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Former names | Agricultural College of Utah (1888–1928) Utah State Agricultural College (1928–1957) |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Research, Service, Teaching" |
| Type | Public land-grant research university |
| Established | March 8, 1888[1] |
Parent institution | Utah System of Higher Education |
| Accreditation | NWCCU |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $538.4 million (2023)[2] |
| Budget | $699.3 million (FY2023)[3] |
| President | Elizabeth Cantwell[4] |
| Provost | Larry Smith[5] |
Academic staff | 1,101 (Fall 2023)[a] |
Total staff | 11,077 (Fall 2023)[6][b] |
| Students | 28,063 (Fall 2023)[6][c] |
| Undergraduates | 25,048 (Fall 2023)[6][d] |
| Postgraduates | 3,015 (Fall 2023)[6][e] |
| Location | , , United States 41°44′42″N 111°48′32″W / 41.745°N 111.809°W |
| Campus | Main campus (Logan): Small City[7], 600 acres (2.4 km2)[1] All campuses and centers: 6,896 acres (27.91 km2)[1] |
| Other Campuses[8] |
|
| Newspaper | The Utah Statesman |
| Colors | "Aggie Blue" (Dark Navy) and "Fighting White" (Bright White)[9][10] |
| Nickname | Aggies |
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | Big Blue |
| Website | www |
 | |
Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal land-grant institution, Utah State is one of two flagship universities for the state of Utah; it is classified among "Carnegie R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity".[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] Utah State's main campus in Logan is the oldest and the largest public residential campus operating in Utah with over 84% of students living away from home.[18]
Utah State's original charter focused on military science, technology, science, agriculture, and mechanical arts. By 1947, the military science program at Utah State had gained such prominence that USU became known as the "West Point of the West" since USU commissioned more officers into the U.S. military than any school in the nation except the United States Military Academy at West Point.[19][20]
As of the Fall 2023 semester, Utah State had 28,063 enrolled students (with 20,259 students enrolled at its main campus in Logan)[6] and more than 175,000 alumni located in all 50 states and more than 116 countries.[1] The university has nine campuses statewide (including its main campus in Logan), 23 distance education centers, 30 county office locations, and more than 50 research institutes and centers.[1] Among these research institutes is Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), which is the sole University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) for the United States Missile Defense Agency; and, is one of only 15 UARCs in the nation for the United States Department of Defense.[21]
According to the National Science Foundation, USU is 83rd in the nation and 54th among public universities for total research and development revenue and expenditures with $344.9 million in 2022; USU is home to the second oldest undergraduate research program in the United States.[22][14]
Utah State's athletic teams, the Utah State Aggies, compete in Division I as members of the Mountain West Conference.
History
Background and founding
On December 16, 1861, Representative Justin Morrill (VT) introduced a bill into the U.S. House of Representatives "to establish at least one college in each state upon a sure and perpetual foundation, accessible to all, but especially to the sons of toil..."[23] President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act into effect in July of the following year.[24]
Meanwhile, after visiting a few rural agricultural schools in his native Denmark, Anthon H. Lund of the Utah Territorial Legislature decided that there existed in the Utah Territory a need for such a school fusing the highest in scientific and academic research with agriculture, the way of life for the vast majority of locals. Upon returning to the United States, Lund heard about the Morrill Act and pitched a vision for the college that would receive widespread support among members of the Territorial Legislature, seeking to reapply for statehood.[25] Now, there came the question of location. According to historian Joel Ricks, in 1938, "Provo had received the Insane Asylum, Salt Lake City had the University and Capitol, and most of the legislature felt that the new institutions should be given to Weber and Cache Counties." Citizens in Logan, Cache County, banded together and successfully lobbied representatives for the honor. The bill to establish the Agricultural College of Utah was passed on March 8, 1888, and on September 2, 1890, 14-year-old Miss Vendla Berntson enrolled as its first student.[26][27]
Consolidation controversies
In its early years, the college narrowly dodged two major campaigns to consolidate its operations with the University of Utah. Much controversy arose in response to President William J. Kerr's expansion of the college's scope beyond its agricultural roots. Detractors in Salt Lake City feared that such an expansion would come at the University of Utah's expense and pushed consolidation as a counter.[28]
