Science Dean to be Honored at June 20 Reception

The Utah State University community is invited to a reception honoring College of Science Dean Donald Fiesinger for his service. The gathering will be held Wednesday, June 20, from 3:30-5 p.m. at the Haight Alumni Center on campus.

Fiesinger, who has served the college, first as interim dean, then dean, for the past seven years, announced his decision to step down from the position last summer. He is succeeded by Mary Hubbard, who assumes her new post July 1.

 

“We all owe Dean Fiesinger a great debt of gratitude for his vision, leadership and dedication,” said USU Executive Vice President and Provost Raymond T. Coward. “He leaves a strong collection of academic departments and centers that are poised for even greater accomplishments in the future.”

 

USU’s College of Science includes the academic departments of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Geology and Physics. More than 1400 undergraduates and more than 250 graduate and doctoral students are enrolled in degree programs administered by the college.  

 

During his tenure as dean, Fiesinger oversaw the completion of the state-of-the-art Eccles Science Learning Center and Widtsoe Hall. He led efforts to recruit and add new faculty in a variety of areas, including researchers hired as part of the Utah Science, Technology and Research (USTAR) Initiative. The college’s Department of Geology also opened the USU Luminescence Laboratory – the first optically stimulated luminescence lab in the state – on the university’s Innovation Campus.

 

A strong proponent of undergraduate research, Fiesinger initiated the Willard Eccles Undergraduate Research Fellowship program, fostered multiple new scholarships and bolstered programs to fund research opportunities, including the college’s Undergraduate Research Minigrant program. Today, College of Science students receive thorough orientations through departmental undergraduate research coordinators to take full advantage of hands-on learning opportunities. More than $100,000 in undergraduate research support is administered to science students annually.

 

The college counts a Rhodes Scholar, seven Goldwater Scholars, two Goldwater Honorable Mention recipients and three Governor’s Scholars among its recent graduates and students, as well as recipients of the Carnegie Professor of the Year award and the Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology among its faculty and alumni. Three departments, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Geology and Physics, have received the university’s Teaching Excellence Award during Fiesinger’s tenure as dean.

 

“Dean Fiesinger has provided visionary leadership for the college and we are deeply grateful for his service,” said USU President Stan Albrecht. “He was a stabilizing and calming voice during tough economic times early in his deanship, and because of his guidance the college is well positioned for continued growth and success.”

 

Fiesinger was named interim dean in 2000, following the appointment of former dean Jim MacMahon as vice president for university advancement. He was appointed dean in 2003. Fiesinger returns to full-time teaching and research as a faculty member of the college’s Department of Geology, which he joined in 1976 and for which he served as head for 18 years.

 

 

Contact: Richard Mueller [rmueller@biology.usu.edu], 435-797-2479