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July 31, 2009
For Immediate Release
For more information:
Brad Plothow,
(801) 863-7149;
(435) 669-9516;
(435) 770-6532
The community and Utah Valley University family lost a legend when Wilson Sorensen passed away Thursday night, mere days before his 93rd birthday. Sorensen was UVU’s second president and its longest-tenured, at 36 years. Sorensen’s son, Kent, was by his side when he passed at approximately 10:30 p.m. Funeral arrangements are not yet finalized.
“Utah Valley University was his life,” Kent said of his father. “He had a deep passion for Utah Valley, and he loved being involved in training students and serving the community. He will be missed by his family and friends, who are many because of his magnetic personality and the significant amount of time he spent in public service.”
Sorensen served the institution from 1941 to 1982, and he was acting director and president beginning in 1946. During Sorensen’s tenure, the institution was known as Central Utah Vocational School, Utah Trade Technical Institute and Utah Technical College. He was instrumental in moving the school from the fairgrounds campus to the Provo campus and then to UVU’s current Orem campus. His main interest was providing students with practical, career-specific training, an emphasis that UVU retains today under the university banner.
“I am immensely grateful to have met Wilson Sorensen last May to discuss the rich history and exciting future of this institution. I was so taken by his passion and vision,” said Matthew Holland, who became UVU’s sixth president in June. “The community and UVU family owe much to Wilson Sorensen, who was a pioneer for this institution in the strictest sense of the word. Leaders of his caliber are rare, and we ought to celebrate all that Wilson Sorensen did for UVU and Utah Valley. He will be missed.”
Sorensen’s vision for UVU is a recurring theme among those who knew him. When he took the helm in 1946, UVU was a small vocational school with 764 students. By the end of his presidency in 1982, enrollment had spiked to 5,593 and the fundamentals were in place for the institution to become a community college, state college and eventually a regional teaching university. During the past year, Sorensen was able to see the institution attain university status and become Utah’s second-largest public university with nearly 27,000 students.
Vice President for Academic Affairs Elizabeth Hitch noted that Sorensen’s legacy of gumption and determination persists today.
“I was aware of UVU's history when I came here, but the importance of the vision of Wilson Sorensen in building UVU only became clear to me when we achieved university status and I served as interim president,” said Hitch, whose interim presidency spanned August 2008 to June. “The ‘can do’ attitude that permeates UVU began with Wilson Sorensen. Millions of students have and will benefit from a higher education experience because of Wilson Sorensen's lifetime dedication to teaching and learning.”
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Utah Commissioner of Higher Education William Sederburg, who served as UVU’s president from 2003 to 2008, also noted Sorensen’s influence on creating a culture that has stood the test of time.
“Wilson Sorenson's leadership as president of Utah Valley Technical College for 36 years — and continued involvement with the institution ever since — has been an important influence in the growth and development of Utah Valley University,” Sederburg said. “He established an institutional culture of meeting the economic and educational needs of the region — a legacy that UVU honors today."
J. Marvin Higbee succeeded Sorensen and served as president between 1982 and 1987. On Higbee’s watch, UTC became Utah Valley Community College. He praised Sorensen not only for his remarkable tenure of service, but also for his strong character and commitment to higher education.
“Wilson was one of the real icons in Utah’s higher education, and he was a kind man who always had the desire to do good,” said Higbee. “His contributions to UVU are innumerable. His nearly four decades as president alone are testament to his effectiveness as a leader.”
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