In the News

• KSL Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2025

  Utah State University events to encourage 'healthy conflict'

  LOGAN — While a series of events, focused on healthy conflict at Utah State University, may seem like a response to the recent murder of Charlie Kirk, organizers said it was all planned months in advance. Still, they are hopeful people will be receptive to opportunities to disagree better.

  On Wednesday, starting at 4:30 p.m., USU’s Heravi Peace Institute will host a discussion centered on A Braver Campus Dialogue inside the President’s Hall of the David B. Haight Center.

  “What we try to do is be proactive with giving students the character traits, theories and tools for navigating conflict as opposed to being reactive,” Heravi Peace Institute Director, Austin Knuppe said.

• Cache Valley Daily Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

  USU completes all requirements of Department of Justice resolution agreement

  LOGAN — The U.S. Department of Justice has formally confirmed that Utah State University has fulfilled every requirement of a 2020 resolution agreement regarding its response to sexual harassment.

  Interim President Alan Smith said the completion of the agreement marks "an important moment for our university" and reflects years of effort to strengthen policies, training, and support systems.

  Since the agreement was put in place, USU has made sweeping changes to its policies, training, campus culture, and organizational structure. The university revised its sexual misconduct, grievance, and reporting policies and clarified employee responsibilities for reporting.

• Deseret News Thursday, Sep. 18, 2025

  USU is leading the country in the NCAA's community engagement challenge

  Right now, there isn’t an athletic department at the Division I level that is more involved in the community than Utah State’s. And per Bronco Mendenhall, it is the Aggies’ football program that is leading the way.

  Last week, Helper Helper — a community service tracking app that partners with the NCAA — posted on social media that Utah State athletics leads all Division I programs in this year’s NCAA Community Engagement Impact Challenge, which began earlier this month.

• Cache Valley Daily Sunday, Sep. 14, 2025

  Washington Monthly names USU best college for tuition in Utah

  LOGAN - According to Washington Monthly, Utah State University is among the top 100 2025 Best Colleges for Your Tuition Dollars. USU is also ranked 90th nationwide and received the best ranking for public institutions in Utah and 44th in the West for for Washington’s Monthly’s Best Bang for your Buck College.

  The rankings are determined by considering university access, median earnings for graduates, student loan debt and eight year graduation rates. Interim President Alan L. Smith said the recognition showcases USU’s commitment to making a high-quality education accessible and affordable for all students.

• The Wall Street Journal Saturday, Sep. 06, 2025

  At Utah State University, a Building Finds Strength in Smallness

  The Wanlass Center for Art Education and Research is that rarity in contemporary academic architecture, the small well-built thing. Rare because modern construction codes have made it difficult to make a decent small building. They have made walls and roofs thicker; doors, corridors and restrooms larger; and stairs wider and more strategically placed. That last provision alone can increase a building’s footprint by some 15% to 20%. When a college tears a building down today, its replacement will always be larger. 

  Yet the Wanlass Center, which opened this April at Utah State University, is admirably compact. Its 9,450 square feet are just enough to squeeze in two study rooms and a small library, plus art storage for the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art. It doubles the space for the overcrowded museum, designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes. Since it opened in 1982 its collection has grown to some 5,900 objects, which concentrate on modern and contemporary art of the American West. Among them is a collection of poignant photographs of Depression-era Utah, taken by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration.

• The Herald Journal Monday, Sep. 01, 2025

  USU unveils Carolyn & Kem Gardner Learning & Leadership Building

  Dubbed the “Center of Centers,” the Carolyn & Kem Gardner Learning & Leadership Building at Utah State University opened to the masses Friday afternoon during its open house.

  Standing three stories tall and occupying 45,000 square-feet, the building operates as the home base for five USU programs – The Stephen R. Covey Leadership Center, The Center for Entrepreneurship, the Analytics Solutions Center, The Huntsman Scholar Program and the Huntsman Hive/Freshmen Academy.

