Community Leaders Back Student Retention

Help is on the way for academically achieving students who are at risk of dropping out because of financial need. Beginning in fall 2003, a gift from Dell Loy and Lynnette Hansen will provide tuition for an estimated 20 to 25 students a year. The Hansens endowed the gift after learning of President Kermit Hall's student retention goals.


Until recently the university was losing nearly a third of its full-time freshmen within a year of admission. University administrators are trying to reverse that statistic with a variety of strategies, including assistance for financially vulnerable students.

Some students leave to go on two-year missions for the LDS Church. Others are unprepared for college-level work. And others come and go because they must work their way through college. The most dedicated of these students will be assisted by the Hansen scholarship endowment, which is expected to generate from $40,000 to $65,000 a year in income for student retention aid.

Said President Kermit Hall, "Dell Loy and Lynnette Hansen have made a wonderful gift to one of the most important causes at Utah State University - making certain that able students have the greatest possible chance to stay and graduate. They have also set a high standard for all of us who love Utah State to follow."

Dell Loy Hansen is a 1982 graduate of the university and president of Wasatch Management Properties, a real estate investment firm founded and managed by Cache Valley business people. Lynnette Hansen, who graduated in 1973, is a member of Utah State's board of trustees.

To be eligible for a Hansen scholarship, students must be at least a sophomore or second-semester transfer who can demonstrate financial need, academic achievement and progress toward a degree.