President Mortensen’s first 100 days focus on student connection
It’s been over 100 days since Utah State University President Brad L. Mortensen’s inauguration on Jan. 16, and from dance sessions to performing “The Scotsman” at PoBev, he said interacting with students is a top priority.
About a month after his inauguration, on Feb. 17, Mortensen sent an email to USU employees outlining key goals surrounding operation, statewide campuses, extension and leadership title adjustments.
“There’s more that we can do to remove barriers from our students to help them progress,” Mortensen said in an interview with The Utah Statesman. “We’re just at this critical time in higher education, and we have the chance to reprove all the values that are in it. I think that we can really move the needle on student success at Utah State.”
The return to Mortensen’s alma mater
The first 100 days of Mortensen’s presidency have been packed with events and meetings that kept him busy, but for him, it’s also been a time of reflection and nostalgia on his time as a USU student.
“It still doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that I was a student going to class,” Mortensen said.
Being the president of his alma mater is a surreal feeling, according to Mortensen, who said his favorite study spot as a student was in Champ Hall under the photo of Frances Winton Champ. The area, which used to be open to students, is now where Mortensen’s office resides.
“I still have a lot to learn, but people have been so welcoming, more than I could have imagined or even asked for,” Mortensen said. “I just feel really lucky to be here and still feel that way every day.”
Mortensen said he remembers running up Old Main Hill to make it to class. Luckily, running is a hobby his, and he has completed over 20 marathons.
“It surprised me how much it would mean to people that I was an alum,” Mortensen said. “That was important to me, but I didn’t realize how important that would be to other folks.”
USU President Brad Mortensen poses next to a painting in Champ Hall on April 8 in Old Main. Photo by Jack Burton.
“Statewide-ing” beyond the Logan campus
Mortensen said leaning into the statewide mission is one of the most important parts of his strategic plan — so much so that he’s coined the term “statewide-ing,” a verb used to describe the action of focusing on USU campuses beyond Logan.
“On the statewide campuses, there’s just a deep individual impact connection there that’s just a little bit different,” Mortensen said. “That has made a big impression on me to help realize we have this responsibility to make both parts — all parts — of the university be successful.”
Kristian Olsen, the deputy vice president of residential campuses, said this is the first time he’s seen a university president put so much emphasis on the statewide mission.
“Students in the statewide system often feel disconnected from USU,” Olsen said in an interview with the Statesman. “They’re many hours away from the main campus, but we have a president that is trying to create a structure and a system that says, ‘No matter where you are getting your USU education, you’re an Aggie.’”
Mortensen is the first USU president in recent history to attend an athletic event at USU Eastern, according to Olsen, who is based in Price.
“He cares about us as much as he cares about the students where his office resides,” Olsen said. “He’s spent a lot of time in statewide for his first 100 days. It’s pretty impressive the amount of time that he’s already spent.”
Brandon Sorensen, the 2025-26 USUSA President, said statewide is the hidden power of the university. Sorensen joined Mortensen on a tour to the statewide campuses shortly before inauguration.
“Most of the time that he’s not in office, he will be in town halls across the state,” Sorensen said in an interview with the Statesman. “He uses these times to meet these campuses that people really never interacted with, and I think that’s one of the things that stood out on that tour, was the amount of people that go, ‘We’ve never had the president visit us.’”
JACK LEWIS BURTON USU President Brad Mortensen is interviewed by the Managing Editor of The Utah Statesman, Avery Truman, in the president’s office on April 8 in Old Main.
Restoring trust in the president’s office
Mortensen said one of his main goals is to restore trust and confidence in the work that happens in the USU President’s Office.
“When things are going good, people don’t think about it too much,” Mortensen said. “If there are too many things in the headlines, then it’s just a distraction from the great work, so I want it to just be like a well-oiled machine and let the great work that the students and the faculty and the staff do be the part that really shines about the university.”
For Mortensen, building trust comes with developing relationships within the community and being his authentic self.
“Building that deep trust is going to take time,” Mortensen said. “On the surface level, I think we’re getting there, but it’s going to take longer to get to that deeper, bonded kind of trust that I think we need to be successful.”
USU Chief of Staff Jessica Oyler, who has worked with Mortensen for seven years at Weber State University, said watching Mortensen get involved with students from day one was a rewarding part of the transition.
“I wish there was more time,” Oyler said in an interview with the Statesman. “There’s stuff I know now that I didn’t know in the first couple weeks that I wish I knew then.”
The first few months of the presidency haven’t been without difficulty.
“Utah State went through a really challenging time recently, and in some ways, we’re still working through that,” Olsen said. “My hope was that we had a president that came in that could get us back on the USU path and be able to create a culture that would really help us navigate through those challenging times and come out better because of it.”
According to Olsen, it takes a certain type of person to accomplish this goal, and Mortensen has risen to the challenge.
“He’s had to deal with some really hard things that were the result of decisions made before him,” Olsen said. “He’s had to make some hard decisions in his first 100 days to begin to help us move through those.”
Mortensen said his job is to help, so students should never hesitate to let him know how he can.
“I know there will be challenging times ahead, and it’s not that everything has been easy, but I’m really looking forward to the future here and to see the whole university community rise up together,” Mortensen said.
Getting to know the USU student body
It’s not rare to see Mortensen walking around campus or making an appearance at various events at USU, according to Sorensen, who said Mortensen has made it a goal to attend as many of these as possible.
“That’s what I think I love a lot about him, is that he’s not learning by reading or looking at statistics. He’s learning by being there with the people,” Sorensen said.
Sorensen has worked with three university presidents during his term: Elizabeth R. Cantwell, who unexpectedly left her position in February 2025, Interim President Alan L. Smith and Mortensen.
“I’ve been to many campus events and seen firsthand how President Mortensen shows up as himself: approachable, thoughtful and genuinely invested in students,” Sorensen said. “I wish I could work with him for years to come.”
Mortensen said he’s not presently concerned about burnout and has instead opted for the student mindset: Do it now, sleep later.
“Somebody told me this when I became president of Weber: ‘That first year, it’s really important to try to do as many things as you can, just to get a sense of the breadth of everything,’” Mortensen said. “I’m just trying to experience everything, and then we can be more strategic in the future.”
Oyler said that as long as Mortensen keeps having fun, burnout is less of an issue.
“Sometimes he does need to sleep,” Oyler said.
Looking forward to graduation, Mortensen plans to attend all of the college convocations and ceremonies in Logan and throughout the state.
“You have no idea as a student all of the huge, fun, scary opportunities that you’ll have and your ability to make a difference in this world,” Mortensen said. “That’s why we want to help, because we just want to unlock that potential.”