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President's Office

Utah State University has welcomed many students since its founding in 1888. Today, students remain at the center of academic life and come first with President Albrecht.

Welcome Students,

Another exciting year is upon us. Whether you are a new or returning student to Utah State University, I offer you a warm welcome to campus to what I know will bring milder weather, and a glorious northern Utah autumn. I hope you all took some time for rest and relaxation during the break. There are many great discoveries to be made at USU, and I would like to share some highlights from the past year.

• In fall 2007, USU was able to announce the largest fall enrollment in the university's 119-year history. New freshmen, non-resident and regional campus enrollments are all up. As current students, you join an ever-increasing student body with diverse study options that will open future doors for you.
• USU also had a banner year in the rankings department in 2007-08, including being named No. 1 among public universities for graduates with least debt (U.S. News & World Report); Top 35 overall score among public national universities based on social mobility, research and service (The Washington Monthly); and "Best in the West" and "America's Best Value Colleges" by The Princeton Review. These rankings increase our reputation in the national arena.
• There are several research opportunities at USU, and many students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels take the opportunity to work closely with faculty mentors, gaining a competitive edge during their education. Last fall, the university's total research awards increased to $132.7 million, up $9 million from the previous year. In addition to the research awards, USU was awarded $18.5 million for student fellowships and financial aid in the past year, bringing the total for all awards to $151.2 million.
• USU's Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services ranks number three in the nation in total research awards from U.S. News & World Report, the 10th straight year it has been among the top colleges in the country - the only college of education in the Intermountain region to have achieved and sustained such a ranking.

These highlights showcase the varied and diverse abilities of the students, faculty and staff at our great institution. In an effort to increase USU's success, I was pleased to announce a comprehensive fundrai-
-sing campaign with a goal of $200 million in March of 2007. We successfully reached and surpassed that four-year goal in the first year of the campaign. As a result of the early success, the university has extended the length and increased the dollar amount of the campaign's goals.

The funds raised during the campaign will be used to support the university's mission to provide a quality education. A portion will be used to fund more than 700 partial tuition scholarships and to provide additional support to our stellar faculty. These funds also allow us to provide additional resources, increasing research opportunities for our faculty, undergraduate and graduate students. Funds will also be set aside to support building projects on campus. Two of our colleges - The Jon M. Huntsman School of Business and The Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services - have been renamed to recognize major gifts to these units.

I am proud of our heritage as the state of Utah's land-grant institution. We have worked to strengthen our regional campuses, reflecting a stronger, more cohesive Utah State University system that provides greater access to higher education opportunities. To support this effort, we have secured funds to hire 40 additional faculty members from 2007 to 2009. Most will teach in rural communities served by the university. With more than 10,000 students studying around the state, many of the new professors will be hired for our regional campuses and partnership institutions. This dramatically impacts our ability to extend Utah State's academic reach throughout the state.

Whether you are studying on our beautiful Logan campus or at one of our varying education centers located throughout the state, education is about exploration and discovery.

Tap into this rich vein of activity we call Utah State University and discover yourself at USU.

Have a great year,

Stan L. Albrecht
President
Utah State University

For more examples of "Utah State Greats," visit www.usu.edu/greats.