In 1907, an agreement was struck to strictly limit the Agricultural College's curricula to agriculture, domestic science, and mechanic arts.[29] This meant closing all departments in Logan, including the music department, which did not fall under that umbrella.[30] Consequently, the University of Utah became solely responsible, for a time, for courses in engineering, law, medicine, fine arts, and pedagogy, despite the Agricultural College's initial charter in 1888, which mandated that it offer instruction in such things. The bulk of the curricular restrictions were lifted during the next two decades, with all restrictions on USU's academic growth being officially abolished by the Utah State legislature in the 1990s.[31][32]
Widespread growth
The Agricultural College grew modestly amid the tumult, adding its statewide Extension program in 1914.[33] A year later, it granted its first master's degrees.[34] UAC, as the Utah Agricultural College was commonly abbreviated, also received a notable boost in students due to World War I.[35] Colleges and universities nationwide were temporarily transformed into training grounds for the short-lived Student Army Training Corps, composed of students who received military instruction and could return to their educations following their military service.[36] As the then-tiny campus could not otherwise support such large numbers of new students, college president Elmer Peterson convinced the state in 1918 to appropriate funds for permanent brick buildings, which could be used as living space for SATC students during the war, and instruction afterward.[37] Though the war was soon to end, the campus essentially doubled in size.[38] After World War I, the Military Science program continued to grow. In fact, by 1947 USU's military science program was so successful, and had gained such nationwide prominence, that USU came be known as the, "West Point of the West" as USU came to commission more officers into the military than any other school in the nation, with the exception of the United States Military Academy at West Point.[19][20]
The 1920s and 1930s saw the genesis of significant growth. A School of Education was added in 1928,[39] a prelude to the institution renamed Utah State Agricultural College in 1929.[40] Doctoral degrees were first granted in 1950.[41] In 1957, the school was granted university status as Utah State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, but the short name Utah State University is used even in official documents.[34]
At the beginning of World War II, Utah State was one of six colleges selected by the United States Navy to give a Primary School in the highly unusual Electronics Training Program (ETP).[42] Starting March 23, 1942, and each month after, a new group of 100 Navy students arrived for three months of 14-hour days in concentrated electrical engineering study. Smart Gymnasium was converted to a dormitory, and Old Main was fitted for classrooms and laboratories. Larry S. Cole was named program director, and Waldo G. Hobson was the director of instruction. ETP admission required passing the Eddy Test, one of the most selective qualifying exams given during the war years.[43] At a given time, some 300 Navy students were on the campus, augmenting the war-years regular enrollment of 1,000. Sidney R. Stock had developed the Radio and Aviation Department earlier and entered the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander to assist in organizing electronics training. He was a member of the committee in Washington that planned the ETP and shortly returned to Utah State as the Officer-in-Charge. The ETP Primary School continued at Utah State until August 1944, graduating about 2,750 students in 30 classes.[44][45]
During the late 1970s, controversy again erupted on campus surrounding the school's historically sizeable Iranian population.[46] As U.S. relations with Iran began to deteriorate throughout the decade, Iranian students on campus began staging protests against the Shah, which demonstrations met with some backlash in the community. Following the outbreak of the hostage crisis of 1979, immigration officials arrived on campus to interview each Iranian, an event that alienated many international and domestic students.[31] For a time, the population of Middle Eastern students declined sharply and has only recently begun to rise again.[citation needed]
Toward the end of the 20th century, Utah State began taking strides to shed its reputation as a small regional college and transform itself into a nationally prominent university. Under the auspices of President George Emert, who served at USU's helm from 1992 to 2000, the university's endowment increased from $7 million to $80 million.[31]
21st century
USU forged collaborations with several foreign institutions and governments, especially under former president Stan Albrecht.[47][48][49] The Merrill-Cazier Library opened in 2005, and other facilities have followed.[34] In 2010, USU acquired both the Swaner EcoCenter outside Park City and the former College of Eastern Utah, with its two campuses and various undergraduate and vocational programs.[40][50] In 2012, the university successfully concluded a $400 million fundraising campaign, the largest ever at USU.[51]
System
The Utah State University operates a system of campuses throughout the state of Utah, and USU extension offices are located in every county in Utah.
