Utah State University

Infobox_University


name = Utah State University
motto = "Research, Service, Teaching"
established = 1888
type = Public
Land-grant
Space-grant
endowment = US $110.3 million
president = Stan L. Albrecht
city = Logan
state = UT
country = USA
undergrad = 13,179
postgrad = 3,848
staff = 1,800
faculty = 870
campus = Rural
area = convert|456|acre|sqkm|1
colors = Aggie Blue and Fighting White
free_label = Sports
free = Aggies
mascot = Big Blue
website= [http://www.usu.edu/ www.usu.edu]

Utah State University (USU) is a public land-grant university whose main campus is located in Logan, Utah.

It was established in 1888, after Anthon H. Lund introduced a bill for its creation. Originally known as the Agricultural College of Utah, its name was subsequently changed to Utah State Agricultural College, and in 1957 it became Utah State University. USU has 870 faculty, and over 23,000 students that were enrolled in autumn 2006. USU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and has been ranked as one of the best universities in the American West. USU has longstanding ties with the Department of Defense and NASA, and conducts extensive aerospace research. USU sends more experiments into space than any other university in the world, and has launched more student-run space experiments than any other university worldwide.Fact|date=September 2007 USU is classified institutionally under the 2005 revision of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as RU/H: Research Universities (high research activity), awarding at least 50 doctoral degrees per year across at least 15 disciplines. It spends approximately $186 million annually for research.Fact|date=September 2007

Academics

As Utah's land-grant university, USU conducts world-class research into many agricultural and natural resource disciplines. USU contains seven academic colleges and 47 individual departments, and offers degrees in more than 200 majors.

Beyond its Logan campus, Utah State's Extension community provides academic resources and support for the state as a whole, including an excellent Continuing Education program. Created in 1907, Extension now includes USU Regional Campuses at Brigham City, Tooele, and the Uintah Basin, as well as USU Centers at Moab, Ogden, Price, and Salt Lake City. USU also operates Extension locations in each of Utah's 29 counties.

USU is well-known for its Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL). The SDL is a world-famous research facility focusing on military and science applications. It frequently submits projects to the Department of Defense and NASA. According to the most recent National Science Foundation statistics, USU ranked first among all universities in the U.S. in funding for aerospace research. Other USU research centers include the Center for Persons with Disabilities, the USU Ecology Center, the Utah Agriculture Experiment Station, and the Utah Water Research Laboratory. The Intermountain Herbarium, operated by the Department of Biology, contains more than 245,000 specimens of native and introduced flora, fauna, and fungi from Utah and the American West. USU also operates research facilities beyond its main campus in Logan, including the Utah Botanical Center in Kaysville, north of Salt Lake City.

The College of Agriculture was the first college at Utah State University, organized with the university in 1888. The college is well-known for Nutrition and Food Science research, as well as significant breakthroughs and world-wide outreach in plants and soil science, animal science, veterinary science and economics. College researchers were instrumental in the creation of the first cloned equines (horses), in a project collaboration with researchers at the University of Idaho. The college is also a leader in the international project to classify and research the sheep genome. The departments of the College of Agriculture include the Plants, Soils and Climate Department, the Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Science Department, the Nutrition and Food Science Department, the Agricultural Systems & Technology Department, and the Economics Department, jointly managed with the College of Business.

The College of Natural Resources includes the departments of Watershed Sciences, Environment and Society, and Wildland Resources. USU has been nationally prominent for decades in the sciences and management of forests, rangeland, wildlife, and fisheries and watersheds. Many graduates of the College of Natural Resources have gone on to careers in the National Forest Service, National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. The College of Natural Resources also operates the Quinney Library, with collections relevant for natural resources education, management, and research.

In the Humanities, USU has longstanding strengths in the study of the American West. The university, through its departments of English and History, 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 [http://www.umsl.edu/~wha/index.html Western History Association] . 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. University Special Collections and Archives, located in 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 collections pertaining to American folklore and the lives and works of western authors such as Jack London and poet May Swenson, a Logan native.

