Dixie L. Leavitt Business Building Dedication

The ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony for Southern Utah University’s new Dixie L. Levitt Business Building took place on August 27, 2018.

Esteemed guests, students and Utah politicians filled the seats and grass surrounding the building entrance as the SUU School of Business presented a program.

This business building has been a long awaited addition to the SUU campus.

SUU sought funding for the new business building since 2009, where they worked alongside the state Board of Regents, Building Board, the Utah State Legislators and Governor.

When President Scott L. Wyatt arrived at SUU in January of 2014, no financial contributions had been donated to the project. The Utah State Legislators ranked the addition of the business building at the bottom of the list for prospective projects in Utah.

President Wyatt knew something had to be done.

Along with his wife Kathy, President Wyatt decided to meet with one of SUU’s biggest supporters, Dixie and Anne Leavitt.

After a series of meetings and discussions, the Leavitts pledged to make the single largest donation in the history of SUU of $5 million towards the new business building.

“Southern Utah University has had many champions over the years” President Wyatt said. “We have never seen a couple that quite equals Dixie and Anne Leavitt.”

The Leavitts $5 million donation got the fundraising movement going, and it soon accumulated to more than $12 million. The Utah State Legislation was then able to donate an additional $8 million to secure the means necessary to build the proposed business building.

Construction for the new building began in July of 2017, and was completed four months ahead of schedule in August of 2018.

The Leavitts joined hundreds of other guests during the ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony that took place for the new Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business.

SUU’s Reserve Officer Training Core and Aviation Program presented the nations colors and a helicopter flyover to kick off the celebration.

An invocation was offered by Pastor Nancy Pearson from the Community Presbyterian Church in Cedar City.

Following the invocation guest speakers including Chad Nielson: CEO of MHTN Architects, Joshua Haines; Vice President of Layton Constriction, Justin Harding: Chief of Staff for the Office of the Governor of the State of Utah and Gary Porter: Executive Director of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation.

Additional speakers included Jay Francis: Executive Vice President at Corporate affairs & Miller Family Philanthropy, Mary Pearson: Dean of the Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business, Dixie and Anne Leavitt: Dixie and Anne Leavitt Family Foundation, and SUU President Scott L. Wyatt.

“Dreams really can come true” said Dixie Leavitt. “Even dreams you never ever cared to dream. All things are possible to the person who’s willing to sacrifice, serve, work hard, honorable uphear to the principles of integrity, concern for fellow men and faith in God.”