Utah State also owns and/or operates the following agricultural, equestrian, botanical, and ecological centers: the Bastian Equestrian and Agricultural Center (Salt Lake City), the USU Botanical Gardens (Kaysville), the Ogden Botanical Gardens (Ogden), Thanksgiving Point (Lehi), the USU Equestrian Center (Nibley), and the Swaner EcoCenter (Park City).[citation needed]
The earliest roots of USU's distance education go back to 1904 when USU professors traveled by train from Logan to Burley, Idaho to deliver dairy lectures.[52] In the 1950s, professors regularly drove around the state to teach courses and advise students. The first Statewide Campus, Uintah Basin, was designated by the Utah State Legislature in 1967.[52] The next year, "flying professors" traveled weekly to teach at USU's various campuses and centers. Traveling from the centers was necessary until satellite systems were installed in 1996.[citation needed] In 2005, University President Stan Albrecht established USU Regional Campuses and Distance Education.[citation needed] The system grew in 2010 with the addition of USU Eastern to nearly one half of USU's enrollment.[52] Today, the USU system includes the College of Eastern Utah, three regional campuses, twenty-one distance education centers, and thirty extension sites.[citation needed] In 2012, RCDE completed construction of the Regional Campuses Distance Education (RCDE) Building which houses broadcast classrooms, RCDE offices, and the Utah Education Network.[53]
Utah State University has conducted studies and proposed long-term development master plans to the state of Utah, which have been approved in concept, to create residential and research campuses at each of its additional campuses throughout the State.[54]
Utah State University Eastern
Located in Price, Utah, the former College of Eastern Utah joined the USU system in 2010 and became Utah State University College of Eastern Utah (USU Eastern).[55] In 2013, the official name was shortened to Utah State University Eastern.[56] USU Eastern operates a satellite campus, known as the Blanding campus, in Blanding, Utah.[57] Before the acquisition, USU taught courses at the college through Regional Campuses and Distance Education (RCDE).[citation needed] USU Eastern is a junior college and offers associate degrees, certificates, and vocational programs. Bachelor's, master's, and doctoral courses, however, are available on-site through RCDE. USU Eastern competes as the Eastern Utah Golden Eagles and is the only campus besides Logan with an athletics program.[58]
Statewide campuses
Regional Campuses and Distance Education (RCDE) work to fulfill USU's land-grant mission to increase access to high-quality education throughout Utah.[59]
Regional campuses exist in Brigham City, Tooele, and the Uintah Basin (Vernal and Roosevelt). RCDE offers courses at Price and San Juan campuses that constituted the former College of Eastern Utah (now known as Utah State University Eastern). Distance Education operates 21 education centers throughout the state, including Moab, Kaysville, Ephraim, Orem, and Salt Lake City.[60] At each of these locations, students may receive a wide selection of degrees without ever stepping foot on the Logan campus. Courses and degrees are also made available online through Distance Education.[61]
USU has a growing presence in Moab, with 295 students in 2011.[52] The City of Moab committed up to $75,000 per year over the decade beginning in 2012 to promote the development of the campus.[52] Degrees specific to the community's needs, including social work and recreation resource management, are planned for the new campus.[62]
Cooperative Extension
Started in 1914, Utah State University Cooperative Extension, referred to simply as Extension, provides research-based, unbiased information to communities through their county offices and is an integral part of a land-grant institution.[63] Extension operates 30 offices throughout the state, which include Swaner EcoCenter, Thanksgiving Point, Utah State Botanical Center (Kaysville), Ogden Botanical Center, Bastian Equestrian and Agricultural Center (Salt Lake), and the Utah Botanical Center.[64] With a focus on teaching, research, and public service, Extension programs include 4-H, agribusiness, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education, gardening and yard care, personal finance, and animal health.[65]
Logan campus
USU's main academic, research, residential and innovation campus in Logan is situated on 600 acres (2.4 km2) at the mouth of Logan Canyon.[1] The campus lies on a "bench", or shelf-like foothill overlooking the valley to the west. Mount Logan and the Bear River Range rise sharply to the immediate east.
