USU cultivates worldwide perspectives through diverse faculty

As small as the Utah State University campuses may feel to some, the diverse backgrounds of USU faculty can help students become more familiar with perspectives, cultures and experiences of people not originally from Utah. 

Maria Luisa Spicer-Escalante, who grew up in Mexico City, is a professor of linguistics and Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Culture at USU. 

Spicer-Escalante said USU has staff from Syria, Africa, Cuba, Mexico, Poland, Germany, Honduras, Russia, India, Argentina, China and other places around the world. She said because of this, USU is on a good pathway in regards to hiring more minority faculty members. 

Miss USU 2022 Emily Lundquist mentioned her thoughts on the university hiring professors from out of state. 

“I think it’s beneficial to have different perspectives, different lifestyles, different cultures, different everything that kind of influences the way that they teach, the way they interact with students, and the way that they live,” Lundquist said. 

USU students and faculty come from many religions and cultures. 

Spicer-Escalante explained although she wasn’t sure exactly what percentage of USU students are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she was sure it’s a majority.  

“I think that it’s good that our students are exposed during their university years of college to different cultures, to different accents, to different people with different perspectives, and also to the LDS community too,” she said.  

In March of 2019, USU President Noelle Cockett presented a new Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, which guides all university efforts in creating a welcoming community.  

The task force includes a working group that guides efforts related to faculty and staff hiring across all USU campuses.  

Assistant provost Andi McCabe responded to an email inquiring about initiatives to hire out-of-state professors at USU.  

“USU does not have a process to specifically recruit faculty from out of state,” McCabe wrote.   “Faculty hiring is conducted in compliance with USU Policy 405, where the search process is one that opens faculty positions up world-wide. This is how we wind up with a mix of faculty from Utah, throughout the U.S. and from other countries.” 

Both USU students and faculty appreciate the staff diversity the university has achieved. 

Assistant professor for social media Aggrey Willis Otieno is originally from Nairobi, Kenya. Otieno moved to Utah from Ohio in August 2022. 

When asked about his experience at USU, Otieno said it has been fun because he is teaching courses he loves and engaging with students in class. 

He also said he has settled fast because of the support of his colleagues.  

“My perspectives are broad. I come from a different culture, so some of my case studies, or scenarios or examples will have global orientation,” Otieno said. “But at the same time, I also try to make sure that I connect with what is happening locally so that students can connect with them.” 

Matthew Meng, assistant professor of marketing in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, shared similar positive feelings about his six years at USU. 

Meng grew up in Shepparton, Australia, a rural city in the state of Victoria. He moved to Boston in 2012 and Utah in 2017. 

Meng said his experience at USU has been great. 

“I love the students here, and my colleagues are very supportive of what I do with research as well,” Meng said. “The department is good, and just the business school itself has a great vision for the future, and I’m very excited for things here.” 

He also said the university support network helped him adjust to life in Logan and everyone has been very helpful in making sure he was settled when he first moved. 

USU student and human resources office assistant, Glee McKnight, said out-of-state faculty bring important perspectives. 

“I haven’t had any foreign professors, so most of the time I don’t know where my professors are from,” McKnight said. “But I think that no matter who it is or where it is, it’s always good to have different perspectives and people from all around the world.” 

-Kate.Stewart@usu.edu

Featured photo by Paige Johnson