Southern Utah University Receives Awards for New Community Programs

Published: December 27, 2019 | Author: Haven Scott | Read Time: 4 minutes

Community Trip to Peru Southern Utah University recently returned from the 2019 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Awards - Las Vegas Valley Chapter for its work in local community and public relations. Garnering recognition from judges were the popular SUU Community Education and Community on the Go Travel programs.

The SUU Community and Academic Enrichment (CAE) programs are designed to enrich the lives of others in the southern Utah community, and to equip working adults with professional advantage. The SUU CAE office was recognized along with some of the biggest public relations operations in southern Nevada, northern Arizona, and southern Utah on Nov. 7, 2019 in Las Vegas.

SUU’s first award of the evening was the highly coveted PRSA Pinnacle Award in Community Relations for their public relations campaign entitled "Be Wise. Keep Learning. SUU Community Programs Year One" detailing the SUU Community Education, Professional Development and Leadership, Community on the Go Travel and Summer Experience programs, as well as their work promoting and staffing Road Creek Inn, SUU’s "University of the Parks" field station near Capitol Reef National Park.

SUU Community and Academic Enrichment Executive Director Melynda Thorpe, and Assistant Director Susie Knudsen, later accepted another Pinnacle Award, the highest awarded by PRSA Las Vegas — this one in the category of Integrated Communications.

"We are thrilled to see so many community members engaging with SUU through our adult learning programs," said Mindy Benson, Vice President at SUU Alumni and Community Relations. "The next year is already bringing excitement with the launch of SUU Professional Development and Leadership and a partnership with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Helping community members gain a professional advantage, and meeting their social and lifelong learning interests — that is what we get excited about here at SUU."

Since the program’s launch in 2018, SUU Community Education has offered more than 150 community education classes with 2,106 registrations by local residents in non-credit based subjects such as art, cooking, hiking, recreation, social dancing, soap making, interior design and dozens more.

During a recent class of Meet the Chef, the class where local chefs teach the class restaurant favorites while preparing a recipe that everybody gets to eat at the end, Kathy Fazio said the last year has been filled with intrigue while taking several Community Education classes with her husband.

"We always leave happy with what we have learned, or made, or tasted," she said. "Last week our laptop started messing up. Only this time we knew what to do. We pulled out our notes from Intro to Computers, found the solution and fixed the problem. For once I can honestly say there was no fear."

SUU’s Office of Community and Academic Enrichment supports the university's initiative to produce and maintain meaningful connections with the local community, and to offer working adults a professional advantage. The office does this by facilitating community access to campus experts, resources and lifelong learning opportunities so residents can focus on personal improvement in the areas of educational, social, cultural and professional development.

Ultimately, SUU CAE exists to reaffirm a partnership between locals and higher education that resulted in the institution’s very establishment in 1897 by providing learning opportunities for all. Their five programs launched in 2017/2018 and include Community Education, Community on the Go Travel, and Professional Development and Leadership, Summer Experience and Road Creek Inn.

SUU Community Education in partnership with Southwest Tech offers community classes, workshops and events while engaging residents with fun, cultural, and educational opportunities for those who love to learn. While increasing participant knowledge, these non-credit courses are designed for community members wishing to meet new people, develop new hobbies, or improve areas of personal interest. For more information, visit suu.edu/wise.

SUU Professional Development and Leadership participants have opportunities to customize professional portfolios by earning an SUU Institutional Certificate. Opportunities are designed to increase marketability while teaching leadership and other career-enhancing skills. For more information, visit suu.edu/prodev.

SUU Community on the Go offers culturally immersive, international travel experiences led by SUU faculty experts four times a year. Designed to accommodate approximately 20-30 travelers, these trips explore various parts of the world in a fun, affordable and educational setting. Activities are flexible and designed using community feedback. More than 250 participants have traveled to destinations such as Paris, London, Peru, China, and Transylvania, since 2017. The next trip leaves for Italy on March 26, followed by 2020 trips to Africa, Ireland and Spain. For more information, visit suu.edu/onthego.

Tags: Regional Services Community on the Go Community and Professional Development

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