The main campus includes over 100 buildings.[66] Notable structures include Maverik Stadium; the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum; Old Main, the college's first building; the Merrill-Cazier Library, the 305,000 sq ft (28,300 m2) main university library;[67] and the Manon Caine Russell-Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall.
The Logan City Cemetery splits much of the campus in half between largely the main academic campus (largely to the South of the cemetery) and the innovation and research campus (largely to the North of the cemetery). Buildings which constitute the residential, recreational and athletic campus are spread throughout the entirety of the property. To the South lie most academic buildings, and to the West and North are situated the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum and Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium, respectively. First Dam, the Logan Country Club, and the Utah Water Research Laboratory are located at the mouth of Logan Canyon and connect the canyon and the Cache National Forest, directly to the main university campus.
In addition to the main campus, USU owns over 1,000 acres of property to the North and South of the campus that is situated in Cache County. These properties largely form both the current and future Innovation and Research Campus, agricultural centers, and research farms. Many other scientific and agricultural research buildings and several of USU's research farms are located even farther to both the North and South of Cache Valley, and also throughout the state of Utah.
With over 30 of the largest species of trees in Utah and over 7,000 trees, Utah State University’s Logan campus has been recognized as an international arboretum through the ArbNet arboretum accreditation program.[68]
Nearby Logan Canyon is a popular recreation destination for students, with a system of trails and parks running along the river. First Dam, a small man-made research reservoir operated by USU, is located on campus property and is a popular site for students and families for picnicking, paddle boarding, kayaking, and fishing. The Logan Country Club is also located directly adjacent to campus property and is home of the Utah State Aggies Mens Golf. In addition to camping and hiking, the canyon also serves as the primary route to nearby Beaver Mountain Ski Resort and Bear Lake. The university's Outdoor Recreation Program[69] rents camping, water sports, mountain sports, and winter sports equipment to students, as well as providing them with area trail maps and expertise for their ventures into the canyon and elsewhere.[70]
Student life
| Race and ethnicity[71] | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 83% | ||
| Hispanic | 6% | ||
| Other[f] | 6% | ||
| Native American | 1% | ||
| Asian | 1% | ||
| Foreign national | 1% | ||
| Black | 1% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[g] | 22% | ||
| Affluent[h] | 78% | ||
Utah State University is Utah's oldest and largest public residential campus. About 84% of Aggies live away from home.[72][73]
Twenty-one widely varying on-campus buildings house single students, and 39 buildings on the north side of campus are available for married housing.[74] Many more students live in the multitude of off-campus housing options nearby. Students on campus may dine in one of two cafeterias and the Forum Cafe at Merrill-Cazier Library, which offers paninis, soups, beverages, and more. There is also a full-service Skyroom restaurant and the Hub, which includes several dining options.[75] On the east edge of campus sits Aggie Ice Cream, a local tourist hotspot dating back to 1888, which produces "world-famous" ice cream and cheese products, as well as sandwiches and soups.[76]
Starting in Old Main, USU has had a creamery since its founding in 1888.[77] Students studying dairying and domestic arts applied to learn how to make both ice cream and cheeses. In 1921, Gustav Wilster began working with the College of Agriculture. By 1922, students studied dairy technology, fluid milk processing, ice cream manufacture, dairy engineering, cheese manufacture, butter making, dairy facility inspection, and dairy product judging.[77] Wilster's students would go on to create Casper's Ice Cream, Farr's Ice Cream, and Snelgrove's Ice Cream. In 1975, the Nutrition and Food Sciences building was built, which is where Aggie Ice Cream is housed today.[78] Aggie Ice Cream receives its milk from the Caine Dairy Research and Teaching Center located near the Wellsville Mountains.[77]
Along with Aggie Ice Cream, USU also owns and operates it own chocolate factory, The Aggie Chocolate Factory, through the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. The Aggie Chocolate Factory has shoppes located on both the academic and residential campuses in Logan and in the athletic stadiums. During the winter, the Aggie Chocolate Factory will also sell its own-made hot cocoa; during hot days, they will sell "Frozen As"—a "tongue-in-cheek" iced-cocoa drink popular with students and fans.[79]
Well-known student traditions include the rite of passage of becoming a True Aggie, which requires a student to kiss someone who is already a True Aggie on top of the Block "A."[80] Two students may also become True Aggies together on Homecoming night or A-Day.[81] At one point recently, USU held the title in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most couples kissing at the same place at the same time.[70] Nearby the Block "A" is the lighted "A" atop the Old Main tower, which shines white throughout the entire valley and blue on nights when a varsity sport has picked up a victory, or other special events have occurred on campus.[82]
Every student at Utah State is represented by the Utah State University Student Association (USUSA), which is composed of 17 elected student officers and five appointed student officers.[83] These officers typically oversee a particular area of responsibility that is outlined in each officer's charter. The duties of USUSA officers can range from managing campus events and activities to promoting and advocating for particular initiatives at the Utah State Legislature. In February of each school year, campaigns are launched by students who wish to serve in the following year's USUSA. Campaigns last one week and consist of a primary and general election in which the top two vote-getters from the primary advance to the general election, and the candidate who receives a majority vote in the general election is announced as the winner.
