Utah State University President Elizabeth Cantwell visited the Uintah Basin recently and
held listening sessions with several groups on the USU Uintah Basin campus. One of the
things focused on was gathering information to help guide USU into the future as a
land-grant university. “I get the opportunity to think about the big picture all the time,”
Cantwell told community members. “But this is a chance to engage with this region and
get informed about what we think our future is here [in the Basin].” The discussions
included feedback on having the Bingham Research Center in the Basin and that there is
a need for more degree programs and better engagement with the high schools. Cantwell
also enjoyed meeting with faculty and staff. “My purpose for this is to learn things, but
more of it is to create a sense of knowing ourselves,” Cantwell told faculty and staff. “It
is about knowing who we are and what we do. Because in higher education, there will be
massive change. The way we teach, the way we learn, and the way we research will be
different. Those are all shifting under our feet and we have to be able to be flexible
enough so we can still be able to serve our communities in 100 years.” Feedback is still
being accepted at www.usu.edu/president/transition.
