Utah News

Not long ago, Pamela Atkinson came across a book she didn’t remember ordering and read it. The novel was titled “In His Steps.” Written over 100 years ago by Charles M. Sheldon, it is the fictional story of a group of people of faith who pledge to tackle every decision they face with the question “What would Jesus do?” and then act accordingly.

After reading it, Atkinson, who is probably Utah’s best-known — and most beloved and respected — advocate for the poor, the disenfranchised and the ill, felt a sense of urgency to apply the concept to life today.

She calls the moments she knows are a spiritual prompting a “holy nudge.” But this one felt like a more urgent “holy shove” because it dominated her thoughts and carried a sense of “hurry up.”

The hurry-up part is because Atkinson is 93 years old and has been quite frail, with bouts of illness recently. She told Deseret News she thinks this may be her final heaven-sent assignment.

She said she tries to always act on spiritual promptings. So Atkinson has gathered a group of policymakers and faith leaders to ponder what Jesus would do in this community and beyond — as well as how resulting goodness could spread to others in more far-reaching ripples. She wants to ensure the work that has filled her heart and busied her hands for decades doesn’t lose momentum or attention, because the challenges that beset folks never really go away.

The result is a roundtable discussion titled “A Conversation with Pamela Atkinson: What Would Jesus Do?” It centers not on the details of any faith, but on a discussion of how faith and its practitioners can make whole communities and individual lives much better. The goal is to get the collaboration and the caring that ensues to spread. The roundtable, which takes place this week, will be disseminated as part of the “Deseret Voices” podcast series, hosted by Jane Clayson Johnson.

Atkinson has selected a small but diverse group of participants. The invitation the panelists received asked them to be part of an “interfaith panel exploring Christian kindness, dignity and the power of faith to lift communities in times of joy and stress.”

The hourlong event, which Atkinson will host, includes Utah first lady Abby Cox; Sophia DiCaro, executive director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget; Michael Edwards, director of youth and young adults for the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City; Rev. Corey Hodges, lead pastor of The Point Church; Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and Rev. Jamie White, lead pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City (Atkinson’s longtime church). Sharon Eubank, who oversees global humanitarian efforts for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is co-hosting.

Atkinson’s legacy

A homeless trust fund, health clinics and transitional housing all bear Atkinson’s name and honor her legacy, particularly the part that has eased the suffering and brought opportunities to people who are homeless or very close to it. Atkinson has advised a handful of governors and served on many boards, crafting policy that at its forefront focuses on what will bolster those who struggle. Most of that, she notes, has come from holy nudges and heaven-sent opportunities.

Atkinson told Deseret News she really does believe the ambition to bring a diverse group together based on the “what would Jesus do” premise is probably her final God-given assignment.

If it is her last project, it’s a good one, she said. “I’ve had a lot of ‘holy nudges’ from the Lord in terms of the work that I do, and even when I’ve been sick, he’s still done that because I can always help people by referring them to somebody else. I know the Lord’s using me right up to the end, and I know the end isn’t too far away.”

The roundtable is appropriate to this era of disagreement and dissension, she said. What would Jesus do?

Atkinson would like to see ideas on how to come together to solve community problems, lift up strugglers and be accountable for the tasks to emerge from this small Christian group. She sees the group as a committee of sorts — Christians that could easily over time expand to other faiths, because many faith traditions cherish and practice the common principles like kindness, care for the less fortunate and basic decency that were part of Christ’s ministry.

But this is where she wants to start. She said she has known and worked with each of the six panelists. She has worked with so many people, in fact, that her original proposed list of participants had to be whittled down.

Her wish? “I want people to look at their interactions. The other day I was talking to this person and I said, ‘You know, I don’t think I agree with you on this issue.’ And he clarified and I said, ‘I still disagree, but boy, I like you.’ We’ll remain friends. That’s what I want people to learn. It’ll have some similarities with the governor’s ‘Disagree Better’ initiative.”

As for legacy, Atkinson hopes people believe she “made a difference in the world with the Lord’s help.” She didn’t do it alone. “I want people to see my legacy as something they can build on and continue — that it’s very easy to help one another,” she said.

The key, she said, is to always ask people what they need, rather than telling them what they need. “Don’t discriminate because people are of a different socioeconomic class. And don’t give up on people.”

She yearns to know that others will build on any good that has already been done. She pointed out that anyone can be part of society’s solutions.

Atkinson herself grew up in extreme poverty in England, with a mother who worked very hard to support her children and a father who raced greyhounds, gambled money away and then left. She used education to escape poverty so intense that they lacked the indoor plumbing most of her peers took for granted. She became a nurse and later returned to school for a master’s degree in both sociology and business. By the time she retired, she was a vice president at Intermountain Health, where she oversaw humanitarian services.

But she didn’t really retire, continuing to serve on boards and acting as an adviser to Utah’s recent governors, among other contributions. And she continued, until recently, visiting “my homeless friends” and distributing dog food to those whose only companion was often a canine. She used the money she earned serving on boards to pay someone’s rent here and hospital bill there. It was her help-others fund.

Even now, she makes referrals for folks who need help that she can no longer provide directly.

