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Name
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Dr. Eric Kirby
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Date
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Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, 2017 - 2022
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Bio
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Dr. Eric Kirby is an Assistant Professor of Management, Leadership, and Business Law in the Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business at Southern Utah University.
Kirby brings over 20 years of leadership and managerial experience from both the private and public sectors. He has developed a wide-array of leadership perspectives and managerial insights while practicing law, working in the construction industry and in the federal court system, managing numerous departments and employees at SUU, and starting two businesses. Early in his career, Kirby successfully passed the bar exams in three states and interned, clerked, and worked in numerous capacities within the legal field ranging from Washington, DC, to Denver, Colorado. While practicing law for nearly a decade, Kirby’s practice primarily focused on business law, civil litigation, and construction law. More recently, Kirby served as the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at SUU where he managed a myriad of departments and helped create innovative campus-wide programs which increased institutional retention and completion rates to historical highs and garnered national recognition.
Kirby is the co-author of a management and leadership book focused on retention and persistence in higher education. He also co-hosts a weekly podcast series discussing innovative management and leadership tools for higher education and interviewing industry leaders from across the nation to discuss their best thinking on the challenges and opportunities within higher education. His research interests include innovative and unique retention and completion practices, leadership development, and the success of marginalized student populations (with a particular focus on Native American students). He is regularly invited to give presentations, workshops, and consult with various organizations across the nation on leadership development, managing generational differences (in particular Gen Z), management/leadership strategies, organizational restructure, employee retention, and shifting business culture.
Kirby is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for scholastic excellence, distinguished advising and mentoring, commitment to excellence, Board of Trustees award for excellence, achievement in experiential learning, distinguished integration, distinguished service awards, and for being a campus influencer. He has chaired numerous committees and is currently serving as the co-advisor for the Business Law Society.
He has a Bachelor’s degree from Southern Utah University, a Master’s degree in Administration and a Juris Doctorate (law degree) from the University of Denver, and a Ph.D. in Global Leadership from the College of Business at Indiana Institute of Technology (Indiana Tech).
EDUCATION
Doctor of Philosophy in Global Leadership (Ph.D.), College of Business, Indiana Institute of Technology
Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.), University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Master of Science in Legal Administration (M.S.), University of Denver
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (B.A.), Southern Utah University
Professional licenses: Passed the bar exam in the states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming
Certificates: (1) Universidad de Alcala, Madrid, Spain (administered through the University of Denver) Español de los Negocios (Spanish Diploma in Business) Bilingual: Spanish/English; (2) Saint-Petersburg State University of Economics, Saint-Petersburg, Russia (administered through Indiana Tech). Focus: Russian-American International Research Collaboration; (3) Strong Interest Inventory (SII) Certified.
AWARDS
SUU Campus Influencer Award (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
SUU’s Distinguished Service Award (2020-21)
SUU’s Influencer of the Year (2019-20)
Outstanding Staff Member of SUU (2019-20)
Gerald R. Sherratt Distinguished Service Award (2018-19)
SUU’s Student Voice Award (2017-18)
Distinguished Presentation Award - Festival of Excellence (2017)
Distinguished Integration Award - Festival of Excellence (2017)
Dean’s Award for Achievement in Experiential Learning ( 2017)
SUU’s Organization of the Year (2016-2017)
Board of Trustee’s Award of Excellence (2015-16)
Super Lawyers’ Legal Rising Star Award (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
SUU’s Distinguished Mentor of the Year (2014-15)
SUU’s Organization of the Year (2013-14)
SUUSA’s Professional Development Organization of the Year (2013-14)
SUUSA’s Service Organization of the Year (2013-14)
SUU Commitment to Excellence Award (2013-14)
SUU’s Advisor of the Year Award (2012-13)
SUU’s Organization of the Year (2012-13)
HOBBIES
Spending time with his wife and six children. Hiking, canyoneering, rock climbing, backpacking, camping, and ultra endurance sports.
Dr. Eric Kirby