Student Affairs Leadership Team

Dr. Jared Tippets, Vice President for Student Affairs
jaredtippets@suu.edu
Dr. Jared Tippets was appointed Vice President for Student Affairs at Southern Utah University in January 2015. In this capacity he oversees student life outside of the classroom. His professional career has been spent working in both the student affairs and academic sides of higher education administration. Prior to working at SUU, Tippets worked at Purdue University, the University of Kentucky, University of Missouri-Columbia, and Utah Valley University. Tippets, originally from Bountiful, Utah holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems (Utah State University) and a Masters (University of Missouri-Columbia) and Ph.D. (University of Kentucky) in Higher Education Administration. He is the co-author of "ASCEND to Higher Retention Rates" and is regularly sought out as a consultant, trainer, and speaker. His research interests are in retention and completion efforts, Generation Z, and leadership and organizational change strategies in higher education.

Heather Ogden, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
heatherogden1@suu.edu
Heather Ogden has been selected as the Dean of Students at Southern Utah University as of October 2019. Heather assists in the oversight, leadership, management, and administration of the Student Affairs areas of the University. Before her role as Dean of Students, she served SUU in other capacities for the last seven years, most recently as Director of Ethics & Compliance in the University's Title IX office. Heather previously served as a faculty member for the College of Education & Human Development and a Lead Advisor. Prior to SUU, she was a guidance counselor in two Utah school districts and an administrator with the Utah Division of Child and Family Services.

Candice Hilleger, Executive Assistant
candicehilleger@suu.edu
Candice provides executive administrative support to the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Assistant Vice Presidents for Student Affairs and manages the office as a whole.

Eric Kirby, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs (Completion & Student Success)
erickirby@suu.edu
Dr. Eric Kirby currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs (Completion and Student Success) at Southern Utah University. In this role, he leads important campus retention, completion, and student success initiatives, as well as directly oversees the following Completion and Student Success offices: Academic Advising, Career and Professional Development, Orientation and First-Year Experience, Student Connection and Completion, Parent and Family Services, Student Support Services, Completion and Student Success, and the ACES (peer-mentoring). Dr. Kirby holds a B.A. in Political Science (Southern Utah University), a M.S. in Administration (University of Denver), J.D. in Law (University of Denver), and a Ph.D. in Global Leadership and Academic Administration (Indiana Tech). Prior to working in higher education, Dr. Kirby practiced law for nearly a decade. He is fluent in Spanish and received a diploma in business from the Universidad de Alcala. His research interests are focused on innovative and unique retention and completion practices, student leadership development, and the success of marginalized student populations (with a particular focus on Native American students). Dr. Kirby also teaches a wide-array of university courses, including classes focusing on constitutional law, political science, criminal justice, college success, and leadership/professional development.

Rick Brown, Chief of Police
brownr@suu.edu
Rick has been with the University Police for over 20 years. He enjoys working with the entire campus community and the local community in providing a safe environment for everyone. He enjoys the outdoors and the great opportunities that Southern Utah offers in outdoor recreation.