Snow College is a public community college in Ephraim, Utah. It offers certificates and associate degrees along with bachelor's degrees in music, software engineering, and nursing. Snow College is part of the Utah System of Higher Education.
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History
Founded in 1888 by local citizens as Sanpete Stake Academy, the school was later renamed Snow Academy to honor Lorenzo Snow and Erastus Snow, distant cousins who were leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Classes were first held in the upper story of the Ephraim Co-op building. When it came time for the school to construct its own building, it was funded by local donations, including "Sunday Eggs" (the proceeds from the sales of all eggs laid on Sunday). Like other academies in the LDS Church's system, it was originally a secondary school. As the institution grew, it began to offer college-level courses. In 1917, the academy era ended and the school became Snow Normal College. In 1922, officials renamed the school Snow Junior College only to change it one year later to Snow College. The college was transferred from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the state of Utah in 1931. It is one of the oldest junior colleges west of the Mississippi.
The Utah State Board of Regents granted permission in 2016 for Snow College to offer a bachelor's degree in software engineering. Snow College, as of 2018–2019, offers bachelor's degrees in commercial music and software engineering.
Richfield campus
In addition to the main 82-acre (33 ha) Ephraim campus, Snow College maintains the 56-acre (23 ha) Snow College Richfield Campus in Richfield, Utah. The Richfield campus was originally opened in 1977 to house the Sevier Valley Tech Area Vocational Center (a part of the state's technical school system). In 1998, the Utah State Legislature established "Snow College South," a new Snow College-controlled institution built upon Sevier Valley ATC and located on its campus. This merger did not result in the outcome envisioned by some in the community, and in 2001, when the Utah College of Applied Technology was created, a branch known as the Central Applied Technology College (CATC) was established on the Snow College South campus. However, the reality of two separate schools sharing a campus resulted in issues. Consequently, in 2003, the legislature combined the two schools under Snow College and officially renamed the campus as the "Snow College Richfield Campus." As part of the merger, the requirement that a curriculum in applied technology and technical courses be maintained by Snow College was included.
Academics
The college offers associate degrees and certificates. It also offers bachelor's degrees in software engineering and commercial music.
The Horne School of Music has been an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music since 1997 and is also an All Steinway School. Snow hosts a number of music camps held annually. In 2012, the Horne School of Music began offering the first baccalaureate program in the history of the college, a Bachelor of Music degree in Commercial Music.
The theatre arts program at Snow College is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre and is affiliated with the Juilliard Drama Division. It regularly produces five major productions each year as well as a student produced season of Black Box productions and a summer program featuring instructors from the Juilliard Drama Division.
Athletics
Snow College athletic teams, known as the Badgers, are consistently highly ranked; its football team went undefeated and won the National Junior College Championship in 1985, with the team inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2010, and finished #2 in 2006. Along with football, Snow College participates in women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's wrestling, softball, men's and women's cross country, and rodeo.
Notable alumni
David Archer, professional football player
Matt Asiata, professional football player
Kapri Bibbs, professional football player
Garett Bolles, professional football player
Aaron Boone, professional football player
Josh Burkman, professional MMA fighter
Land Clark, professional football player referee
Spencer Cox, current Governor of Utah
Kevin Curtis, professional football player
Mario Fatafehi, professional football player
Josh Heupel, college football player and coach
Tyler Hughes, college football coach
Brett Keisel, professional football player
Star Lotulelei, professional football player
Deuce Lutui, professional football player
Bronco Mendenhall, college football coach
Mark Russell, Professional football player, Lawyer, President and CEO of Nikola
Jackson Vroman, professional basketball player
Jaylen Warren, professional football player