Utah State Moves to Salt Lake’s Main Street for Its Fifty Thousand Area Alumni

Utah State University is rolling out the blue carpet to announce its official arrival in downtown Salt Lake City. Utah State will open a new office in the Wells Fargo Center at 300 South Main Street. A ribbon-cutting event is planned for Wednesday, Dec. 15, at 4 p.m. on the second floor lobby of the building. The public is invited and everyone is welcome.

 

Utah State President Kermit L. Hall will be on hand with Jill Remington Love, chair of the Salt Lake City Council, and Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lane Beattie to celebrate the university’s arrival. Several Aggie alums and friends of the university, Salt Lake City Downtown Business Alliance members, Utah State Foundation Board members and representatives from the Utah State Board of Regents are expected to attend.

 

“Utah State has had so many historic events recently, including the naming of another Utah Carnegie Professor of the Year, Bonnie Glass-Coffin, and the state’s most recent Rhodes Scholar, Lara Anderson,” said Hall. “We are proud of these accomplishments and consider the opening of the Salt Lake City office as another historic milestone for Utah State. I would like to extend a personal invitation to all of our Aggie alums and friends to attend this special event.”

 

Fifty thousand alums reside along the Wasatch Front and the new office will serve as a hub for the university’s outreach efforts. The office is expected to be an important contact point for those alums and friends and is also eyed as a springboard for new state economic development opportunities.

 

“This is where most of our alumni reside, so it makes sense for us to be closer to them,” Hall said. “By strengthening our relationships with alumni and friends, we cultivate development opportunities.”

 

The new office will house M. Scott Mietchen, the vice president for university advancement, a move that Hall said reflects a growing commitment to alumni and development activities. In addition, it signals a maturing of the second oldest state university in Utah, a university that is becoming increasingly linked to Utah’s economic growth and opportunities. The office will be staffed by 5-7 people and includes a small retail area for purchasing Aggie merchandise.

 

“We want to welcome Utah State University to Salt Lake City,” said Love. “They make an exciting addition to the downtown community and will provide a valuable resource to Salt Lake.”

 

Hall said occupying such a prime spot of downtown real estate could not have happened without the help and support of Dell Loy Hansen and Jonathan Bullen, both Utah State graduates, business partners in Wasatch Property Management and owners of the Wells Fargo Center. “We owe them a great debt of gratitude,” he said.

 

The office will anchor fundraising opportunities and provide a base for potential state economic development. As one of the two flagship research universities, Utah State’s potential for collaborative work with both the University of Utah and the business community increases with this new presence.

 

“The Salt Lake business community is also excited about Utah State’s arrival because it makes clear the university’s continuing commitment to working closely with the business community for the long-term economic health of the state,” said Beattie. “Utah State’s research excellence has already provided great dividends in economic terms for the state, and this new chapter promises to provide even more benefits.”

 

To bring a taste of Utah State to Salt Lake, free Famous Aggie Ice Cream will be served to alums, friends and neighbors from noon-2 p.m. in the second floor foyer and walkway of the Wells Fargo Center. To honor donors, alumni and friends, a Utah State gala opening event for invited guests will take place at 7 p.m. on the 23rd floor reception center overlooking the Salt Lake Valley. President Hall will make remarks at 8 p.m. The following morning at 8 a.m. a breakfast for Utah State’s corporate and foundation partners is planned at the same location.

 

Contact: Scott Mietchen (801) 961-1343