USU has undertaken an ambitious plan to expand Arts programs and facilities in recent years with the creation of the Caine School of the Arts, a division of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Performance facilities include the Kent Concert Hall and the Manon Caine Russell-Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall, [cite web | title=USU.edu: Wanlass Performance Hall: Chamber-Music Heaven | url=http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=4338 | accessmonthday=March 6 |accessyear=2006 ] 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. 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. Notable departments within the Caine School of the Arts include Art, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, Music, and Theatre Arts.

Rankings

*Utah State University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and has been consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the west.
*Utah State University's College of Education and Human Services is ranked among the Top 10 in the U.S.
*The Business School is one of the oldest in the country, established in 1896.
* USU was ranked as the 6th Best Value in the nation for public education by Consumer Digest.
* Utah's Carnegie Teacher of the Year has been awarded to USU faculty six of the last eight years.
*Black Enterprise's Ranking of the best colleges for African Americans has noted Utah State University as one of the top choices.
*Since 1987 Utah State University ranks first on a per-capita basis for its work in international development.
*The U.S. Department of Defense lists USU as 6th largest university contractor; National Science Foundation ranks USU 61st among all universities for grants.
*Engineering Education journal lists USU as #1 in the nation for research funds generated per faculty member
*According to the most recent National Science Foundation statistics, Utah State University ranked first among all universities in the U.S. in funding for aerospace research.
*Utah State University's College of Education and Human Services has been ranked 26th nationally by U.S. News and World Report, and ranks 3rd nationally in research funding. The college contains a wide range of disciplines beyond teacher education, including departments in the fields of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education, Elementary Education, Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Instructional Technology, Psychology, Secondary Education, and Special Education and Rehabilitation.
*Washington Monthly ranks Utah State University in the top 25 public colleges in the nation and among the top 50 public or private universities in America.
*In Academic Ranking of World Universities 2007 by Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Institute of Higher Education, Utah State University is ranked in the top 305-402 in the world, in the top 139-164 in the region, in the top 118-140 in the USA.
*The Princeton Review ranked Utah State University as one of colleges of "Best western 120 schools 2009".

pace Research

*The Floating Potential Measurement Unit, designed and built by Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory, will gauge electrical charges that build up on the outside of the orbiting station. It will also measure the space environment to help scientists better understand how the charges accumulate. The Utah State University-built instrument is going to be installed on the outside of the International Space Station. [http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,640199167,00.html]
*The Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) program is part of NASA's New Millennium Program, which has its roots in only 6 six universities, one of the first being Utah State University. GIFTS is the first step toward incorporating technological breakthroughs into the next generation of operational weather observing systems. GIFTS will include advanced technologies in imaging spectrometry, active cooling, fast data processing, pointing and control, radiation protection, and lightweight materials. Testing and validation of the technological breakthroughs need to be conducted in space. The space demonstration will use GIFTS' new techniques to gather water vapor, temperature, and cloud data. At the same time, measurements will be taken on the ground and from aircraft (for comparison) to confirm the accuracy of GIFTS measurements. [http://tellus.ssec.wisc.edu/outreach/gifts/gifts.htm]
*Lada, a "space age pot holder", allows astronauts to create gardens in space giving them food providing much needed nutrition. The chamber waters, measures, and even photographs the plant inside. The technology was developed between 1999 and 2001 at the Space Dynamics Lab (SDL) with Gail Bingham serving as project manager. Utah State's SDL has built four units, one of which is currently aboard the International Space Station and was launched in September 2002. Lada can be used as a plant incubator used to transfer plants from the astronaut's habitat into other soils, including those of the environments astronauts will one day visit. [http://www1.usu.edu/utahstatetoday/archives/april%202004/4-02-04/studentlife-4-02-04.cfm]

cience Breakthroughs

*In 2005, a Utah State University researcher discovered inorganic aromaticity, a property in chemistry that was initially thought to occur only in organic material. Researcher Alexander Boldyrev, along with his colleague Lai-Sheng Wang, a professor at Washington State University and a researcher at the Pacific Northwest Lab, made a breakthrough by discovering aromaticity in inorganic material such as metals. Today, Boldyrev and Wang have made another breakthrough and discovered antiaromaticity, a property that makes materials weak. The study, "All-Metal Antiaromatic Molecule," is featured in the April 24 issue of "Science" magazine. Boldyrev's new findings dealing with antiaromaticity will help chemists understand why certain materials are weaker than others and why they are very reactive to foreign substances. The research gives Boldyrev, an associate professor in the chemistry and biochemistry department, a conceptual breakthrough in understanding chemical bonding in metal clusters. [http://www1.usu.edu/utahstatetoday/archives/may2003/05-02-03/highlights-05-02-03.cfm]

