Beatty brings enthusiasm, character, experience to CEU

This archived article was written by: Lindsey Sweat

“The College of Eastern Utah has not had an official ‘Dean of Students’ for a few years and I heard that my arrival on campus caused a bit of anxiety for some,” expresses newly appointed Dean of Students DEl Beatty. “I love it here, and so far have enjoyed getting to know and work with wonderful staff members within student services. Without a doubt the thing I have enjoyed most since arriving at CEU is the friendliness of the campus community as a whole, and the assistance other campus administrators have given me in adapting to and learning about this new position and the protocol for this campus. I really look forward to meeting more people.”
Beatty describes his responsibilities as new dean of students stating, “Of course a major component of my employment is student discipline, and judicial matters, but I also have the chance to work with the SUN Center, student employment, Upward Bound, the student success center, ASCEU, scheduling, the testing center, GEAR UP, the health and wellness center, counseling, the disability resource center and others.”
“I was born and raised in Hurricane Utah, and my parents still reside there. Following high school I graduated from Dixie College and Southern Utah University – earning an associate’s degree in Spanish, a bachelor’s degree in music, and a master’s degree in education.” Beatty then talks about his work life upon graduation, “I taught at West Jordan High School, and in 1992 accepted a full-time position at Southern Utah University. I was originally hired as an assistant student activities director, then worked as the director of Acclamation, the coordinator of the entertainment bureau, the director of student involvement, and finally as the director of student involvement and leadership.”
After spending many years at SUU, Beatty sums up his experience, “Without a doubt what I enjoyed most during my time at SUU was the opportunity to work with students and the opportunities afforded me to effectuate positive change. I am most proud of the programs we were able to initiate on campus which helped the student body to become connected to the institution, including: Acclamation, the ballroom dance company, over 150 chartered clubs, a re-structuring of the cheer and dance teams, a steam-lining and accountability process for student government, creating an outdoor center, a service and learning center, etc.”
Life outside of work for Beatty consists mostly of spending time with his family. “My wife, Kimberly, and I were married in 1990 and we have four children, Bronson, 16; Krissia, 14; Jefferson, 10; and Mathison, 10 months. We are a certified Utah foster family and over the past two years have had three foster children live with us. We love to travel and play games together, and perform together as family a few times a year.”
After having traveled around the world, Beatty confesses his favorite place to vacation, “I have had the opportunity to visit 13 foreign countries, and so you might expect me to say somewhere like Tahiti, Japan, or Austria. But in reality, my favorite vacation spot is probably Washington DC because there is so much to do and see with our children. ”
Outside of work Beatty has many hobbies he participates in, “I love tennis, racquetball, and swimming. My wife and I are huge Utah Jazz fans. I do a lot of motivational speaking for corporate events and conferences, as well as private talent and production consulting across the USA, which I love! I enjoy playing the piano, composing music, watching old movies, laughing, and of course traveling.” Beatty also confesses to something few people know about him, “I sang the national anthem at the 2003 Miss America Pageant … . (Don’t ask … it’s a long story!)”
“The Dean of Students position at CEU seemed like a perfect fit for me and my family.” Explaining his reason for choosing to work at CEU Beatty then says, “I was honored to be selected for an interview and then to be offered the position. It is my opinion that this institution is perfectly positioned to offer programs that can positively impact a student’s life, and that there are numbers of students who came here because of the small personalized learning environment we offer … Our challenge is now to locate them, and help them make the a strong connection to CEU. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to be on a small campus where I can get to know the students, faculty and staff, and to work WITH them in accomplishing our goals.”
“My plans while at CEU include learning as much as I can while here, working for positive campus changes to the extent I can, helping students to become “connected” to the institution, and actively promoting student life. Of course that all sounds great, the real goal is to be happy here, and so far so good!”