College of Ag a staple in history
Most Cache Valley Residents know USU has a history of being an agricultural school. However, as USU has grown over the years, it has become less and less associated as an agricultural institution. Feb. 29, USU will cut the ribbon on the newest building of the oldest college on campus. The new Agricultural Science Building is one part of a college with a deep-rooted history in Cache Valley.
“When people now look at Utah State, they don’t always think agriculture, because other areas have excelled as well as agriculture,” said Donna Minch, an alumna of the plant science department.
Looking to the past
USU wasn’t always called by the name is holds now. When the school opened in March 1888, it was called Agricultural College of Utah. According to USU archives, the Agriculture Experiment Station was built at roughly the same time in order to carry out agricultural research for the benefit of farmers.
Special collections archivist Robert Parson said everything the institution originally taught in the 19th century, including subjects such as biology, soil science, zoology and physics, was geared toward agriculture.
At first, Old Main was the extent of the school, Parson said.
“Until 1897, (Old Main) was the only building on campus,” he said.
Other buildings on the Quad were added at the start of World War I, including the Ray B. West, Animal Science and Plant Science buildings. All were used to house military trainees and after the war were used for educational purposes, Parson said.
In 1929, the college changed its name to Utah State Agricultural College. When the school became a university in 1957, the name was changed again to Utah State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences — its current legal name, according to USU archives.
When Thomas D. Bunch, associate department head for animal, dairy and veterinary sciences, came to work for the college in 1971, the E.G. Peterson Building was still the newest agricultural building on campus, he said.
Bunch said because he has been in the department longer than any other agriculture professor currently on campus, he has seen many faculty members retire.
“A lot of things have come and gone,” he said.
Minch, who came to USU in 1973, said she has also seen the evolution of the college. She said during her college years the campus was much smaller and the agricultural college seemed much bigger.
“I think that the College of Agriculture, maybe back then, had more presence on campus because other colleges hadn’t gotten as big … now with the university being bigger, agriculture hasn’t always been looked at as ‘the thing’ at Utah State,” she said. “There are so many other programs that have developed at Utah State that are world-renowned programs. We kind of have to share the university with them.”
The E.G. Peterson agricultural building was 15 years old when she enrolled here and, she said, it was “pretty high tech” for its time. In 1992, Minch came back and taught in the same classrooms she was mentored in as a student.
“Now, the classrooms seem kind of old,” Minch said.
An ever-changing college
Bunch said the College of Agriculture has more research efforts being made now than ever before.
The College of Eastern Utah is now an entity of USU — many of their programs are now under Applied Science Technology and Education, a program that has grown “by leaps and bounds,” Bunch said.
Minch said even though other USU programs have become world-renowned, agriculture should still be recognized as the forerunner to other programs.
“The university as a whole has grown because of diversification and bringing in other programs, but it’s agriculture that’s really what got it all started,” Minch said. “Without agriculture being strong, I don’t think other programs could have grown as strong.”
The college has recently added new programs such as an equine science and management program along with the new Equine Learning Center, Bunch said. The college also recently added a veterinary medicine program.
“We’re opening up new opportunities for our Utah students,” Bunch said.
Though expansion and research are a major focus for the College of Agriculture, there are other things at the university that haven’t changed. The Cooperative Extension Service is still going strong, with “extension offices in every county of the state,” Parson said.
Innovation at its best
The new Agricultural Science Building replacing the E.G. Peterson Agricultural Building will be open this summer for classes.
Located on the foundation of the old Merrill Library, the new building is seen as a great step for the college, Minch said.
“I think having this new building will put agriculture back on the forefront at Utah State,” she said.
Dean Noelle Cockett of the College of Agricultrure said she has been one of the primary people involved in seeing the new building come to fruition.
The new building is certified Gold Leed, which is the second-highest environmentally friendly and energy-efficient label a building can get.
Cockett said having an energy-efficient building is important because the changing face of agriculture includes a stronger emphasis on sustainability.
“We all just care about what’s happening in the future for the world — the way we grow our food, the way we steward the land, natural resources — and our students care about it,” Cockett said.
Amenities of the new building will include PC and Mac computer labs, an atrium, a cafe, an outdoor plaza and a new signature ice cream flavor to be revealed at the ribbon cutting Feb. 29.
There will also be areas for students to lounge and study. Skyler Di Stefano, the college’s communications and marketing manager, said he hopes the building will be “a meeting place for students who want to hang out.”
Most agriculture departments will move into the new building at the beginning of March, Bunch said. Because the old building isn’t up to the latest codes, it will be demolished, he said. The Animal Science Building will be taken over by the math department.
“When you come back to school fall semester, this building won’t exist,” said Bunch.
Bunch said that the old agriculture building will be missed by students and alumni familiar with its nostalgia.
“In a sense, it’s sad, but at the same ti
me we give up this to have something better,” Bunch said.
Cockett said she has no qualms about tearing it down.
“It’s possible the next large capital project of the university could be placed here,” Cockett said.
Bunch said the College of Agriculture will again take its place at the historical center of campus.
“At one time, agriculture was on the Quad … now it’s back on the Quad, and (it) faces Old Main,” Bunch said.
Bunch said the new building will be the continuation of a long and rich history.
“It will be interesting (to see) the legacy that building will leave future generations of people in the livestock industry. Just like this building left a legacy, (the new) building will too. Time will have to tell what that will be,” Bunch said.
– l.nemelka@aggiemail.usu.edu