The USUSA received significant attention during the 2016–2017 school year when the organization declared a mental health crisis at Utah State University.[84] The legislation (written by USUSA Student Body President Ashley Waddoups, USUSA Student Advocate Vice President Matthew Clewett, and USUSA Graduate Studies Senator Ty Aller) sought to raise awareness of significant wait times for students to utilize CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) at Utah State as well as the increasing number of students who were suffering from mental health-related illnesses. After a successful lobbying campaign, the USUSA was able to influence the Utah State Legislature to pass a resolution declaring a mental health crisis at all Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) institutions.[85] The resolution was subsequently signed by Utah Governor Gary Herbert in March 2017.
Students have full access to the HPER (pronounced "hyper"), Nelson Fieldhouse, and the ARC (Aggie Recreation Center) exercise facilities, which include basketball courts, indoor rock climbing, gymnastics equipment, two swimming pools, racquetball, squash, and outdoor field space for lacrosse, rugby, soccer, ultimate, and other sports.[86] USU students are also involved in more than 100 clubs, an active and influential student government, seven fraternities and three sororities, multiple intramural and club sports, and a student-run radio station.[87]
In 1970, Utah State student Sue Brown and Director of Student Activities Val R. Christensen created one of the first service organizations in the nation.[88] VOICE, Volunteer Organization for Involvement in the Community and Environment, worked to improve the environment and social issues in Cache Valley. VOICE became The Val R. Christensen Service Center in 1999 in honor of Dr. Christensen's efforts and support of the organization.[89] Today, students are involved in more than 20 service organizations including Aggie Special Olympics, Aggies for Africa, Alternative Breaks, and Senior University.[90]
Given USU's history and traditions as a land-grant school with an original charter for, in part, military sciences, Utah State supports a robust ROTC program for the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force. Members of the ROTC participate in either uniform or field attire as the color guard at home athletic events. Members of the ROTC are also present on the field and in the stadium at every home football game. Wearing field attire, members of the ROTC perform pushups and fire a 75mm howitzer cannon at initial kickoff and each time after the Aggies score points. The cannon is also fired at the end of the game after every home team victory. Utah State ROTC cadet activity and presence both on and off the field is especially present at events surrounding Veteran's Day, and during athletic events when the Aggies compete against fellow Mountain West Conference rivals, the U.S. Air Force Academy Falcons. During certain home and away games, USU's mascot, Big Blue, will also don military field attire. Utah State's ROTC cadets also participate in other opportunities and events both on and off campus, including at the annual USU homecoming parade in Logan.[91][92]
USU's mascot, Big Blue, is visible presence at home and away games and also in the greater Logan and Utah communities. While nowadays Big Blue is most always seen as an athletic and acrobatic member and leader of the Spirit Squad in costume attire that performs dance moves and athletic stunts to the delight of USU fans, occasionally and historically Big Blue was and is a real-life white rodeo-trained bull dusted in animal-safe and animal-friendly blue color chalk. However, when the new Spectrum was built, concerns over the real-life bull scuffing up the basketball court gave rise to the student version of the mascot becoming the more visible and public avatar of Big Blue. Big Blue will most always perform dance and acrobatic feats with the Spirit Squad and in the stadiums at home athletic events. At home football games, the student version of Big Blue leads the Aggie Football team onto the field between twin pillars of fire while he rides a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Around Veteran's Day and when the Aggies are competing in athletic events against in-conference rivals, the Air Force Falcons, Big Blue will also don military field attire during those games. Big Blue is seen somewhat as a local celebrity, especially in and around Logan and, the student version, is often seen taking pictures and signing autographs with students, fans and children in the community. It is considered an honor for a student to be named "Big Blue" and tryouts are held for the honor. Once chosen as Big Blue, the student chosen cannot divulge to the student body or the public he is Big Blue until he officially steps down from that role in a formal, and oftentimes emotional, "de-masking" ceremony.[93]
