USU Uintah Basin Welcomes Jim LaMuth

Utah State University Uintah Basin is pleased to announce the addition of Jim LaMuth to the campus. LaMuth joins USU Uintah Basin as the Program Coordinator III and will coordinate the new education paraprofessional certificate program in the School of Teaching Education and Leadership. He will also work with the Statewide Mentoring programs.

LaMuth will be supervised by professor David Law, who chaired the search committee. According to Law, “LaMuth matched exceptionally well with the required and preferred experiences needed for this position such as excellent oral and written communication, student engagement and success, data management and analysis, and grantsmanship. We are excited to have him at USU Uintah Basin to help bolster the best possible experiences for students.”

LaMuth joins USU after spending the last six years as the Student Success Officer at Uintah Basin Technical College. In this role, LaMuth helped students navigate advising, enrollment and helped them apply for scholarship funds in pursuit of their technical education.

LaMuth earned his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and is currently working on his master’s degree in Business Administration. He is also a board member for Terra Academy and is currently the board chair.

Hailing from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, LaMuth has lived in Vernal for the past 10 years. He is a returned Peace Corps volunteer, serving in Benin, a country bordering Nigeria and Ghana in West Africa. He enjoys exploring the mountains, river canyons and deserts of Utah. In the evenings, he can be seen walking with his two Alaskan malamutes.

USU Uintah Basin has recently launched its education paraprofessional certificate of completion program, which LaMuth will oversee. This program provides potential or current paraprofessionals in the schools with course work specific to their roles. It is the only such program in the state of Utah. By learning the instructional skills, assessment techniques, safety procedures, and interpersonal relationship skills they'll need to work successfully with the teachers they assist and the learners in their charge, paraprofessionals with this certificate will be prepared to join a teaching team as a contributing member.

Through the Statewide Mentor program, LaMuth will support creating a culture of success at USU through connecting students with faculty. Faculty mentors are personally matched for students to help address any challenges while pursuing their degree. Students also receive career guidance and learn about opportunities their field.