GOVERNOR JON HUNTSMAN JR. TO GIVE SNOW COLLEGE 2005 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS


EPHRAIM, Utah—March 21, 2005—Snow College today announced that Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. will speak at commencement Saturday, April 30 at 10:00 a.m. in the Activity Center on Snow’s Ephraim campus. The Snow College Board of Trustees will award Gov. Huntsman an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service during the event. This marks the first time a sitting governor has spoken at a Snow College Commencement.

Governor Huntsman has family roots in Sanpete County. His maternal grandmother, the late Ruby Olson Haight, grew up in Fairview. Governor Huntsman’s first official visit to central Utah was to deliver his State of the State address. He traveled to Fillmore – the initial capital of Utah – to highlight rural Utah and pay tribute to his central Utah ancestry.

“We’re delighted that Gov. Huntsman has accepted the board’s invitation to be this year’s Commencement speaker,” said Michael T. Benson, president of Snow College. “Our students and their families – and the larger Sanpete community – will benefit greatly from this experience.”

Gov. Huntsman was elected in November 2004 to be Utah’s 16th chief executive and brings years of leadership experience in both business and public service. He has held several leadership positions as a business executive with Huntsman Corporation, including chairman and CEO.

Huntsman’s public service career began as a White House staff assistant to President Ronald Reagan. Under President George H. W. Bush he was deputy assistant secretary of commerce for trade development, deputy assistant secretary of commerce for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, as well as U.S. ambassador to Singapore (the youngest U.S. ambassador in a century). He is fluent in Mandarin. He also served as a deputy U.S. trade representative and U.S. trade ambassador under President George W. Bush.

Huntsman was born on March 26, 1960 in Palo Alto, California. He attended the University of Utah and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye, have six children. For more information about Governor Huntsman and his administration visit www.utah.gov/governor.

In 2003, Jon and Karen Huntsman spoke at Snow commencement. Prior to their speeches, Michael T. Benson, president of Snow College, announced a $2 million gift from the Huntsman’s to be used for construction of a new library on Snow’s Ephraim campus. Snow hopes for approval of the project from the Utah Legislature in 2006. The library will be named after Karen Huntsman in honor of her 12 years of service as a member of the Utah State Board of Regents.