The new president of Brigham Young University is a Ute.
Cecil Samuelson, who was officially inaugurated Tuesday, replaced Merrill Bateman as president of the university on May 1.
He graduated, however, from the U with a bachelor’s degree in 1966, and again with a master’s of science in educational psychology and a doctorate of medicine in 1970.
He was on the faculty at the U in rheumatology and became director of the gerontology program.
He served as acting dean of the School of Medicine in the mid-1970s and again from July 1984 to January 1985.
He then served as the permanent dean for the school until 1988.
He served on the Crimson Club’s board of directors in 1990 and currently holds season tickets for U football and basketball, said Kris Bosman, Crimson Club events coordinator.
The U is in his blood.
While he was growing up, his father was a professor of educational psychology at the U and his younger brother, Wayne Samuelson, graduated from the School of Medicine and is currently dean of admissions for the school.
When asked how he felt about his big brother being president at the Y, Wayne Samuelson said, “We’re all proud of him and we enjoy teasing him about it. Our whole family is devout U fans.”
Wayne was actually a student at the medical school during the time that Cecil served as acting dean-which lasted for a short time in the mid-1970s.
Cecil did gtt teased a little, but not much, Wayne said.
He says he believes it was probably more embarrassing for Cecil during that time because Wayne wasn’t at the top of his class.
Suzanne Stensaas, a professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the U joined the medical school faculty in 1968, and has been through eight deans of the school, she said.
Stensaas says she just barely missed having Cecil as a student.
She does, however, remember him well as dean of the medical school, Stensaas said.
“He was always smiling, impeccably dressed, very neat, very interested in medical education, gave a good impression and will be a good president and fund raiser,” Stensaas said of Cecil.