  “The idea of putting all of those together is that those are outside-of-class experiences and they come in all kinds of shapes and sizes,” USU interim-President Alan Smith said. “When you put them together, people have the opportunity to discover the many alternative opportunities for them.

• KSL Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025

  Fall colors starting to show in Utah, but this season may not be as vibrant

  SALT LAKE CITY — Every fall, the show starts slowly. A hint of gold here. A streak of orange there.

  But even in its earliest acts, it’s enough to make you pause and take it all in.

  “Well, I mean, fall is just such a beautiful time of year,” said Katie Wagner, a horticulturist with Utah State University Extension.

  It is so beautiful, in fact, that going to see the colors is a tradition for many Utahns.

  “There are infamous canyons and places where people go and they call it leaf peeping,” said Wagner. “Yeah. So they go and they peep at the leaves.”

• ABC 4 News Friday, Aug. 22, 2025

  Fire science expert talks about wildfire causes and this year's fire season

  LAMB’S CANYON, Utah (ABC4) — A wildland fire science expert spoke on what causes wildfires and why we are experiencing the wildfire season we’ve had so far this year- with over 500 human caused fires.

  Brad Washa, Assistant Professor of Wildland Fire Science at Utah State University told ABC4.com that in Utah, 40% of wildfires are caused by lightning, and the remaining 60% are human caused, anything from campfires to vehicle fires.

• Nature Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025

  'A double-whammy problem': how plastic dust is altering natural processes

  Researcher Karin Kvale first became interested in plastic pollution when she was living in Kiel, Germany, where her young children spent part of their school days on Falckenstein beach. “Every day they would come back with their pockets full of plastic fragments,” she says.

  That was about five years ago, and, as an Earth-systems modeller, Kvale was intrigued by the idea that shards of degrading plastic might have become prevalent enough in nature to begin altering Earth systems. At the time, this concept was understudied, particularly in the oceans, on which Kvale focused her efforts.

  In 2021, Kvale relocated to New Zealand and launched a consultancy called Aotearoa Blue Ocean Research, in Lower Hutt. She is now part of a community of scientists who study the plastic cycle — how plastic enters Earth systems, moves through the environment and affects its surroundings.

• KSL Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025

  Professor gives back to Logan students in need

  LOGAN — If you buy into stereotypes, the typical American college student has little to worry about besides passing finals, finding a good seat at Saturday afternoon football games and maybe staying awake during all-night study sessions — after a raucous frat party.

  But the realities for many college students — including Utahns — don't mirror the stereotypes.

  Some degree-seeking students are often uncertain where their next meal is coming from. They're facing food insecurity even while pursuing their education.

  In Utah, several campus-based food pantries are operating alongside union buildings, libraries, classrooms and dormitories.

• Utah Public Radio Thursday, Aug. 07, 2025

  USU using research award money to fight student hunger

  A Utah State University professor is encouraging the Aggie community to help fight student hunger by matching his recent donation to the campus food pantry.

  Earlier this year, Michael Twohig received the D. Wynne Thorne Career Research Award, one of USU’s highest honors for faculty research. It came with a $7,500 prize, which he donated entirely to the Student Nutrition Access Center (SNAC).

  Now, he’s inviting others to join him in doubling that amount to $15,000. The funds will support SNAC’s mission to provide free, nutritious food to any student in need — no questions asked. Students can receive pantry staples, fresh produce, and meals from campus and local eateries. SNAC also works to reduce food waste and promote food sustainability.

• Cache Valley Daily Monday, Jul. 28, 2025

  USU finishes 2nd in MW with school record 481 academic honors in 2024-25

  LOGAN, Utah – Utah State’s student-athletes combined to earn a school-record 481 total academic awards during the 2024-25 academic year, which rank as the second-most in the Mountain West.

  In all, Utah State student-athletes finished second in the MW with 254 academic honors and was second in the conference with a school-record 227 scholar-athletes during the past academic year.