*Dr. Robert Gillies, faculty member in the aquatic, watershed and earth resources department, and his co-author Nathaniel A. Brunsell are second-place recipients of the 2003 Leica Geosystems Award for Best Scientific Paper in Remote Sensing. Their paper is titled "Incorporating Surface Emissivity into a Thermal Atmospheric Correction." (Published in PE&RS; 68-12 pp.1263-1269)

*A team of Utah State University researchers and University of Idaho researchers have been the first in the world to successfully clone an equine. The baby mule, Idaho Gem, was born May 4, 2003. It is the first clone of a hybrid animal. A mule results from a cross between a female horse, a mare, and a male donkey, a jack. As hybrids, mules are sterile, except in extremely rare cases. As scientifically and commercially significant as their accomplishment is for the horse industry, the project provides a new animal model, the horse, to advance understanding of human cancer. Woods believes the breakthrough understanding of cellular biology necessary for horse cloning to proceed may offer new insights into cancer development in humans. [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/05/030530081416.htm]

*Research is being done at Utah State University that shows that plants may be performing computations in unison to solve problems with the plant. If successful, this will be the first research done that shows the reality of natural computation in living systems. The biological data collected is being translated to make a mathematical model to mimic the patterns and behavior of the patches on the leaf created by the opening and closing of the stomata. The research could have an impact not just on plants, but in the study of many other biological systems as well. Emergent computation, which is what the plant does when the stomata communicate with each other could be a new way in biology for studying how cells interact with one another in the absence of a neural network.

*Utah State University professor of chemistry and biochemistry Lance Seefeldt is currently conducting research on algae and plans to produce an algae-biodiesel that is cost-competitive by 2009. Algae, plainly referred to as pond scum, can produce up to 10,000 gallons of oil per acre and can be grown virtually anywhere. Seefeldt, along with several fellow USU professors, formed the Biofuels Program to develop new and emerging technologies that will produce methane, biodiesel, hydrogen and alcohols from renewable, carbon-dioxide-neutral energy sources, such as consumer and agricultural waste and sunlight. [http://www.physorg.com/news89400502.html]

*Along with Stanford University, Unidad de Suelos y Riegos, and Northwest Watershed Research Center USDA-ARS, Utah State University is studying the application of electromagnetic induction sensors for mapping the subsurface in small watersheds. The development of an integrated approach to characterizing small watersheds is crucial to understanding the complex links and feedback mechanisms within them. High spatial resolution soil texture data is well correlated to soil hydraulic properties. We present preliminary work using electromagnetic induction (EMI) to map subsurface properties in small watersheds. In this work we used both the Geonics EM-38 and the Dualem EMI sensors which were integrated with a GPS receiver and handheld computer to obtain geo-referenced bulk electrical conductivity (ECa) measurements. In the vertical orientation the sensors respond to the ECa of the top meter of soil. The ECa depends on the solution EC, soil water content, clay / rock content and soil depth. Data obtained from EMI in the form of ECa maps, can provide supplementary information for assessing flow pathways and locating monitoring instrumentation without soil-specific calibration. With ECa calibration, soil texture maps can be generated. This work may be more suited to semi-arid climates where seasonal wet and dry periods can be exploited in data analysis. Current work is looking at methods of developing the best survey and calibration methodology to interpret the measured ECa response for hydrological application. [http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm05/fm05-sessions/fm05_H31F.html]

NASA's Great Moonbuggy Race

Utah State University captured victory in the college division of NASA's 12th annual "Great Moonbuggy Race". They created a moonbuggy with a super-light weight aluminum design which granted them victory in only the second year of being in the competition. Utah State topped 28 other college and university teams from 14 states, Germany and Puerto Rico with a winning time of 3 minutes and 59 seconds. Vehicles powered by two-team members -- one male and one female -- raced one at a time over a half-mile obstacle course of simulated moonscape terrain at Huntsville's U.S. Space & Rocket Center. In addition to the first place honor, the Utah State team earned a cash award and a trophy-replica of the original lunar roving vehicle. [http://www.nasa.gov/lb/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2005/05-045.html]

