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Sorenson Legacy Foundation Donates $2 Million to Southern Utah University School of Education; School of Education Will Be Renamed Beverley Taylor Sorenson School of Education
Sorenson Legacy Foundation Donates $2 Million to Southern Utah University School of Education; School of Education Will Be Renamed Beverley Taylor Sorenson School of Education
Published 03-27-06
Submitted by Sorenson Legacy Foundation
2006--Southern Utah University (SUU) and the Sorenson Legacy Foundation today announced that the Sorenson Legacy Foundation has donated $2 million to the university's school of education.
The donation follows a March 2, 2006, $1 million donation from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation that established an endowed chair in music education, bringing the total 2006 donations from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation to SUU to $3 million. The Sorenson Legacy Foundation, established by the James LeVoy and Beverley Taylor Sorenson family to promote charitable, religious, educational, literary and scientific endeavors, has contributed more than $5 million to the university in the past six years.
"The Sorenson Legacy Foundation's generosity comes at a pivotal time in the history of Southern Utah University, and especially of its hallmark teaching training program," said Steven D. Bennion, president of SUU. "The Sorensons' commitment to bolstering this program further guarantees excellence for the college's faculty, the future education of SUU students, and for the countless students they will go on to teach."
The donation will be used to help augment SUU's school of education, including construction of a leading-edge teacher education building that will be tied to the original teacher education building, "Old Main," in the heart of the SUU campus.
In recognition of the contributions of Beverley Taylor Sorenson and the Sorenson Legacy Foundation to education and to SUU, the Southern Utah University board of trustees has voted to name the university's college of education in honor of Beverley Taylor Sorenson.
"This naming of a college is an unprecedented event in the university's history," said Bennion. "Southern Utah University is proud to have a college named in honor of this exemplary woman."
Beverley Taylor Sorenson has dedicated many years of her life to improving the profession of teaching and enriching the lives of young people through education. In 1995, she founded Art Works for Kids (www.artworksforkids.org), whose mission is to be a catalyst in supporting innovative and sequential fine arts education for Utah children in music, dance, visual art and drama through partnerships with universities, schools, school districts and community organizations.
"We are honored to support the mission of Southern Utah University to educate and train great teachers for Utah and its children," said Beverley Taylor Sorenson. "Through its quality teacher training programs, this fine school will influence the lives of countless teachers and children for good."
The Beverley Taylor Sorenson College of Education has been accredited by the nation's top accrediting agency, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.
The Beverley Taylor Sorenson College of Education was officially announced Saturday, March 25, 5 p.m., at the annual SUU Founders Day Banquet. At the same event, the university inducted James LeVoy and Beverley Taylor Sorenson into the SUU Hall of Honor, and Michael O.
Leavitt, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, paid tribute to Mr. and Mrs. Sorenson.
About the Sorenson Legacy Foundation
The Sorenson Legacy Foundation is a non-profit corporation established by the James LeVoy Sorenson family for the exclusive purpose of promoting charitable, religious, educational, literary and scientific endeavors. The foundation is qualified under section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
About Southern Utah University
Through its more than 108-year history, Southern Utah University has evolved from a teacher training school into its current role as a comprehensive, regional university to 7,000 students from across the globe. It serves the southern region of Utah and contiguous counties in surrounding states with undergraduate and graduate programs in six colleges. People of the region look to the university for outreach services, culture, economic and business development, higher learning, regional history, public affairs, major academic specialties, and significant entertainment and recreation. Accentuated by the notable, economic value of its services, SUU's hallmark is its quality staff, faculty and academics.
Copyright Business Wire 2006