  New Mexico finished first in the MW with 504 total academic honors, followed by Utah State (481), Fresno State (395), Boise State (356), Colorado State (348), UNLV (345), San José State (291), Nevada (278), Wyoming (272), San Diego State (260) and Air Force (223).

• The Hill Wednesday, Jul. 16, 2025

  Removing aging dams could help strengthen communities facing extreme weather

  Eliminating obsolete or unsafe dams could help bolster community safety amid climate-induced weather extremes, watershed experts are recommending.

  Storms and floods have intensified in both frequency and severity, since the construction of the dams — many of which are now in a state of disrepair, according to a new white paper, published by Utah State University.

  “Removing dangerous and obsolete dams and barriers improves resilience to flooding, drought, increasing temperatures, sea level rise, and changing rivers,” said lead author Sarah Null, a professor of watershed sciences at Utah State University, in a statement.

  “Many dams provide useful services and should not be removed,” Null acknowledged. “But for those structures that are outdated or unsafe, removal can be a smart decision for communities.”

• Cache Valley Daily Friday, Jul. 11, 2025

  The power of USU's nursing program is growing

  LOGAN - Last year the Utah State University nursing program doubled in size by unveiling a state-of-the-art nursing education facility.

  Responding to growing evidence that more students than ever are seeking nursing training, USU’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is now able to admit up to 60 students every year — or 30 each semester — so it can accommodate 120 students at any given time within the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services.

  Pam Anderson, interim head of the Department of Nursing, said the program offers the opportunity to be both a highly skilled professional and a compassionate presence in the lives of others.

• KSL Thursday, Jul. 10, 2025

  Utah State University to open veteran housing center in Cache Valley

  HYDE PARK, Cache County — Since Andy Allen took the role as executive director of Utah State University's Veterans Resource Office three years ago, he has personally witnessed three instances of student veterans experiencing homelessness.

  In the most recent example, Allen said a student came to USU trying to use their GI Bill — a law that provides educational benefits, among other benefits, to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces — but ran into problems.

  "The GI Bill benefits don't kick in until the end of the month, and sometimes students find themselves without those financial benefits for a 30-day period. They may or may not, for various reasons, have a place to stay or be able to afford renting a place in town until they receive those benefits," Allen said.

  Having an up-close and personal experience with the struggle many student veterans face, Allen's office is teaming up with Cache Valley entrepreneur Nathan Ruben and USA Project Valor to open a dedicated housing complex for student veterans in Hyde Park. The complex is set to welcome its first students in August.

• KSL Tuesday, Jul. 08, 2025

  STEM camp focuses on teens who may be first-generation college grads

  LOGAN — A group of middle school students from the Cache and Salt Lake valleys is taking part in a two-day camp at Utah State University. The camp is mostly focused on kids who may become first-generation college grads for their families.

  USU Biochemistry Professor Ryan Jackson was giving the group of 29 kids a brief introduction to gene editing Tuesday, showing them how bacteria can be turned bioluminescent like jellyfish.

  “This is how bacteria gain antibiotic resistance,” Jackson explained. “But scientists have been leveraging this to make products that we would call natural products, like sometimes food dyes or food flavors are actually made by a gene getting put into bacteria, and then the bacteria make that for you.”

  The lesson is one of many the students will have during the two-day-long camp. All of the activities are aimed at getting them interested in going to college, with a special emphasis on kids whose family members might not have done so themselves.

• Cache Valley Daily Monday, Jun. 30, 2025

  USU Board of Trustees elects chair, vice chair

  LOGAN - Effective this week, the Utah State University Board of Trustees will be under new leadership.

  In a vote Friday, board members elected Trustee Tessa White as the new chair while Trustee Gina Gagon was elected to continue as vice chair.

  Their terms begin Tuesday, July 1.

• Deseret News Thursday, Jun. 26, 2025

  Utah State weeks away from launching state's 1st 4-year 'animal doc' program

  The opening of Utah’s first-of-its-kind veterinary program is — in equine parlance — officially “in the home stretch.”

