By Tom Busselberg

September 2005



When Stan L. Albrecht's name came up forconsideration late last year to become Utah State University's 15th president, it was a "no brainer."

At least that's what the Board of Trustees thought, as they unanimously went for the familiar, for a man who had completed graduate school in 1970 and started his first teaching job on the Logan campus. They voted for a man who, this time with his wife Joyce, also an educator, returned to serve as a college dean and later as university provost.

On top of that, Albrecht most likely felt at home among the dairy farms that still dot much of the valley -- he grew up on a small south-central Utah farm milking cows every morning before catching the bus to school.

But in the intervening years, he's also gained experience and the breadth of understanding that often comes from living in various places and situations.

He left tiny Fremont, Utah, for what is now Southern Utah University in Cedar City, the eldest son of parents who were determined that their children would obtain college educations so they could leave the hard farm life.

Originally envisioning himself as a veterinarian, he changed his mind when he transferred to Brigham Young University, opting for dual majores in history and political science. "I decided that people are more complicated and interesting than animals," he said.

He went on to complete masters and doctoral degrees in sociology at Washington State University, followed by a teaching stint at USU 35 years ago. He then returned to BYU, teaching there for 20 years, rising from department head to college dean and academic vice president.

As a professor and administrator, he pursued research, such as the student impact of the oil shale boom in Utah's Uinta Basin (which may be returning), the natural gas rush in southern Wyoming, and proposed nuclear waste sites in Utah, Nevada and on California Indian reservations.

After BYU, he accepted a research position at the University of Florida Medical School, working as associate director of the school's Health Policy and Epidemiological Research Center.

He loved his job. But friends at USU eventually persuaded him to return, where he became the dean of the College of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences.

"There was this sense of commitment and community," he says of that time, recalling how, in 1970, the entire department faculty turned out for his interview, even though it was Christmas break and a snowstorm was raging.

"It's all about people," the university president says. "If I've learned anything after all these years in senior administration, it's that you're most effective when you don't lose sight of people."

That includes remembering the institution is about students, not just faculty, donors or research.

For example, he and his wife Joyce are working on remodeling the basement of their new president's home as a student gathering place -- a place where they can interact with students on a regular basis, away from the formal university setting.

He is well aware of the strong alumni base along the Wasatch Front, speaking of the university's presence through such facilities as the Utah Botanical Center in Davis County and the new office space in the Wells Fargo Building in downtown Salt Lake City.

"We are working hard to be more responsive to the large number of alumni along the Wasatch Front," he emphasizes. That could perhaps be lumped into the "transformation" that is taking place, among that new construction on the campus --including ways to partner with the private sector on such projects as a soon-to-open recital hall.

"We need to work hard to extend our financial base," he says. "In my four years as provost, state funding went from 36 percent of the total to 29 percent. The level of state support continues to go down. We need to find other ways to grow by increasing our philanthropic and private fundraising and donations," Albrecht said.

He points to expansion also coming to the Innovation Campus on the north end of Logan. It's due to mushroom from its current 38 acres to some 150 due to relocation of agricultural buildings to the south end of Cache Valley.

Thanks to the new state Economic Development Initiative, with a bio-technology thrust, more hands-on research will be possible at the Innovation Campus and elsewhere on campus, Albrecht said.

Emphasizing students are a vital part of that process, he says "students can work with a world-class faculty, in space dynamics, science and technology. It's really a very important part of our mission."

Such issues as continuing development of intellectual property, technology and commercialization, as well as anticipated business start-ups, are all looming in the near future. "The Innovation Campus can make it so these things can be energized, with the two (research) universities (USU and the University of Utah), BYU and area innovation centers, he said.

"We must be in a position to build the state's economy, to meet the demand for jobs. The governor (Huntsman) truly understands that," he continues, saying the potential of Research Triangle Park near Duke University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina exists in embryo here in Utah, and needs to grow.

"The students here at USU are the best in the world. Most of them are good, well-prepared and hard-working. These kids (vast majority) finish their degrees and go on to the best medical, business, graduate schools," he says with conviction.

His wife Joyce, meanwhile, was a university associate vice-president, but stepped down in early summer to concentrate on her "President's Spouse" duties. "We spend most evenings entertaining guests, legislators and students," he says.

"I have the opportunity of standing on the shoulders of giants, a world class faculty. We've suffered through a significant economic downturn and budget cuts, but I'm enormously optimistic," he says.

That's despite multiple budget cuts, closure of a college and other programs. "There is a significant budget surplus now. We will work hard next session to build our budget," he says.

And he's also upbeat about another factor that concerns many students and alumni: the Aggies' athletics program.

He's pinning his hopes for athletic greatness on the university's recent affiliation with the "new" Western Athletic Conference, or WAC.

The jury's still out on how the university's teams will perform this year, but Albrecht's influence is already clear. In both athletics and academics, Albrecht is determined to be a winner.