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Show New president commended during his inauguration CEDAR CITY Donald M. Hulet, Southern Utah State College student body president, spoke of "his genuine concern for the students." Lorraine M. Warren, president of the SUSC Alumni Association, told of his contagious enthusiasm. en-thusiasm. David L. Taylor, president of the SUSC Staff Association, said there is now "an electrical elec-trical charge in the air," a renaissance for SUSC. And Richard A. Dotson, I president of the SUSC Faculty Senate spoke of his commitment to excellence ex-cellence and of a time when he had a full head of hair. But at his official inauguration Saturday Gerald R. Sherratt, the man they all spoke of and the new president of Southern Utah State College, shrugged it off and told of the best faculty, staff, alumni and community available. These are the things, he said, that make SUSC great and will make it even greater. In fact, he continued, if the college should fail to grow and improve, the blame would be entirely on the shoulders of the new president, because all the other factors are already in place. "It is as though one were watching wat-ching a slumbering giant awake and begin to test its strength," he said, and the president better "get hopping" if he doesn't want to be trampled in the rush of excitement, growth and improvement. im-provement. Sherratt, in his presidential address, also spoke of the extremely fast growth in education and knowledge that has taken place over the past 50 years, and of the "potentialities of change" in the future. "Anyone who believes that tomorrow will be like today is in deep trouble," he said. "Yet one cannot look forward without a sense of excitement and adventure," ad-venture," he went on, and those leaders in the college and the community com-munity will shape the form of the future, "and there lies our opportunity and our challenges." ft ir P,?v-.$4ikjj In conclusion, he said, the events of the inauguration were not to honor him, but to act as "a reaffirmation of the mission and purpose of this college," a mission and purpose he insisted are and will be great. Dr. John Bernhard, president of Western Michigan University and a long-time friend of Sherratt, also spoke, in his inaugural address, of this mission of colleges and universities, and he added that the problems facing administrators in the future would be much more complex and uncertain. un-certain. Bernhard mentioned two issues that will be facing SUSC and other institutions during he next decade. First, was the crisis of dollars. The battle for funding, he said, will become even greater over the next few years, with the public asking for more and more accountability ac-countability on the spending of tax dollars. It will demand a careful weighing of the costs and benefits. ; At the heart of this, he I continued, is public I confidence. The public must be sure that the ' money is being spent as it s should be, or the in- i stitutions will not get the I money in the first place. Second will be the crisis i of coordination. Many I people are asking for i more coordination among the institutions of various I states, he said, some to 1 the point that they are i demanding centralization on a state-wide basis. "Certainly, quality and I diversity may be lost in I the shuffle," Bernhard l warned, and asked ( Sherratt to work for 1 better cooperation, ; without centralization, i Bernhard also probably t best summed up the ; feelings of a number of i people after the two days ( of e events on the cam- pus: "Southern Utah 1 State College is fortunate ( to have President Sherratt at its helm," he c said, "and I'm sure c President Sherratt is r happy to serve." v uian siaie Board of Kegents Chariman Kem Gardner speaks to dignitaries and guests during formal inauguration ceremonies Saturday. Gerald R. Sherratt (far left) was officially invested with the title of president of Southern Utah State College. |