Show paje 7 Petersen family bids farewell and leaves CEU as a better place by Leona Christense editor President Michael Petersen and his wile Gcri first came to the College of Eastern Utah in as students In 1980 he came back with his three children Paige Tiffany and Anthony to leach political science history and philosophy After five years he became president Alter lb years (lie Petersens are leaving Price with Mike pursuing a career as associate commissioner for academic affairs with the Utah hoard of Regents Geri describes her husband as a man who is committed to leaving a place better than he found it lie first became interested in administrative duties w hen he discovered that l2 udly displays dent Art Show sessions to keep the money for the Student Activities Center After the legislative session the governor vetoed the funds however he fell strongly about the SAC and called Mike personally and assured him that there were funds for the building Also during his presidency Mike attained funding for the renovation of what is now (lie Computer Business Building Geri attributes his many accomplishments to the college to his political savvy and finesse When Mike was appointed as president the Regents made his priority to increase the enrollment During his tenure the sic of CPU doubled Facilities were a high priority for him and thus he acquired funding for the renovation of the library Burtenshaw and Aaron Jones 'hris Ashton Coleen M n Anthony and Amanda were given voik as well i Js were Chris Jell Bishop tore Scott (2) then Wardlc is open to the interested in : trkplease see inv ol the art uippy to help he more than Recent family vacation photo of the Petersen family ow isjnothcr the place wliere he could most make a difference was as an administrator Before becoming college president he served oik and fine lore at CEU" ve not named excel-shoiy were ind sec ’ V w K: to i in to 5 idiy hening anheananged iist fA7-2l2- l) as academic vice president curriculum and instruction committee chair senate president and faculty association president Enrollment was a serious concern for faculty and staff at CEU when Mike became president At that lime CEU offered 85 scholarships now the college offers about MX) Alter much deliberation the administration decided to cut football using the funds to provide Session's Honor Hall housing scholarships and increase llte other athletic pro1 pot by Julie Higginson graces the front window of the Student Show at Gallery East on display until June 6 A gram's budgets One year after cutting football not only had full quarter absorbed the loss of enrollment for the 85 players but added l(X) more students Ten years later enrollment from the Wasatch Fnmt has increased by 300 percent and more students are attending from Carbon and Emery counties While attending classes at Harvard in 1992 it became surgery to prevent apparent that Mike needed damage to his mitro valve Tlie surgery was scheduled just before the beginning of fall quarter Alter days in llte hospital Gcri related that Michael just had to go vote Site said that even though he walked at a snail's puce he voted in the election llte surgery made Michael become more conscious of his health I le began exercising and improving his eating habits I lis wife said that he is more healthy now than he has been in any other period of his life As a tesult lie has been able to take his hectic traveling scliedule in stride Mike's position with the Regents makes him primarily responsible lor easing the transition lor the nine colleges from quarters to semesters and formulating necessary policy to facilitate that change I le also evaluates any new academic programs promised to the Regents for consideration In addition he represents the Regents to legislative committees legislative analysis and the Stale Board of Education Mike's most recent achievements can be considered his most monumental He fought in the legislative open-liea- rt 1 1 irtistswehave were excellent day-to-da- y Residence I lulls and expanded the facilities at the San Juan Center in Blanding When he look over the presidency the campus consisted of one building It now has a Science Building Technology Center CafeteriaStudent Housing and two homes used for counseling and a student center He also went through two complete accreditation cycles from the Northwest Accreditation Association CEU successfully passed the accreditation with the college responding to the various issues raised For Geri family has always been the primary focus of tier life She expects to continue volunteering She is also considering resuming the career she had as an airline stewardess for United Airlines before her marriage in order to give her more of a chance to travel She has spent a lot of time building a collection of books and learning materials for her future grandchildren Also with her previous experience leaching Monicssori preschool it seemed natural for her to think about going hack to school to study elementary education or child development Their oldest daughter Paige is still deciding between I Inrvnrd Stanford and Yule law schools to attend in the fall She was accepted by all three law schools Paige's interest in politics was intensified by internships at the stale capitol and in Washington D C where she served in public relations under the Clinton administration Geri said she would not be surprised if Paige became involved with stale politics Sandwiched in the middle Tiffany is most noted for her love of chililren and dance She graduates w ith an associate’s degree from CFl this June She will continue her education at Southern Utah University with a double major in early childhood and elementary education and dance education After graduating with honors from Carbon High School Anthony will spend his summer photographing Eastern Utah's historical and geological features The photos will be used as an Internet resource lor elementary schixil r honor scholarship to children I le has accepted a attend Sl'U with a major in photojournalism this fall I four-yea- lard) X |