UTU President's Message

UTU President's Message

Community| Education| March/April 2024
March 01, 2024•2 min read


As the recently appointed interim president of Utah Tech University, I am excited to serve our community and appreciate the opportunity to share updates with you.

Prior to being named the interim president, I served as the associate vice president of executive affairs and chief of staff at Utah Tech University. In this role, I helped implement our strategic plans, which ushered in great growth. Looking forward, my top priority is to maintain our University’s momentum and continue working on the goals outlined in our current strategic plan, Trailblazing Distinction. This clear road map for the future of our University is already set in place to guide us through 2025. I look forward to working together to achieve our goals and continue offering quality academic programs that serve our students, the community, and industry needs.

Marie Osmond

The best way to achieve our goals is to continue focusing on our students and supporting their success. Utah Tech’s annual Fire & Ice gala has been doing this for the past twenty years by raising support for need-based scholarships. Over the past two decades, the gala has provided scholarships to thousands of students who may not be able to pursue a college education without financial assistance.

As the twentieth year celebration, this year’s Fire & Ice is set to be bigger and better than ever before, bringing all of us together in support of Utah Tech students. Following this year’s gala and auction, Fire & Ice will host a community concert presenting Marie Osmond, with special guest Daniel Emmet, a top ten finalist on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Headlined by Ms. Osmond, who has spent over six decades entertaining millions around the world through the mediums of records, television, Broadway, talk show host, dancer, actor, author, commercial spokesperson, entrepreneur, and public speaker, the concert promises to be an excellent way to celebrate our students as all net proceeds will go directly to helping students. 

This impactful event, presented by the Utah Tech University Foundation in conjunction with title sponsor Solente, southern Utah’s newest gated community located in Washington City, is

set to take place on Friday, March 22, 2024, with the plated gala beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the

Eccles Fine Arts Center followed by the community concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Burns Arena,

both on the Utah Tech campus. To purchase tickets to the concert and for more information, visit utahtech.edu/fireandice.

Utah Tech would love to partner with you as we celebrate twenty years of our wonderful community supporting our excellent students. Please consider supporting our students any time throughout the year at giving.utahtech.edu. 

Thank you for twenty years of support. Our community’s generosity is not lost on us and is greatly appreciated. By coming together to support our deserving, hard-working students, we will continue to blaze forward.

Courtney White
Interim President, Utah Tech University


President's MessageUtah Tech University
White is the Associate Vice President of Executive Affairs/Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Board of Trustees at Utah Tech University, where he advises the president, plays an integral campus leadership role, and supervises the strategic plan implementation focused on student success and access. Since 2014, he has been adjunct faculty with the Southern Utah University Master of Public Administration program. He previously served as the lobbyist for the University of Oregon and held a similar external relations position with the Utah Education Association. His prior professional assignments include work at the Nevada, Oregon and Utah Systems of Higher Education, most recently as an Assistant Commissioner.

Courtney White, Interim President, Utah Tech University

White is the Associate Vice President of Executive Affairs/Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Board of Trustees at Utah Tech University, where he advises the president, plays an integral campus leadership role, and supervises the strategic plan implementation focused on student success and access. Since 2014, he has been adjunct faculty with the Southern Utah University Master of Public Administration program. He previously served as the lobbyist for the University of Oregon and held a similar external relations position with the Utah Education Association. His prior professional assignments include work at the Nevada, Oregon and Utah Systems of Higher Education, most recently as an Assistant Commissioner.

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