Scholarships for Current Students in Movie Premiere Drawing
Published: April 21, 2015 | Read Time: 1 minutes
Southern Utah University will give away two $500 Founders Scholarships to current Thunderbird students during the Thursday night premiere of the SUU-based short film, “Back Up The Mountain.”
The film, which celebrates the inspiring people behind the story of the founding of SUU, will premiere on April 23 at 7 p.m. in the Centrum Arena. Students must attend the free movie premiere to be entered to win a Founders Scholarship.
“I think this giveaway embodies our founders' original goals," explained Mindy Benson, vice president of alumni and community relations. "They made great sacrifices so students could get a higher education. What better way to honor those efforts as we celebrate the University's founding story than to continue helping students with their education?”
The premiere will include guest appearances by the film’s star and SUU alumnus Jason Wade (17 Miracles) along with other members of the cast. Free popcorn will be served at the event.
Jon Smith, professor of communication at SUU and documentarian, directed the film, which tells the story of the winter of 1897 when a horse named Old Sorrel was the only steed able to trudge through the snow drifts on the mountain near current day Brian Head to successfully retrieve the lumber needed to build Old Main, establishing SUU as a college. But the real story is not about the storied sorrel long memorialized on SUU's campus. The heart of the University's founding and the inspiration for its future lies in the Cedar City residents who sacrificed personal safety and finances and business prospects to bring higher education to southern Utah.
The documentary was created after Smith’s discussions with SUU President Scott Wyatt. The video portrays the founders of The University in their larger than life plots, as they greatly dared and greatly did. Wyatt’s 2014 inaugural address, titled “Back Up the Mountain,” is the inspiration for the documentary.
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