As Dixie State University’s Director of Innovation Guidance and Solutions, Dr. Wayne Provost has seen over 460 people with ideas for new inventions. Significantly, over 200 of these individuals were DSU students. Not only does Provost hold 18 patents himself, including one for resealable food and cereal cartons, but he also has guided numerous students, faculty, and community members through the patent process. When Provost began working at the university in October of 2016, his goal was to obtain 10 patents in 5 years—a goal he said would be “a miracle” if achieved.

After a mere two years, Provost helped complete 83 patent applications, 13 of which were granted. An active humanitarian and relentless intellectual, Provost came to Dixie to mentor promising young entrepreneurs and help grow the St. George business community. One reason Provost chose St. George was his belief that it was “a ripe place to start innovation.”

In January of 2017, Provost taught a class that instructed students in every aspect of obtaining a patent and turning it into a viable business. Throughout the semester, students helped set up a corporation, built two prototypes, con- ducted trials and testing, and acquired marketing experience. Besides the valuable business experience they were obtaining, students were given the opportunity to purchase options in the company.

In addition to guiding individuals through the innovation process, Provost also helps with guidance solutions. This means that businesses can come to him and his students with problems they are experiencing. After examining the challenges and issues, Provost and his students offer solutions, in addition to assisting them with obtaining patents, if necessary. A few large businesses in St. George have already reached out to Provost, result- ing in successful resolutions. This is significant because, as Provost asserts: “When you start working on solutions, that is how you know you’ve made it.” He anticipates additional requests from other companies in the near future.

Typically, Provost says, a university doctor obtains a grant and uses students and staff to work on a project. Once completed, the finished product is owned by the university. Provost has taken his innovative work a step further by creating a mentor’s group, which provides private funds for student projects. With these funds, Dixie State students are assisted in turning their creative ideas into a personal business. In return, students gift the university a share in their business—usually 5 percent. According to Provost, Dixie State University is remarkable: no other university in the United States does what we do. Importantly, Provost aims to keep the businesses that were created under his guidance in St. George.

Attracting more than local attention, the innovation taking place at the university is drawing students to DSU. For example, Hunter Manz, a mechanical engineering major from Las Vegas Nevada is a student Provost began mento- ring with Manz was in the seventh grade. Manz says that Provost’s belief in him as a 16-year-old changed his life and helped him graduate at the top of his class. Manz was accepted by Harvard. However, he chose to attend Dixie because of the innovation opportunities available. Keeping students like Hunter in mind, Provost says that his ultimate goal for graduates is that “they’re not looking for a job, they’re creating jobs.”

In order to accommodate the innovation process, DSU is currently renovating Atwood Innovation Plaza. Scheduled for completion in August of 2019, the plaza is what Provost calls a “makerspace”—a facility where prototypes are built. The facility will be available to DSU students and faculty as well as members of the community. Provost says, “When the Innovation Plaza goes up, it’s going to be the gathering place of brilliance.”