Lehi People
Lehi Alum named interim President of Dixie Technical College
The Utah Board of Higher Education recently announced that Jordan Rushton, a Lehi High School alum, has been appointedinterim president of Dixie Technical College. Rushton is the son of long-time Lehi residents, Ken and Evelyn Rushton. The elder Rushton served as Lehi City attorney for over 34 years.
Jordan Rushton served as Student Body President his senior year at Lehi. He was active in student affairs and was described by a teacher as, “one of the most outstanding students I ever taught. He was kind, conscientious, and liked by everybody.”
Rushton attended Utah Valley University and earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations and communications. He attended Southern Utah University where he earned a master’sdegree in public administration. He has worked for the Utah Technical College System for ten years. He is currently working toward his educational doctorate from Baylor University. He has also completed post-graduate certification in management from Harvard University.
Rushton served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Iowa.
Regarding his son’s educational career, his dad said, “Jordan struggled in elementary school and was placed in resource. In junior high, his mother took his lunch to him at school and helped him with his homework. She did this day in and day out until one-day things just clicked, and he took off.”
34-year-old Rushton is the youngest president or interim president in the system. He said, “I love my job and I believe in technical education.” One of the challenges for tech colleges is the ability to hire experts in their respective fields who are also effective teachers. Rushton’s focus in his master’s and doctoral studies is designing a program for industry’s top experts and helping them hone their teaching skills.
“Generally, these individuals are skilled technicians but are not necessarily effective teachers. It is my view these professionals can be taught to be good teachers,” said Rushton.
Rushton’s doctoral program is focused on designing programs for working educators. Much of the work will be online. The programs will include classes with instantaneous, interactive, instruction with no more than 15 students per class.
Describing Rushton, the retiring president of Dixie Technical College, Kelle Stephens, said, “Under his leadership, our certificate-seeking programs have almost doubled in membership hours in the last four years, while at the same time our graduation and placement rates have improved to be the highest in the state.”
“He is highly qualified and well-prepared to take on the interim role at Dixie Technical College. The Board is sure he will see Dixie Tech through a successful transition period. We appreciate his dedication to the long-term success of the college,” said Chairman Harris H. Simmons, Chair of the Utah Board of Higher Education.
Rushton is currently serving as Vice President of Instruction and oversees the college’s academic and training offerings. He has served as the chief instruction officer of Dixie Technical College since 2015. Between 2009 and 2015, he served as the Director of Public Relations and Outreach for the Utah College of Applied Technology System.
Rushton is married to Lundi Young and they are parents of four children. The Rushtons live in St. George.
