SUU to Lose Top Leader to USHE Post

Published: October 13, 2008 | Read Time: 3 minutes

After nearly fourteen years, SUU Vice President and Chief of Staff Gregory Stauffer is resigning from his leadership post at SUU to accept a position as associate commissioner for finance and facilities under newly-appointed Commissioner William Sederburg in the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).

On this new role, friend, colleague and SUU President Michael Benson remarked, “this appointment speaks to the regard in which Greg is held statewide and we wish him the very best.”

Well-wishes aside, as Dr. Stauffer prepares to leave SUU in November, his colleagues and many students can’t help but look back wistfully on all Stauffer has brought to the SUU community – and all that they will miss once he leaves.

According to Benson, “Greg is the consummate professional who is incredibly good at everything he does. He is a perfectionist whose work elevates the work of those around him.” All those who’ve worked with Stauffer agree, and yet, his contribution to SUU is marked by so much more than consistency and quality.

Stauffer’s leadership and vision has helped usher in many programs and opportunities that have shaped the SUU experience, including an educational partnership with Bryce Canyon National Park, the University’s initial NCAA certification and addition of new athletics teams, and progress on better than half a dozen major campus construction projects.

When asked of what accomplishments he is most proud as he reflects on his time at SUU, Stauffer mentions something about a list he has in his office, and then tries to wing it by taking a mental inventory of his responsibilities as an SUU administrator.

Though not comprehensive, in addition to the above initiatives, Stauffer’s list includes the University’s thriving outdoor initiative, work to expand the University’s on-campus housing, successful ongoing partnerships with the Utah summer Games and the Utah Shakespearean Festival, work on the campus master plan, work on the President’s Council with campus-wide initiatives and, of course, helping the institution become stronger financially and better positioned to face the economic trials ahead.

And that’s just during his “day job.” On the weekends, Greg has most often been found wherever T-Bird fans are cheering on their team, and from football to gymnastics, he’s credited with a large inventory of some of SUU Athletics’ most memorable photos.

That team spirit and support extends beyond the field, and according to Benson, “Greg’s love for the SUU community – and his particular interest in seeing our students succeed – is evidenced by the countless hours he’s spent with student-athletes as both a fan and a mentor.”

In true form, Stauffer downplays this laundry-list of contributions to SUU, stating, “I have, for years, said that I have the strongest team on campus and in the [state’s higher educational system], and I haven’t run into a lot of people that dispute it.”

Team or no, Stauffer’s work speaks for itself, and according to his new boss, Commissioner Sederburg, the USHE looks forward to Greg’s leadership.

As to that new position, Benson proclaims USHE is getting “someone whose attention to detail and whose insistence on the best possible work will result in superb information and process coming from the commissioner’s office.”

Benson confidently adds, “While we will miss him, we also realize we now have as strong an advocate as we’ll ever have in the commissioner’s office.”

In his new post, Stauffer most looks forward to the “intellectual challenge” that awaits him, stating, “This is a pivotal time in the state’s higher education system. The system has a bright, politically-experienced new commissioner who brings a brand new team and focus to lead the system’s future by building upon a very strong foundation set forth by its former commissioner and leaders.”

If his time at SUU is any indication, Stauffer will no doubt be at the head of the pack in leading the USHE into the future. Though he won’t need it, the entire SUU community wishes Dr. Stauffer the best of luck in his new post.

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