Stepping up

When Deseret News contacted several of the panelists, it was clear that accepting Atkinson’s invitation was not just belief in the purpose but also joy at being asked by someone everyone seems to consider a friend.

Hodges, the Baptist minister, described Atkinson as a longtime friend with a “wonderful legacy of doing great community work. I wanted to participate and contribute to her legacy as well.”

He’s also interested in the perspective other faith groups will bring to the discussion. They’ve all read the “In His Steps” book to gear up for the conversation.

Hodges referred to Matthew 25, where Jesus describes “the least of these.”

“People who are overlooked, marginalized, disenfranchised,” Hodges said. “It is our responsibility as people of faith to minister to these people, to help make life and life’s burdens a little lighter, to live out the Christian principles that we say we hold deeply. … Although we may be from different faith traditions, I think we can all agree that looking out for those who are homeless, those who are in prison, those who are hungry, those sorts of things are principles of humanity and most faith communities support coming together to provide some relief in these situations. It’s exciting because Jesus would absolutely do that.

“He was a radical character who thought outside the box, who crossed boundaries — cultural boundaries, religious boundaries, economic boundaries, political boundaries.”

DiCaro, from the governor’s office, said she feels a lot of pressure to be entrusted with helping further Atkinson’s goal for the group. While listening to the book, she said she started thinking that it’s about 50/50 what people can control and what they can’t. She sees “an opportunity to better direct what you can control in a more productive way … an opportunity to hopefully inspire people to reevaluate what they can do in — this sounds cheesy — making the world a better place.”

She said she hopes people will be inspired to ask themselves in any situation to “do better, rethink, ask: Is there a different approach to what we’re doing here, especially with all the uncertainty going on around us? It’s a great reminder to reevaluate what we can control.”

Edwards, the Catholic, said just being asked to participate was an honor, “knowing the life Pamela’s lived and all the things she’s had her hand in.”

He said he has since been pondering, “Are we really sacrificing anything like Christ would have sacrificed? Are we helping our neighbors out? Are we too involved with ourselves, maybe?”

Atkinson doesn’t have very big feet, Edwards said, “but she has huge shoes to fill.”

That ripple effect will be very important.

Utah forward Keanu Dawes has entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to a report from Draft Express’s Jonathan Givony.

Dawes, who was one of the few holdovers from the end of the Craig Smith era, averaged 12.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists for Utah in Alex Jensen’s first year as head coach. Dawes led the team in rebounds and was third in scoring.

The best game for the 6-foot-9 forward came in a loss to Kansas, where he had 22 points and 12 rebounds. He also scored 21 in the Utes’ win over Eastern Washington and 23 in a loss to BYU on Jan. 24.

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The transfer portal for NCAA men’s basketball opens on April 7 and closes on April 21.

LOS ANGELES — For the second time in seven days, the Los Angeles Kings faced off against the Utah Mammoth as the Kings’ regular season has nine games remaining.

Although in a different fashion, tonight’s game ended the same way as Sunday’s matchup did – with Utah (38-30-6) taking the victory over Los Angeles (29-26-18).

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In the concluding season matchup, the Kings endured a 6-2 loss to the Mammoth on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, handing Utah a 2-1 series record over LA this season.

LA has now lost five of their last six games and the lack of wins couldn’t have come at a worse time.

“The one thing about this team is there’s guys that care in there,” Kings interim coach D.J. Smith said in postgame interviews. “So it’d be different if there were one or two guys that just didn’t have it and whatever – everyone didn’t have it … and when that many guys don’t have it, you’re not blaming it on anyone, you’re gonna take it as a group, me (Smith) included.”

The opening period was uncharacteristic for the Kings, and it only got worse as time progressed.

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With help from defenseman John Marino, Alexander Kerfoot scored his fourth goal of the season just 2:31 into the first.

Logan Cooley would find the back of the net twice within three minutes: a snap shot for his 19th goal and a power-play goal as the Mammoth continued to keep the lead.

Anze Kopitar shot the Kings’ lonesome first period goal with assists from Adrian Kempe and Joel Edmundson, but Los Angeles would be down 3-1 to enter the second period.

The effort shown – or the lack of – between the two teams was astonishing to see, considering Utah holds a Wild Card spot in the playoffs and LA does not. And yet each team acted as if the opposite were true.

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“Our passing wasn’t good,” Smith said. “We were not sharp in any facet in the game. Maybe other than 10 minutes in the third period where we played a little bit like ourselves. But for whatever reason, it’s not good enough. And against a team that is fighting for the playoffs just like us, it’s just not good enough.”

The Kings’ displayed bad defense all night, allowing Utah to have the shots they wanted, when and how they wanted them.

Kerfoot scored his second goal of the game and Nick Schmaltz scored a power-play goal while the Kings’ offense stayed stagnant during period two.

“We had no legs,” Smith said in postgame interviews. “… We made it hard on ourselves by playing the east-west in the neutral zone and (we) didn’t play fast at all. And when you play that way, you allow the other team to get above you – and that’s what we do to teams – and they were ready right from the get-go. We didn’t start on time tonight and before you know it, you’re just chipping and changing … and we just simply weren’t good enough.”

