USU Southwest's Cindy Chambliss Retiring After Two Decades in Delta

DELTA, Utah — When Cindy Chambliss started working at the Statewide Campus for Utah State University in Delta more than 20 years ago, it looked a little different than it does now. She still remembers the temperature fluctuations that came with the old campus space. Announcing her retirement after more than 20 years at the campus, Chambliss reflected on how far the campus has come.

“We started in a converted garage at the district tech,” she recalled. “It had a charming large steel garage door that was a sizzling grill in the summer and a deep freeze in the winter. We shared the room with the high school, who found in the dead of winter they could make spitballs freeze to that door.”

A lifelong resident of Delta, Chambliss found an opportunity to work close to home when a position opened at USU Delta. She began as a night facilitator and soon became the site coordinator. She has loved being able to serve the area that she has called home.

“Cindy has done so much for the people of Delta and has been a wonderful ambassador for USU,” said Nancy Glomb, associate vice president for the Southwest Region. “She has affected so many of the students whom she has served. She will be missed but we wish her all the best in retirement.”

Chambliss has many fond memories throughout the years at USU Delta. One of the many she holds dear is the early days of classroom broadcast technology when the campus began offering distance education. She still recalls the sound system and video system being two separate machines, each with its own set of challenges.

“One was prone to hornet infestations and the other had to be regularly dropped or smacked to work,” she said. “Even when calling the VOC, as it was called then, they would ask if I had already dropped the speaker box from six inches.”

Chambliss finds pride in the impact that the campus has on the local region. She loves that USU graduates are everywhere from the hospital, the mental health facility, and even to the many farms and ranches in the area.

“The real story is the changes that USU has made in Millard County,” Chambliss said. “Numerous jobs now are filled with our graduates. People who would have had to leave now can find work because of their education. Our graduates are everywhere.”

Chambliss has many plans for retirement and is grateful for the time she spent at USU.

“I am going to spend more time with grandkids, with music, and just doing things I want,” she said. “Thank you, Utah State, for a job I loved, and one where I could see lives improved by education."