Skip to main content

Commencement 2021: Honorary Doctorates

 

SLCC's 2021 in-person commencement ceremony will take place Aug. 6 at the Maverik Center. For more information, click here.


Honorary Doctorates 


Salt Lake Community College has been awarding Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees to deserving individuals since 1955. The SLCC Board of Trustees selects two outstanding individuals in the community who have achieved distinction, made extraordinary contributions to their professional fields and made a meaningful impact in their communities and/or to higher education to receive this honor.


Jerry M.Taylor, Founder, Taylor Electric

Edna Anderson-Taylor, Former KSL-TV Host 


Hard work and a passion for what you do are the keys to success for Jerry and Edna Taylor. These principles aided Edna in developing her career and in helping her to heal during a difficult time in her life. Her husband, Jerry, also used these beliefs to help him build a wildly successful electrical contracting business in Utah.


The Taylors relish talking about their lives and world travels, as well as their long history with Salt Lake Community College and how the college has contributed to their professional success. They recall how, after his three-year stint in the U.S. Army, Jerry attended SLCC’s forerunner, the Salt Lake Trade Technical Institute. In 1975, one of his first hires was a 21-year-old who had also trained at SLCC, then known as Utah Technical College.


The early incarnation of what would become Taylor Electric was just Jerry, his mom as bookkeeper and that first employee. As Jerry built his business, which eventually grew to employ 350, he would often hire workers trained at SLCC. “The community college has great people. Those are the kinds of workers who make businesses successful. I had good people I could trust,” he says. SLCC instructors got to know Jerry and would call him with recommendations of students to hire. His relationship with the college continued to grow, and Jerry eventually became involved in judging national skills competitions that involved SLCC students in the trades.


Edna, a graduate of South High School, which today is home to SLCC’s South City Campus, is still recognized in public as Miss Julie from “Romper Room,” which ran on KSL-TV during the 1970s. The early days of that experience, Edna says, helped her recover from the loss of her first husband. “Find your passion, what it is that you love to do that feeds you, not just materially but also your soul,” she says. “That way, you will be successful.”Jerry and Edna met in 1981 and married in 1984. After passing the Taylor Electric torch to their son Ryan Taylor in 2005, the pair has focused on philanthropy that has benefitted many throughout Utah. This includes SLCC, which in 1989 gave Jerry its Distinguished Alumni Award. The Taylors also are generous donors to SLCC scholarships, assisting many students over the years in building their futures. 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rev Up Your Future at SLCC Annuals Hop into College

SLCC West Valley Center will be opening its doors on Friday, August 2, from 6-9 pm for their annual lowrider event that celebrates the automotive culture and welcomes current, past, and future Bruins into the SLCC community. This unique event allows lowriders to showcase their vehicles and for spectators to witness the creativity, craftsmanship, and passion that goes into a lowrider car. From the sleek custom paint jobs to the impressive hydraulics showcased at the hop-off, attendees get immersed in the vibrant culture created by SLCC West Valley’s community. Beyond the car show, Hop into College provides prospective students and their families the opportunity to explore SLCC, engage with their future peers, staff and faculty and obtain valuable insight into the degrees and programs offered. Furthermore, the community is provided with countless beneficial resources not only as an SLCC student but as a community member. Whether interested in learning more about the lowrider community o...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Center for Prior Learning Receives an Honorable Mention

Today, SLCC's Credit for Prior Learning department received an Honorable Mention from the  Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL ) and the  Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education  for its intentional approach and for expanding student options to receive credit for prior learning.  Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)  allows students to obtain college credit for knowledge and skills acquired outside of the traditional academic environment. This is exceptionally beneficial for adult learners, who, according to CAEL, have a 17% higher chance of graduating compared to those adults who don’t earn credits through prior learning programs. The CPL department at SLCC was created in 2020 and since then the volume of students served has grown as the department continues to expand. To be eligible for CPL, students must be working towards a degree, certificate, or apprenticeship. Director of Credit for Prior Learning at SLCC, Andrea Tipton, mentioned fee...
Post a Comment
Read more

Board of Higher Ed names Gregory F. Peterson 9th SLCC President

The Utah Board of Higher Education unanimously selected Gregory F. Peterson, Ed.D., as the ninth president of Salt Lake Community College today, following an extensive national search. Peterson will assume the position on July 1, 2024, and succeeds Deneece G. Huftalin, who served as president from 2014-2024.   “I’m humbled by the opportunity to serve as Salt Lake Community College’s next president, and I look forward to reinforcing SLCC’s commitment to providing educational pathways for transfer and workforce that improve the lives of every member of our community,” Peterson said. “SLCC has an amazing future ahead, and I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of that journey.”   As part of its delegated duties and responsibilities, the SLCC Board of Trustees named an  11-member committee  in December 2023 to conduct a national search for the next president of SLCC. The committee is composed of representatives from the Utah Board of Higher Education and SLCC trustees, facul...
Post a Comment
Read more