Hall gives way to Albrecht in the president’s house
The University Residence soon will be home to a new family.
New USU President Stan Albrecht and his family will move into the residence in February. The University Residence is not only home to the president of Utah State University, but is a key facility for entertaining guests and for hosting dozens of university events over the course of a year.
Utah State Board of Regents policy requires presidents of every public post-secondary school in the state to live in a designated institutional residence.
Amanda Covington, communications director for the Board of Regents, shared the preamble to the policy that states in part, “The duties of a president require residence on or near the campus so as to permit personal hosting of activities and events and involvement in administrative problems requiring personal and immediate attention.”
“The residence is a great benefit for the university as it provides a venue to welcome the entire community,” Phyllis Hall, former first lady of USU, said.
The Halls moved into the home in September 2001, and lived in it for three and a half of the four years they have been at USU. The house was being built before Hall’s arrival at USU, and they moved in about nine months after he began his duties as president.
Hall said a large committee was involved in the design of the home, with all the major decisions made prior to their arrival. Hall did have an opportunity to meet with the interior designer, but liked the look and feel of the interior spaces they had planned.
The second floor of the home is the living space for the president and his family, with other areas built specifically for entertaining. There is only one kitchen, located on the first floor, so the Halls is often shared that space with caterers and other staff needed for the events hosted there.
The residence has a parking lot to accommodate the many cars of guests attending events at the home. It also has elevators because it is a public building and is required by law to have an elevator.
“The busiest times of year in terms of events are fall and spring, and of course around the holidays,” Hall said. She estimates that the residence is the site for an average of two events every week.
The University Residence was finished in 2001 and meets the criteria designated by the Board of Regents’ policy that there be an institutional residence to serve as “a vital center of social activity important to institutional advancement, where receptions for faculty, staff, students and guests are held, and where influential visitors, lecturers, performers, potential donors and others may be hosted.”
The first “President’s House” at USU was built in 1890 and cost about $4,300. Architect C.L. Thompson, who designed Old Main, designed the home which is just north of Old Main. It housed 12 USU presidents continuously from 1896 until 1983. It was also used as a girl’s dorm in 1895. The home got its first indoor plumbing around 1895 and the first telephone in the home was installed in 1896. Elmer George Peterson lived in it from 1916-45, 29 years while he was president.
In 1983, the house was used for the department of languages and philosophy. Then, in 1986, it became the Alumni House, and it still is today. The Alumni Association raised money to renovate the house and they added a banquet and reception hall.
The Hall’s are moving on Feb. 1, to head to Albany, where Hall will take the position of president at the State University of New York. The new president of USU, Stan Albrecht, and his wife Joyce will move in soon after, and they will be the second family to live in the house. Stan was provost for four years, and Joyce Albrecht is currently Associate Vice President for University Advancement.
-sdobson@cc.usu.edu
The future residence of Stan Albrecht and former residence of Kermit L. Hall. (Photo by Jessica Alexander)