Atmospheric LIDAR Observatory

On clear nights one could see a mysterious green beam of light shooting from the Utah State University campus in Logan. The beam is called LIDAR, which stands for "LIght Detection and Ranging". It is like radar except it uses light and it comes from Utah State's own Atmospheric LIDAR Observatory. The observatory, part of the Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences, is in Utah State's Science and Engineering Research building. The LIDAR is also supported by the National Science Foundation. The LIDAR is used in Utah State's study and categorization of atmospheric dynamics. In order to get better data, the observatory is building a bigger telescope. The new lab will be on the third floor of the SER building. When the new system is finished, lenses will be used to send the green beam in other directions besides straight up. The new LIDAR system will be able to measure wind and temperature in the mesosphere.

GEGA Program

GEGA stands for the (ab initio) Gradient Embedded Genetic Algorithm, a program for finding the global minima of clusters. The Author is Anastassia Alexandrova (later moved to Yale University). GEGA employs geometry-cuts for the Genetic Algorithm procedure, ab initio level of computation for geometry optimization and vibrational frequency analysis (GEGA works with local minima only), and a specific mutational procedure based on the so called "kick technique".

OpenCourseWare

Utah State University is promoting the OpenCourseWare (OCW) Project (open and free university courses). Utah State is also developing an open content management system for OCW called eduCommons [http://cosl.usu.edu/projects/educommons/] . This open source content management system is one of the important technology projects in the MIT OpenCourseWare Initiative [http://ocw.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/Special-Programs/SP-772Spring-2005-Summer-2005/9F843D71-8CC3-43CA-8BE1-17A59F406D66/0/l11_opencoursewa.pdf] . eduCommons aids in the creation of OCW sites and has already been adopted by several universities for this purpose [http://cosl.usu.edu/projects/educommons/adopters] .

Environmentalism at Utah State

As a major university in the American West, Utah State University students and faculty are concerned with the environment both locally and globally. In reaction to massive oil spills by Exxon Valdez in particular, and the EPA's creation of the Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure plan (SPCC), USU has created an SPCC with a detailed map of locations, oil types, quantities and containment specifications. They have mapped all possible outfalls from oil storage locations that may impact the waters of the United States. They have developed a plan that utilized engineering controls and emergency spill response to stop all unplanned releases.

Among other things, Utah State University's Environmental Health & Safety Resource Center provides training or resources in dealing with biotoxins such as Anthrax, extensive battery recycling, hazardous waste, mercury thermometer replacement, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), and much more pertaining to radiation, waste, chemicals, biological, and maintenance. [http://www.ehs.usu.edu/environmental/]

Humanitarian Efforts

Humanitarian Efforts in Africa

The Pastoral Risk Management Project (PARIMA), led by Utah State University and federally funded since 1997, is a consortium of university collaborators from the United States and Kenya, as well as an extensive network of partnerships with East African public and private entities. Coordinated by Layne Coppock, principal investigator and associate professor in the College of Natural Resources’ Department of Environment and Society, the team’s major focus is helping southern Ethiopia’s poor rural households, most of which depend on herding for sustenance, diversify their livelihoods. In addition, the project seeks to bolster residents’ economic security by linking them with livestock export markets.

PARIMA has developed a successful model to facilitate collective action by 60 women’s groups, which now boast more than 2,000 members in southern Ethiopia. The groups provide peer mentoring, instruction and support in helping members develop income-generating ventures to supplement their families’ traditional earning sources. Through the PARIMA groups, women are pooling resources and learning how to set up their own viable cottage businesses. Women participating in the groups have saved significant amounts of money, greatly improved how their households are run, are sending their sons and daughters to school and are creatively engaged in the marketplace. [http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=15361]

PARIMA was recently honored by the Oromia State Government, Ethiopia’s largest regional state, for “providing outstanding service to pastoral people.

