Finalists for new USU president announced

Eight months after Utah State University President Stan Albrecht announced his retirement, Utah’s Board of Regents has announced the finalists for his replacement.

The four finalists, who were announced on Oct. 19, have full bios displayed on the Board of Regents website. Here’s a bit about them, compiled from the bios:

Don Blackketter has been the chancellor of Montana Tech since 2011. He was the Dean of the College Engineering at the University of Idaho from 2008 to 2011. He received his master’s and doctorate degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wyoming.

Noelle Cockett has been the Executive Vice President and Provost of Utah State University since 2013. She was the Dean of USU’s College of Agriculture from 2002 to 2013. She earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in animal genetics from Oregon State University.

Keith Miller was a faculty member at the New President Academy of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities from 2012 to 2015. From 2001 to 2004, he was vice president and provost of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in public speaking from the University of Arizona. He also received a Ph.D. in education from same university.

Mark Rudin has been the vice president for Research and Economic Development at Boise State University since 2007. He was the senior associate vice president for Research Services at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas from 2005 to 2006. From Purdue University, he earned a master’s in health physics and a doctorate in medicinal chemistry.

According to the Board of Regents, the finalists will be interviewed on Oct. 26. James Morales, vice president of Student Affairs, said the goal is to put a new president into office by the beginning of 2017. Until a successor is chosen, Albrecht will retain his position as president.

Morales says the president is important because he has direct influence on every aspect of the university.

“That position is incredibly influential,” he said. “This is the person that helps lead the university forward in fulfilling its mission to serve students as a land-grant institution. Because the president is the person that is sort of charting the course of where we’re going to go in the future, every student will be affected by where he or she chooses to take the institution, whether he or she honors, effectively, our mission as an institution.”

Ashley Waddoups, the president of the Utah State University Student Association, said via email that she’s pleased with President Albrecht’s leadership and hopes students will recognize the importance of choosing a new president.

“Through President Albrecht’s leadership, students have been incredibly empowered and listened to. In comparison, I’ve talked to students from schools across the nation that have university presidents that won’t even take time to meet with them,” she said. “The university president impacts every facet of student life.”
The board released no information about other applicants, citing their privacy. The board has also said the media will not be allowed to interview any of the candidates, and that all information discussed in the interviews with the search committee will remain confidential. For more information about the search process, visit https://usustatesman.com/choosing-usus-new-president/.