Caldwell, the current Dixie State executive vice president for academics, received the cap and a shirt after the 13 members of the state Board of Regents unanimously selected him from a field of four finalists. A selection committee had earlier pared that from 80 candidates.

He succeeds President Robert E. Huddleston, who will retire in August but will continue to teach at the school of 4,700 full-time students in 2006 after a yearlong sabbatical.

After the applause of the crowd quieted down in the gallery in the college's new Eccles Fine Arts Center, where the announcement was made, Caldwell said the leadership skills and hard work demonstrated by his predecessor will continue to be exercised when he takes the helm.

"A lot of the hard work has been done, but there is still much to do in offering greater education opportunities to help develop the state's economy," said Caldwell, who has a doctorate from Texas A&M in management policy and strategy, and has worked at the school just short of a year.

He said the fortitude and determination of the early pioneer settlers of southwestern Utah is still prevalent and will continue to build the high-tech future of the area that attracts an increasing number of new residents with its mild weather and recreational opportunities.

"The people will make it happen," said Caldwell, who was joined at Tuesday's ceremony by his wife, Bonnie.

A full-service community college, Dixie State started by offering associate degrees but since 2000 baccalaureate programs, certificates and now several four-year degrees are also offered.

More four-year degrees will probably be offered in the future, along with a possible tuition hike to help cover costs.

He said the hard working students and dedicated work ethic exhibited in Washington County and St. George deserve corresponding educational opportunities for success from the college.

Caldwell said a desire to serve the community was his primary motive for seeking the job that comes with a $145,000 annual salary, raised this year from $122,400.

Nolan E. Karras, chairman of the Board of Regents, said despite current ties to the school, Caldwell's application was given the same degree of scrutiny as the others.

"It was not an easy process because we had such good candidates," said Karras. "The selection was a good evaluation of [Caldwell]."

Karras also admonished state leaders to pay more than lip service to the importance of education to the state's future economic vitality.

"We've got to do a better job," said Karras, who is launching a campaign in several weeks to enlighten decision makers around Utah to the importance of building a statewide consensus on the importance of education.

"Let's see if we can't rally this state," Karras added.

mhavnes@sltrib.com

Lee G. Caldwell

* Age: 57

* Employment history:

* Executive vice president at Dixie State College

* Associate dean at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta

* Associate vice president and dean of academic computing at Indiana University in Bloomington

* Assistant dean for University of Utah's Business school

* Assistant professor of management at the U. and Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas

* Worked in private sector for Hewlett Packard. IBM, Novell and Unisys Corp.

* Education:

* Bachelor's degree: Utah State University

* Law degree: Brigham Young University

* Doctorate: Texas A&M