March 28, 2024

New director for Burtenshaw Hall

November 14, 2013.jpg

This archived article was written by: Shadayah Jones

Of the many new faces on the residential life staff with year, one of them is Jeff Spears. He took the position of the new hall director in Burtenshaw. He was raised in Price and graduated from College of Eastern Utah in 2004. He graduated from Southern Utah University and majored in criminal justice where he was a member of the debate team and newspaper staff.
Moving along in his educational career, Spears attended the University of Kansas in 2008 where he earned his master’s in social
work. Coming back to Utah, he worked on his doctorate degree at the University of Utah. He has completed his course work and is working on his dissertation. He is specializing in adult issues and retirement. One of his biggest achievements was the decision of pursuing his Ph.D. “I have always loved social justice issues and my degree will open the door to more opportunities for future research.”
With his family still residing in Price, Spears decided to come back home to finish his schooling and start his career. “While in Price, I fell in love with higher education and student life. Some of my best memories have been made on this campus and I always wanted to come back home to work.” Now working as a hall director for USU Eastern, Spears hopes to bring new programs, ideas and to expand the scope of programming on campus. He hopes to bring diversity programs, hall events and attention to social justice issues.
Spears is excited about being a new hall director, especially since he was a resident advisor while he
was attending CEU. He says that the best thing about being a hall director is providing guidance for the staff and interacting
with the students. “I enjoy being able to respond directly to the needs of the students and creating a memorable and enjoyable experience” he says.
He knows the value of hard work and earning success in life. He has had many people who have influenced his life, but the one that has made the most impact is his mom. “My mom is the most influential part of my life. From an early age, she preached the importance of education and going to college to make something of myself. She has been my biggest support through my Ph.D. and continues to stress the importance of having a career.”