The state Board of Regents selected Michael Benson as the president of Snow College Thursday.
Benson will continue his service as Special Assistant to the University of Utah and U Secretary until Jan. 1, when he begins “his reign of terror”?his duties at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.
Thursday, Benson traveled with his wife and children to Ephraim to look at the town that will be home to his young family. Wednesday, the Regents interviewed Benson and his wife Celia.
Benson describes this career change as a “great opportunity.
“My family is really excited about this. I don’t know how long I will be there, but while I am there, I will do the best I can to improve the institution,” he said.
As president, Benson will immediately begin recruiting faculty and staff.
The large number of instructors retiring creates a problem he can’t ignore. The other big issue is funding, Benson said
Six years ago, Benson came to the U. Straight out of college, he worked six months for local business owner Bud Scruggs before the U?s Development Office hired him, and there he spent three years raising money from private donors. In 1999, Brigham Young University President Merrill Bateman asked Benson to transfer institutions, but Machen offered him a job as special assistant to the president. He stayed at the U.
Benson worked for years encouraging U associates to donate private funds. Benson hopes to do the same for Snow.
He intends to increase the amount of private donations given to Snow, but he admits that will be a difficult job. Because Snow graduates attend a second university to receive a bachelor?s degree, they have loyalties to two schools, he said.
Machen said Benson has served the U “very well.” He set up many programs for the U, including the Jerusalem Center. “He is a very dynamic administrator,” Machen said. “He will do well.”
As president of Snow College, Benson’s yearly salary will be $110,000?a step up from what he currently earns at the U.
Benson has high hopes for his school. He said, “Snow is by far the best two-year college in the state. Snow’s students are best prepared to enter the state universities.”
“It is good for the U because it makes us a breeding ground for presidents,” said James Macfarlane, chair of U Board of Trustees.
“He builds relationships?that is really a great quality to have. People like him, and they respond to him. There are no age barriers for him, and that will be important, because most of his faculty and staff at Snow are older than he is,” Macfarlane said.
Regent James Jardine said Benson stood out because of the strong recommendation given by the search committee that looked for candidates.
“He has a very fresh passion to bring to Snow. He will bring a lot of exciting leadership and vision to Snow that will bring it into the new century,” Jardine said.
Grandson of Ezra Taft Benson, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Benson met his wife, Celia Barnes, in Washington, D.C. She is the granddaughter of Gordon B. Hinckley, current president of the LDS Church. They have two children and reside in Salt Lake City.
“I have lived in many of the world?s greatest cities,” Benson said. “Rome, London, Washington, D.C., and Jerusalem, but I always come back to Utah. Our families are here, and it just feels like home. I am glad to be living in Ephraim,” Benson said.
“He will certainly provide them a leader with vision. He has impeccable academic credentials to be a president of a two-year college. We are certainly sorry to see him go,” said Dave Pershing, U senior vice president for academic affairs.