founded in 1888 by Utah pioneers, is a two-year college with campuses located in Ephraim and Richfield, Utah. Serving more than 5,000 students, the college has been nationally recognized for its student success rates, affordable cost-for-value, involvement opportunities, and exceptional teaching. Learn more about all Snow College has to offer online at https://www.snow.edu.