Dixie State University commencements and speeches

Dixie State University was established in 1911 as St. George Stake Academy with the original campus on the northwest corner of Main Street and 100 South in Saint George, Utah. The first graduating class of St. George Stake Academy was in 1913 and it had 13 students. The original building for the campus remains, and is currently the St. George Children’s Museum. The name for the institution changed two years after its creation to Dixie Academy in 1913 and kept this name until 1916. The name changed again to Dixie Normal College from 1916-1923. The name changed to Dixie Junior College from 1923-1972. In 1963, the campus moved to its current location at 225 South 700 East in Saint George. At the time of the move, the campus was on the edge of town. Dixie College was the name from 1972-2000 and then became Dixie State College of Utah from 2000-2013. In 2013, the name changed to Dixie State University and currently retains that moniker. The population of St. George was 1769 in 1910 and 2271 in 1920. In 1990, 28,502 was the population in St. George. In 2010, the population was 72,897. In 2014, 1630 students graduated with bachelors and associates degrees. Currently in 2020, the population in St. George is 87,178, and Dixie State University has approximately 12,000 students and is a fast-growing Utah public institution of higher education offering over 210 programs, including masters, bachelors, associates, certificates, and endorsements.