Utah State has a rich history of a variety of traditions, including its two fight songs ("Hail the Utah Aggies" and "The Scotsman") and various chants (including "I Believe").[94][circular reference] The Scotsman is particularly notorious given its history and the unified standing body and hand motions made in unison by the student body and fans as part of the song.[95] Other traditions and events for students are sponsored by USU, the HURD, and the Student Association and held throughout the year and include Homecoming and "The Howl", the latter being the largest publicly-sponsored Halloween celebration in the state of Utah for USU students and their friends attending other schools. Other annual student events include the Luminary Processional, to welcome new students each fall, and The End of Year Bash, a concert on campus to culminate the end of the academic year each April.[96]
USU's main campus in Logan and/or the city of Logan has received various recognition and awards in recent years including: "Best College Town" and "Most Beautiful Campus in Utah". Utah, as a state, has the youngest per capita population age of any state in the U.S. and Cache County is the second youngest county in the state of Utah—second only to Utah County. Cache County is home to a vibrant arts scene, including the Utah Arts Festival, the Utah Festival Opera, the Cache Civic Ballet, the Ellen Eccles Theater, and the Utah Music Theater Festival. Logan Canyon and the Cache National Forest, the mouth and entry of which is directly adjacent to the main academic campus property, are popular recreation destinations for students as is Beaver Mountain Ski Resort, Bear Lake, Powder Mountain Ski Resort, Cherry Peak ski area, and other local trail sites (including Green Canyon), local golf courses, and local lakes and reservoirs (including Hyrum Reservoir). Many students take advantage of Utah's ski season with the Utah's YETI ski pass, which allows them limited access to all of Utah's 14 ski resorts. Utah's seven national parks and national monuments are located within a few hours drive of the main campus, as is Yellowstone National Park and Teton National Park in Southwestern Wyoming and Southeastern Idaho. These, along with nearby Lava Hot Springs, are also popular weekend getaway destinations for students and student organizations. The university's Outdoor Recreation Program[69] rents camping, water sports, mountain sports, and winter sports equipment to students, as well as providing them with area trail maps and expertise for their ventures into Logan, Logan canyon, Cache County and elsewhere.[70]
Colleges
| USU's Colleges and Schools[97][98] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| College/school | Year founded | |||
| College of Veterinary Medicine | 2022 | |||
| School of Graduate Studies | 1950 | |||
| Caine College of the Arts | 2010 | |||
| College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences | 1888 | |||
| College of Engineering | 1903 | |||
| College of Humanities and Social Sciences | 1888 | |||
| College of Science | 1903 | |||
| Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services | 1924 | |||
| Jon M. Huntsman School of Business | 1889 | |||
| S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources | 1891 | |||
In 1903, USU was divided into six schools: the School of Agriculture, the School of Military Science, the School of Agricultural Engineering and Mechanical Arts, the School of Home Economics, the School of General Science, and the School of Commerce.[31] In 1923, the university expanded to seven academic colleges: Agriculture, Home Economics, Military Science, Agricultural Engineering, Commerce and Business Administration, Mechanic Arts, and General Science.[31] In 1924, the institution added a School of Education, and restructured the School of General Science to include a School of Basic Arts and Sciences.[31]
Today, USU is organized into ten academic colleges:[99]
|
|
A tenth college, the College of Veterinary Medicine, was announced in the Spring of 2022 and is the first four-year veterinary school in the State of Utah.[100] Rather than continuing as a separate college, Utah State's military science and ROTC programs (including the Center for Anticipatory Intelligence) are currently housed in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences while Utah State's aviation, flight technology, and drone technology programs are currently housed in the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. Utah State's aerospace programs are currently housed in the College of Engineering and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (which includes the Air Force and Army ROTC programs) and in collaboration with the Space Dynamics Laboratory.
