In a time of need at Snow College, Stacee McIff rose to the challenge of taking over as the new president of the college. In the absence of the previous president, Bradley J Cook, the Utah Board of Higher Education named Stacee McIff as interim president for the academic year of 2022-2023.
President McIff has been with Snow for 16 years, filling roles as a professor, chair of the business department, and vice president of technical education and workforce engagement. She is now very excited to fill this role as the Utah Board of Education looks for a new president of the school.
President McIff expressed her excitement in this new opportunity. “I care so much about Snow College. I care about our students, our employees, and I care about this community. I grew up in rural Utah, so I care about rural Utah and the issues that arise therein. It’s in my blood and I want to make a difference any way that I can.”
President McIff wants to express the vision already set in place with the 2022-2023 Priorities list seen around campus. This list includes: Supporting employees, Managing enrollment strategically, Secure facilities, Helping students succeed, and Sharing Snow’s story.
“We have two or three goals under each area we are working on here at Snow. We have a very capable group of cabinet members working hard on these issues. I have nothing but absolute faith and trust in our employees because they genuinely want students to succeed. This is our calling card and what we’ve been doing since Snow was founded. We want to give students the very best college experiences that students can get in Utah.”
President McIff continued “Some of the specific things we are working on right now is hiring academic couches for personalized attention on students, especially with online classes. We’re working on housing down on the Richfield campus to give students more comfortable living. We are focused on leadership by developing a leadership academy for the employees here, and getting a leadership certificate for students. We also made it a priority to share the story of Snow College by hiring a marketing team to help.”
Along with sharing her vision and goals, President McIff had a few more things she wanted to share with the students here at Snow. “Since I was a student chasing my Bachelors degree, I have enjoyed being involved in higher education. It has given me many positive memories and relationships. which really solidified the value of higher education with academic leadership networking for the future. I think higher education is really a wonderful conduit for the next steps of your life.
As I have been the VP for technical education and workforce engagement, I have grown a deeper appreciation for higher education. It has opened up a new perspective to me. Higher education is different for every person. It does not have to be four years in classrooms. Some people just need a certificate to get out into the workforce to provide for themselves and loved ones. We can personalize a person's education to any pathway the student is looking for. It's our job to be the vehicle to help students to achieve their dreams.”
President McIff also touched on the importance of students having their voice heard. “Back in my college days, I never really thought about having a voice in college. Once I realized I did, it was exciting to know I could have an impact, so I want our students to feel that excitement as well. Our students are so innovative, creative, and intelligent I want them to feel like they can bring suggestions to this office. We want to know any recommendations and we solicit feedback. I want students to feel like they have a voice. Everything we do we do for them.”