ST. GEORGE — Former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert will open Utah Tech University’s Trailblazing Speaker Series for the fall 2023 semester.
Herbert will speak on federalism, the relationship and division between national and state governments, at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 12, in the Dunford Auditorium, located in the Browning Resource Center on the Utah Tech campus. Admission is free, and the public is encouraged to attend.
“Former Gov. Herbert delivered the university’s commencement speech in 2020 to great acclaim,” Vince Brown, director of Utah Tech’s Institute of Politics and Public Affairs, said in a news release. “We are honored to have him visit us again and speak to us about an issue with which he is very familiar.”
After taking office in 2009, Herbert served as the 17th governor of Utah until 2021. During his tenure, Herbert focused on economic development, education, energy and efficiency in government.
As a result, Utah is recognized as a premier business destination and a great place to live and raise families with an unsurpassed quality of life, the news release said.
Prior to becoming governor, Herbert, who was born and raised in Utah County, served as Utah’s lieutenant governor for five years and as a Utah County commissioner for 14 years.
Hebert attended Brigham Young University, served form 1970-76 in the Utah National Guard and started the real estate brokerage and development company, Herbert and Associates Incorporated.
He has served as the president of the Utah Association of Realtors, president of the Utah Association of Counties, chair of the Western Governors Association, chair of the National Governors Association and national president for the Council of State Governments.
Herbert’s address on the Utah Tech University campus is made possible by a collaboration between the university’s Institute of Politics and Public Affairs and the Trailblazing Speaker Series, according to the news release.
Utah Tech University’s Institute of Politics and Public Affairs serves the campus and community as a hub for civic engagement, student leadership and public policy education and research. Its core mission is to inspire students to pursue careers in public service by providing them with opportunities to connect with policymakers, politicians, activists and academics.
Designed to introduce the Southern Utah community to diverse ideas and personalities while widening their worldviews, Utah Tech University’s Trailblazing Speaker Series features 50-minute presentations at noon most Tuesdays of the academic semester. The series aligns with the university’s strategic goal to establish the community as a university and provide Southern Utah with educational resources and learning opportunities, the news release said.
Trailblazing Speaker Series’ complete lineup for the fall 2023 semester includes:
Sept. 19
Speaker: Perry Ridge, associate professor at Brigham Young University
Topic: Bioinformatics
Sept. 26
Speaker: Tanalis Pidilla, history professor at MIT
Topic: Ayotzinapa’s Missing 43: Reflections on their Schools’ History, Struggle, and Search for Justice
Note: This lecture will be held in the Zion Room, located on the fifth floor of Utah Tech’s Holland Centennial Commons
Oct. 3
Speaker: Taylor Randall, University of Utah president
Oct. 17
Speaker: Sam Heimer
Oct. 24
Speaker: Matt Russell, professional triathlete
Oct. 31
Speaker: Jimmy Santiago Baca, poet
Topic: The Power of Self-Expression
Nov. 7
Speaker: Dr. Mary Wilde
Topic: The Art and Science of Calm: Physiology, Philosophy & Practice
Nov. 14
Speaker: Paul Taylor
Topic: Seizing Opportunity: Be on Top of Your Game
Nov. 28
Speaker: Dr. Tasha Toy, Utah Tech’s assistant vice president of campus diversity/senior equity and inclusion officer
Topic: The Power of Diversity