Humanitarian Efforts in Thailand

Utah State University has also made a powerful alliance with Thailand. Utah State University led the way for reform in the area with consultants led by engineering dean Bruce Bishop and sociologist Yun Kim, whose five-year, $10-million contract was funded in part by a low-interest loan from the Asian Development Bank. Utah State University was seen as a natural choice in part of its historic land-grant mission, but also because of its international stature dating to the early 1950s when the Marshall Plan for war-shocked Europe extended the technological expertise of Utah State University and four other American universities to Latin America and the Middle East. USU's practical experience at home and abroad bolstered the courage of the government agency held accountable, the Department of Skill Development (DSD) in Thailand's Ministry of Labor. Its marching orders were to modernize the country's vocational training and triple the number of students served by the department's regional institutes and provincial centers. Two groups were targeted: minimum wage earners whose opportunities for advancement are limited by their lack of technical training, and disadvantaged rural people such as farmers, women and uneducated youth.

Before tackling these ambitious goals, however, DSD instructors and career counselors had to have their skills updated and their equipment replaced, by no means an inexpensive proposition. Like other countries lining up for the just deserts of the global economy, Thailand didn't have enough resources for the kind of public support system Americans take for granted. The DSD wants to change that. The knowledge of instructors is frozen in the time of their on-the-job training with former employers, and their sincerity cannot compensate for the lack of formal teacher training that Utah State University's College of Education and its peers have provided this country for decades. And equipment for demonstrating the latest welding and auto repair techniques has outlived the availability of replacement parts. [http://www.utahstate.usu.edu/issues/spring00/coverspring.htm]

Athletics

USU's sports teams are known as the Aggies. Recently, the men's basketball team, under coach Stew Morrill, has become known as a nationally respected programFact|date=July 2008, with several trips to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. USU's men's basketball program has been one of the winningest programs in the country since 2000 [cite news | url=http://www.collegesports.campusgrotto.com/best-college-basketball-teams.html | title=Best College Basketball Teams | author=College Sports.com| date= Retrieved August 8 2008] , winning at least 23 games in each season and appearing in the NCAA tournament numerous times. The football program, which has a rich history (Merlin Olsen an alumnus), has struggled lately, following an ill-fated two-year stint as an independent program and two more years in the geographically distant Sun Belt Conference. Following the decision of the Big West Conference to stop sponsoring football in 2001, USU's other teams remained in that conference until the school was finally invited to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 2005. USU had hoped to gain entrance into the WAC for decades prior to 2005.

Before the beginning of its decline in 1998, the football program had experienced some successes, including Big West Conference championships in 1993 and 1997. In 1993, the team earned a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl, where they defeated Ball State University. In 1997, the team lost to the University of Cincinnati in the Humanitarian Bowl.

In recent times, the men's basketball team has won invitations to the NCAA tournament in 1998 (under coach Larry Eustachy), 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006 (all under Morrill). Prior to 2006, all of these invitations were a result of winning the Big West Conference tournament. In 2006, the Aggies received an at-large bid to the tournament, after finishing second place in their first season in the Western Athletic Conference and losing in overtime of the WAC tournament championship game to Nevada-Reno. Despite a stellar season in 2003–2004 and a national top-25 ranking toward the end of the season, the Aggies did not receive an at-large tournament bid after being upset in the conference tournament. This decision earned the derision of head coach Morrill, as the Aggies held a 25-3 record and were nationally ranked in the top-25. The most recent NCAA Tournament success was a first-round upset over fifth-seeded Ohio State University in the 2001 NCAA Basketball Tournament [cite news | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/men/recaps/2001/03/15/oad_uaf/ | title=Utah St. 77, Ohio St. 68 | author=CNN Sports Illustrated.com| date=March 15 2001] . Other men's sports the Aggies compete in include Track and Field, Golf, Tennis, and Cross Country.