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Adrian Kempe’s 27th wrist shot goal would be the last for the Kings, but continuing the pattern of the game, Utah wasn’t letting up, no matter what.

Mikhail Sergachev finished with four assists as he aided in Jack McBain’s empty-net goal to finish off the game as Utah demolished the Kings on home ice – where they should and need to be winning games.

However, this season that hasn’t been the case.

The Kings hold a 10-16-8 home record and a 19-9-10 away record, and with six out of their last nine games being held in Los Angeles, something has to give.

Drew Doughty said the team needs to have the same mentality that they keep on the road to be held on home ice as well.

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“Just go out there, grind, get on the forecheck early,” Doughty said. “Things will start opening up to make plays later on in the game.”

Starting goalie Darcy Kuemper had 11 saves on 16 shot attempts, playing the first two periods before Anton Forsberg entered for the final period, earning 11 saves on 11 shots.

LA went 0-for-2 on the power play with 31 shots on goal while Utah went 2-for-3 and had 28 shots.

Up next:

LA Kings host the St. Louis Blues (31-30-11) at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

“Strategic reinvestment” has become an oft-repeated catchphrase across Utah’s public college campuses and legislative halls over the past couple of years.

The term defines the state-mandated initiative to shift higher education resources into those academic areas determined to be of highest value to both students and Utah industry.

Such “high value” areas include health care, AI and engineering.

In 2025, the Utah Legislature required the state’s eight degree-granting institutions to reallocate 10% from their respective budgets toward strategic reinvestment initiatives. Each school’s reinvestment plans are being implemented over a three-year period that began last year.

Those ongoing strategic reinvestment efforts at the state’s colleges and universities, reported Utah Commissioner of Higher Education Geoffrey Landward earlier this year, are blazing “a better path to addressing concerns about value in higher education.”

Now “strategic reinvestment” is expanding to Utah’s eight technical colleges.

And while the reallocation plans at the state’s degree-granting colleges were initiated last year by the Utah Legislature, similar plans at technical colleges are being launched by the Utah Board of Higher Education.

On Thursday, the education board voted unanimously to begin moving toward strategic reinvestments at its technical colleges: Bridgerland Technical College, Davis Technical College, Dixie Technical College, Mountainland Technical College, Ogden-Weber Technical College, Southwest Technical College, Tooele Technical College and Uintah Basin Technical College.

While degree-granting institutions typically focus on a broad academic education, technical colleges offer hands-on, career-specific training often leading to certificates.

“The Utah System of Higher Education is investing in programs that are growing, serving more students and meeting the needs of Utah’s economy,” said board vice chair Jon Cox in a news release.

“Strategic reinvestment is about making sure every dollar is working as hard as possible for individual students and the state. We are fortunate to have technical colleges that are such good stewards of these limited resources.”

During Thursday’s board meeting, Landward said some lawmakers had asked him about running formal legislation to expand strategic reinvestment to the state’s technical colleges.

The commissioner responded that another bill wasn’t necessary because the education board was already focused on requiring all higher education institutions — including the technical colleges — to reallocate resources into areas of highest value for students and taxpayers.

While similar in intent, the strategic reinvestment framework for the Utah technical colleges differs in a few key ways from what is happening at degree-granting schools. Technical colleges operate on a different model than the degree-granting institutions. They’re funded differently. Their accreditation is different — as are the standards for program viability accreditation.

“And that means that the program of doing a strategic reinvestment (for technical colleges) is going to look different than it would for a degree-granting institution,” said Landward.

But the commissioner added there’s value in requiring Utah’s technical colleges to also examine their respective programs to ensure cost efficiencies — while maximizing each student’s training and investment.

What will ‘strategic reinvestment’ look like for Utah tech schools?

Utah’s degree-granting colleges and universities are required by the Legislature to reallocate 10% of their state budget dollars toward their strategic reinvestment plans.

But the plan outlined by the higher education board would require half of those percentage amounts — 5% — from the technical colleges. That figure acknowledges that technical colleges have less operational and infrastructure flexibility than the degree-granting schools.

Also, while the Legislature required degree-granting colleges to immediately begin executing their strategic reinvestment plans last year, the higher education board is allowing the technical colleges an “optional planning year” for fiscal year 2027. Then the remainder of their budget reallocations would be implemented in phases over the following three years.

Like their degree-granting counterparts, the technical colleges will meet with UBHE each year for reinvestment plan updates and approvals.

Utah technical colleges: AI already prompting reinvestment

Several Utah technical college presidents participating in Thursday’s meeting noted that their frequent accreditation efforts leave them well-positioned for the UBHE’s strategic reinvestment plan.

Industry advancements have already prompted some schools to revisit, say, AI-impacted programs such as medical coding and billing — and reallocate those resources to high-yield programs such as HVAC and refrigeration.

If a program is not industry-driven, said one president, it does not survive in the technical college atmosphere. It has to be reallocated.

The annual strategic reinvestment reporting, they added, also provides welcome opportunities for Utah’s technical colleges to keep the higher education board updated on each school’s developments and activities.