Mindy Benson Named 17th President Of Southern Utah University

Cedar City native Mindy Benson has been named as the 17^th president of Southern Utah University. The announcement was made today by the Utah Board of Higher Education. Benson will assume the position effective immediately. She succeeds Scott L Wyatt, who served as president from Jan. 2014-July 2021. Benson has served as interim president of SUU since July 2021. A 21 member search committee spent several months gathering input from public hearings and reviewing more than 40 applications. President Benson was one of three finalist announced on July 7^th. Under her leadership as interim president, she has prioritized the needs of faculty, staff and students, mental health resources and campus culture. Benson has also prioritized strengthening community and university partnerships and led one of the most successful legislative sessions in SUU’s recent history. Before assuming the role of interim president last year, Benson served as vice president of Alumni and Community Relations at SUU for eight years. Along with her leadership responsibilities, Benson has taught courses on campus for 14 years. Benson, graduated from SUU with a degree in zoology and a master's degree in professional communication.