Of women's sports at USU, gymnastics has probably been most successful, heading to the post season 26 times including five trips to the national championships [cite news | url=http://media.www.utahstatesman.com/media/storage/paper243/news/2008/06/04/Sports/Longtime.Utah.State.Gymnastics.Coach.Ray.Corn.Retires-3378144.shtml | title=Longtime Utah State Gymnastics Coach Ray Corn Retire | author=The Utah Statesman| date=June 4 2008] . The school also sponsors women's softball, volleyball, track and field, soccer, tennis, and basketball. Women's basketball returned in 2003 after a fifteen-year absence. At the time, USU was the only Division I program that did not have a women's basketball program besides the mostly male Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel. [Rebuilding Utah State program, step by small step, http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/womensbasketball/bigwest/2002-10-16-cover-utah-state_x.htm] The women's team has not yet produced a winning season. In 1978 the women's volleyball team won the AIAW national championship, defeating UCLA in the final match. In 1980 and 1981, the women's softball team won the Division I AIAW national championships.

The most used sports venue is the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, where basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics events are held.

The football team plays in Romney Stadium, slightly north and west of the main campus. The stadium had natural grass until 2004, when artificial turf was installed.

As of the 2005-2006 season, the Aggies compete in the Western Athletic Conference.

On February 4, 2008 Utah State University Athletic Director Randy Spetman was named the new AD for Florida State University. He had been serving as Athletics Director at Utah State since 2004. [Randy Spetman Named Athletics Director At Florida State, http://utahstateaggies.cstv.com/genrel/020408aaa.html]

Notable Former Athletes

Basketball

F — Wayne Estes (1963-65) 1st Team AP All American (1965)

Football

OG — Jim Hough (1974-77)... 2nd team AP All-America (1977)/9 years in NFL.
OT — Len Rohde (1957-59)... Two-time all-Skyline Eight/15-year NFL career.
WR — Tom Forzani (1970-72)... Was USU receiving leader at end of his career.
WR — Kevin Curtis (2001-02)... All-American 3rd Team (2001)/USU receptions leader at end of his career.
TE — Chris Cooley (2000-03)... Led NCAA in TE receptions as a senior / NFL Pro Bowl (2007).
QB — Eric Hipple (1976-79)... All-Pacific Coast/10-year NFL career.
DL — Merlin Olsen (1959-61)... Two-time All-American/Outland Trophy(1961)/15-time NFL All-Pro.
DL — Rulon Jones (1976-79)... First-team All-American (1979), 1986 AFC Defensive Player of the Year.
DL — Lionel Aldridge (1960-62)... Hon. Men. All-American (1962)/NFL 11 years with two Super Bowls.
DL — Greg Kragen (1980-83)... One Pro Bowl, three Super Bowls in NFL
DL — Phil Olsen (1967-69)... Consensus All-American (1969), HM All-America (1968)/first round draft pick/ 9 NFL seasons
LB — Al Smith (1984-86)... BWC Defensive Player of the Year (1986)/Two-time honorable mention All-America
LB — LaVell Edwards (1949-51)... All-Mountain States (1950), College Hall of Fame football coach with BYU.
DB — Donnie Henderson (1978-79)... All-Big West/NFL assistant coach.

Trivia / Misc. Facts

*Utah State University faculty played a key role in advising Iran on water, soils, and crop management.
*Utah State University was the leading body that administered President Truman's Point IV in Iran and helped participate in Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon.
*Utah State University's Water Research Lab, established in 1965, is one of the largest hydraulic research laboratories of its kind in the U.S.
*Since 1987 Utah State University ranks first on a per-capita basis for its work in international development.
*
*Utah State University students were the first to take part in the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) held at Red Cross HQ in Geneva, Switzerland.
* Utah State University students have held live teleconferences with astronauts while they were in orbit on multiple occasions.
*Utah State University once held the world record for most people simultaneously kissing.
* The Home Economics/Commons Building (now called Family Life Building) was the most elaborate of the federally funded projects built during the Great Depression, completed in 1935 with Public Works Administration (PWA).
* To counter increased enrollments brought about by the influx of military trainees on campus during World War I, the federal government appropriated funds for constructing barracks on campus. The permanent brick buildings have since been renovated and transformed into the Ray B. West, Geology, and Animal Science buildings.
* After World War I, Utah State's ROTC program became involved in training pilots for the military. An airstrip was constructed on the bench near campus to simulate landing on a carrier during World War II. [http://armyrotc.usu.edu/alumni/history.php]
* After World War II, Utah State's ROTC program became one of the premiere programs in the nation. In 1948, the program had 2,200 cadets enrolled. That same year, Utah State was granted more than 700 slots for commissioning officers. No other school in the nation, except West Point, commissioned as many officers as Utah State.
* Utah State manufactures a college ice cream known as Aggie Ice Cream, which is sold in 26 flavors. Also, the ice cream is sold internationally and was the first ice cream to be flown on a shuttle mission to space [http://www.usu.edu/traditions/icecream/] .
*Utah state is also famous for its true Aggie tradition.