Caine College of the Arts
Formerly existing as a non-degree-granting institution within the College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences, the Caine College became a free-standing college on July 1, 2010.[101] The Caine College of the Arts houses the departments of Art & Design, Music, and Theatre Arts, along with the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art.[102] Performance facilities include the Chase Fine Arts Center, which houses the Kent Concert Hall among other venues, and the free-standing Manon Caine Russell-Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall,[103] completed in 2006. The 400-seat Performance Hall, designed by the architectural firm Sasaki Associates, has been praised as one of the best acoustic performance spaces in the American West, and received an Honor Award from the Utah Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.[104] The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, designed by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes and opened in 1982, contains one of the largest art collections in the Intermountain Region. Its holdings include nationally significant collections of ceramics, Native American art, and especially artworks produced in the American West since 1945.[105]
USU's music program includes opera singer Michael Ballam and the Fry Street Quartet, USU's string quartet-in-residence.[106]
College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences
The College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences was the first academic college at USU and is known for ground-breaking animal genetics and human nutrition and food science research, as well as other significant breakthroughs and global outreach in plants and soil science, animal science, veterinary science, and economics and applied agriculture. College researchers were instrumental in the creation of the first cloned equines (horses) in a project collaboration with researchers at the University of Idaho.[107] The college is also a leader in the international project to classify and research the sheep genome.[108] The College of Agriculture includes six departments: Applied Sciences, Technology & Education (Aviation Technology);[109] Animal, Dairy & Veterinary Sciences; Applied Economics; Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning; Nutrition, Dietetics & Food Sciences; and Plants, Soils & Climate.[110]
The college is also home to Utah's first Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program. The program is a regional program in collaboration with Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.[111] Each year, the program accepts 20 Utah residents and ten non-Utah residents. Students spend their first two years receiving pre-clinical training at USU's Logan campus. They spend their final two years at WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine in Pullman, Washington, completing their clinical portion of veterinary education.[112]
The College of Agriculture and applied sciences also houses Utah State's aviation, flight technology, and drone technology programs via its own fleet of aircraft hangared at the nearby Logan airport.[citation needed]
In 2013, the college's name was changed from the College of Agriculture to the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences to reflect the broad nature of the college.[113]
College of Engineering
The Utah Water Research Laboratory is the oldest and largest facility of its kind in the nation.[114] The lab heads and contributes to numerous international projects, particularly in arid Middle Eastern nations.[115]
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences teaches required core classes. The college houses eight departments and more than 30 programs.[116] Departments include English, history, journalism and communication, languages, philosophy and speech communication, military science, political science, sociology, social work and anthropology.[117]
In the Humanities, USU has long history in the study of the American West.[118] The university, through its departments of English and history, respectively, is the host institution for the scholarly journals Western American Literature and the Western Historical Quarterly, the official publications of the Western Literature Association and the Western History Association, respectively.[119] Additionally, the Department of Journalism and Communication broadcasts weekly the award-winning A-TV News and publishes the student-run Aggie BluePrint magazine.
The Mountain West Center for Regional Studies, a Humanities outreach center at USU, sponsors public events and research focusing on the cultures and history of the Interior West and larger American West.[120] University Special Collections and Archives, located at the Merrill-Cazier Library, has extensive archival holdings documenting the histories of Utah, the Intermountain West, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as one of the nation's largest collections pertaining to American folklore, and the lives and works of western authors such as Jack London and poet May Swenson, a Logan native and USU alumna.[121][122][123][124]
The college also houses the USU Museum of Anthropology, currently located in Old Main.[125]
Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
USU's Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services was founded in 1924 and has around 5,700 students. In 2023-2024, the college was ranked #36 (tie) for "Best Education Schools" by U.S. News & World Report .[126] The college is accredited by the American Psychological Association.[127] Faculty are active in many of areas of research, including neuropsychology, child development, health psychology, behavior therapy, and quantitative psychology.