  In August, Utah State University will welcome its inaugural cohort to the state’s first four-year veterinary degree program.

  The Logan-based school’s doctor of veterinary medicine program arrives at a moment when licensed vets are in high demand in Utah’s rural ranching communities — and across the state where more and more people own cats, dogs and other so-called pocket pets.

  Forty-two future veterinarians are expected to report for the first day of instruction — including 27 Utahns. More than 300 applied for USU’s maiden DVM program class.

• Cache Valley Daily Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2025

  Device helps people with disabilities run like the wind

  NIBLEY - A disability doesn’t keep 11-year-old Porter Mann from proudly crossing the finish line in area races. The Heritage Elementary School student is just at the beginning of his career as a distant runner. He cut his teeth on distant running at the Wellsville Mile.  

  Even with his disability, the son of Jamie and Brett Mann is chalking up miles. After the Wellsville race, he went on to Smithfield’s Health Days run and most recently finished the Heritage Days Mile run, winning first place in the adaptive category.

• The Herald Journal Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2025

  USU announces new college names as reinvestment plan advances

  Utah State University announced the names of two new colleges Monday as the institution continues implementing a strategic reinvestment plan required by state legislation that impacts $12.6 million of the university’s budget.

  Effective July 1, the merger of the colleges of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science will create the College of Arts and Sciences. The Caine School of the Arts will be embedded within the new college.

  A second merger will combine the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences with the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources to form the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Janet Q. Lawson Foundation has committed $5 million to create the Janet Lawson Endowed Deanship for the merged college.

• Cache Valley Daily Thursday, Jun. 19, 2025

  USU is adding to its solar energy capacity

  LOGAN - Through various funding sources, Utah State University has expanded its renewable energy resources.

  And recently with new installations USU has expanded its on-campus solar energy production. 

  Partnering with Castle Gate Engineering, a nearly 500 kilowatts installation was placed on the roof of the Stan Laub Indoor Practice Facility and more than 150 kilowatts were added to the existing 180-kilowatt system on the Gateway Parking Structure.

• KSL Wednesday, Jun. 11, 2025

  USU supported $1.4 billion of the state economy in 2023

  SALT LAKE CITY — New data shows how beneficial Utah State University is for the statewide economy — the research estimates USU’s financial boost to the state at more than a billion dollars.

  The study, conducted by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, marks the institute’s first economic report card of eight of Utah’s public colleges and universities across the state. The institute found USU supported $1.4 billion in gross domestic product and had an economic output of $2.2 billion in the fiscal year of 2023.

  The numbers essentially measure the funds that flow out of the university in several different areas. During the 2022-2023 academic year, USU employed 10,436 people, supported more than 17,000 jobs, enrolled about 28,000 students and awarded students 6,764 degrees — all of whom make and spend money throughout the state.

• Fox 13 News Wednesday, Jun. 11, 2025

  Utah State University launches the future of space travel

  LOGAN, Utah — The future of mankind in space can fit in the palm of your hand. It's a 3D-printed rocket motor that was test-fired Wednesday inside a chamber at Utah State University.

  Utah State is developing the new technology, and the cool thing is that the rocket tested in the chamber costs just $25 to make. It's actually made out of 3D-printed plastics, and the material is very similar to a Lego set. A similar-sized normal rocket motor would cost around $30,000 to fire,

  The school hopes the technology catches on in the industry.

• KSL Wednesday, Jun. 04, 2025

  Cache Valley organizations come together in conference to end violence

  LOGAN — Nonprofits, volunteers, and law enforcement agencies were among the groups that came together Wednesday to better focus their community response when it comes to helping survivors of violence.

  The 4th annual Northern Utah Conference to End Violence was put on by Utah State University and Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Violence, otherwise known as CAPSA.

  Attendees were able to learn about various topic discussions, from eating disorders to digital stalking and substance abuse, all focused on the theme of “A Call for Collaborative Leadership.”