Media

Two primary print outlets serve the USU student body: (1) The "Utah Statesman" is sponsored by the university and is published three times per week. The Statesman won best non-daily student paper for region nine in the SPJ awards last year. (2) The "Hard News Cafe" news website is operated by USU's Department of Journalism and Communications and has won numerous awards for its student reporting, partially because it is often the only entrant in the categories in which it wins.

Utah Public Radio is heard on KUSU (91.5 FM) and KUSR (89.5 FM) in Logan, and throughout Utah on a system of 26 translators. UPR "broadcasts a mix of information, public affairs, and fine arts programming." KUSU is a National Public Radio member station, and an affiliate of Public Radio International.

Aggie Television (ATV) is a cable service lineup of approximately 110 channels offered free of charge to all on-campus residents. ATV produces Crossroads, a bulletin/announcement channel; and Aggie Advantage, providing local and student video programming.

The Utah State University Press also services the USU student body. [Utah State University Press website [http://www.usu.edu/usupress/] ]

peech and debate

Due to budget constraints, Utah State hasn't had a funded debate team since the late 80's. Utah State University participated in the final conference tournament held at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., the team debated against 25 other universities. The team won 38 trophies and Northwest Forensic Conference Championship. In debate, the team took first, second, third and fourth place. In informative speaking they scored first, second, third, fourth and fifth. In persuasive speaking, first, second, third, and sixth place were won. And in impromptu speaking and after dinner they scored first and second place in both events. Along with those awards they also received the Quality Team Award, presented to the team with the highest number of points per student entry. [http://media.www.utahstatesman.com/media/storage/paper243/news/2007/02/02/CampusNews/Debate.Team.Places.First.In.Conference-2694328.shtml?sourcedomain=www.utahstatesman.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com]

C.E.H.S. 12th Diversity Awards

* Charles W. Gay, associate vice president for University Extension and associate director for Cooperative Education, honored in the category of administrator. Gay was recognized for his efforts in bringing educational opportunities to the Latino community, as he worked closely with the Mexican Consulate to develop satellite-delivered programming from Mexico City to Utah and then throughout the United States.
* Martha Whitaker, an associate professor in the elementary education department, received an award in the faculty category. Whitaker developed and maintained Educators for Diversity, which draws more than 700 educators and experts to conferences throughout Utah to discuss ways to better meet the needs of diverse students.
* Jimmie Grutzmacher, a human resources specialist for USU Facilities, received the staff award. Grutzmacher worked extensively with the Utah State University office of Human Resources in presenting English as a Second Language classes. She was instrumental in developing, implementing and tracking a compact plan strategy to enhance diversity within facilities. Her efforts have resulted in increased hiring of women and minorities.
* Rebecca Nudd, a bachelor of arts recipient in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, received the student award for her organization of the Interfaith Service Club. With the help of representatives from different religious organizations throughout Cache Valley, Interfaith has provided service to Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, Hospice and others.
* Cameron Cuch, a Ute Tribe education director now working with USU's Uintah Basin Campus, received the community award. Cuch will be the first recipient ever to win this category from outside Cache Valley. He is the Ute tribe education director and receives the award for his work within the Native American community and associated work with the Uintah Basin campuses and Utah State. [http://www.cehs.usu.edu/news/archives/diversity_awards.php]

Notable alumni

Notes

External links

* [http://www.usu.edu USU.edu] - official university site
* [http://www.utahstateaggies.com Utah State Aggies.com] - official athletics site
* [http://www.shingoprize.org The Shingo Prize] - the prize is awarded annually by USU: Shingo Prize.