Department of Psychology professor Karl R. White is director of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management, which focuses on the early identification and intervention of hearing loss in infants and young children.[128]
USU is the only university in Utah with a Housing and financial Counseling program offered through the college's Family, Consumer, and Human Development Department. This program offers debt counseling, budget counseling, mortgage default prevention counseling, and reverse mortgage counseling through the USU Family Life Center,[129] which also houses the Marriage & Family Therapy Clinic.[130]
Jon M. Huntsman School of Business
In 2007, Utah State's College of Business became the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business after a $26 million donation by philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr.[131]
The Huntsman School of Business is the oldest continuously operating business college in the Western United States.[132] It offers several graduate and undergraduate degrees in fields including management, accounting, economics, finance, and management information systems (MIS). The bachelor's degree in international business is unique to USU within the state.[133]
The Huntsman School of Business also houses the Shingo Institute, an outreach program that develops executive education to be licensed and taught to leaders of organizations worldwide.[134] The Shingo Institute also administers the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence.[135]
In 2011, the Utah Legislature approved funding for a new business building to be located south of the Eccles Business Building.[136] The new building was funded by $36 million in private funds and $14 million in state funds.[137] The 117,000-square-foot (10,900 m2) building was completed in 2016 and includes classrooms, faculty offices, a business library, and three new business centers.[138]
S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources
The college operates the Quinney Library, which houses collections relevant to natural resources education, management, and research.[139] The college was formally renamed the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources in 2012 after a $10 million donation was received by the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation.[140][141] The Quinneys were both graduates of USU (then the Agricultural College of Utah), and their foundation has supported the College of Natural Resources for 40 years, contributing more than $40 million in all.[142]
Academics
As of Fall 2023, there were 28,063 students enrolled of whom 25,048 were undergraduate students and 3,015 were graduate students.[1] The university is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.[143] Utah State has over 270 degree offerings, including: 137 undergraduate degrees, 95 master's degrees, and 39 doctoral degrees. Utah State has a 18.89 to 1 student to faculty ratio and an average undergraduate class size of 16.7 students. USU offers over 1,000 study abroad opportunities in 90 countries.[144]
According to Business Insider in 2015, USU was the 25th "Most Underrated College" in the United States.[145]
In 2017, MSN named Utah State University as the No. 1 school in the nation among 1,600 considered schools "based on affordability, flexibility, and other quantitative factors."[146]
Admissions
In Fall 2022, Utah State received 16,069 applications for first-time freshman enrollment, from which 15,061 applications were accepted (93.7%) and 4,625 freshmen enrolled, a yield rate of 30.7%. The freshman retention rate is 74.5%, with 52.5% going on to graduate within six years.[147]
| Undergraduate admissions statistics | |
|---|---|
| Admit rate | 93.7% (  +4.6) |
| Yield rate | 30.7% (  +0.1) |
| Test scores middle 50%[i] | |
| SAT Total | 1070–1300 (among 13.6% of FTFs) |
| SAT EBRW | 530–660 |
| SAT Math | 520–660 |
| ACT Composite | 20–27 (among 80.0% of FTFs) |
| High school GPA[ii] | |
| Top 10% | 22.8% (  +2.9) |
| Top 25% | 46.1% ( +2.2) |
| Top 50% | 75.6% ( +1.4) |
| Average | 3.61 ( +0.07) |
Rankings
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| ARWU[149] | 100–117 |
| Forbes[150] | 295 |
| U.S. News & World Report[151] | 269 (tie) |
| Washington Monthly[152] | 39 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[153] | 293 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[154] | 401–500 |
| QS[155] | 1001–1200 |
| THE[156] | Unranked |
| U.S. News & World Report[157] | 722 (tie) |