President Cantwell Holds Listening Sessions at USU Uintah Basin

VERNAL, Utah — As part of her promise to hold listening sessions for different segments of the Utah State University community, USU President Elizabeth Cantwell traveled to USU Uintah Basin to host listening sessions with various campus and community members on February 26-27. President Cantwell spent time at the campuses in both Vernal and Roosevelt.

President Cantwell spent the afternoon of the 26th and the morning of the 27th hosting various sessions, each for different audiences and stakeholders. As part of these listening sessions, President Cantwell focused on the three questions she posed to the USU community when she initially announced her listening tour in August:

What’s the greatest untapped opportunity that you think we have?
What are the greatest risks that you worry will put us off course?
What is the one thing you worry no one has had the confidence to tell me as your new president that you think I need to know?

Throughout each session, attendees were able to discuss and actively engage with questions about opportunities, challenges, and institutional priorities and had the opportunity to provide insight, assist in the development of actionable strategies, and contribute to the advancement of university goals and vision.

The president will use all the information gathered in these sessions to help understand where USU currently stands and how to help guide the university where it needs to go to thrive as a modern land-grant university over the next 50 years and beyond.

“I get the opportunity to think about the big picture all the time,” Cantwell told community members. “But this is a chance to engage with this region and get informed about what we think our future is here [in the Basin].”

Cantwell held a listening session for local community members, engaging in discussions of how the university could best serve the community and how impactful the university already is in the region. Participants spoke on the impact of the Bingham Research Center and its benefit to the area, green energy, and policies, the need to continually monitor areas to meet economic needs, the need for mental health resources and programs, and more.

The president also held listening sessions with students in both Roosevelt and Vernal. During these sessions, students conversed with the president about the need for more available degree programs, the opportunity for specific research that takes advantage of the region and its landscape, the need for better engagement at local high schools, and the benefits of different modalities for class delivery. Cantwell answered questions from students as well.

Cantwell also met with faculty and staff at both locations to gain further insights and impressions. During these sessions, USU faculty and staff spoke with Cantwell about topics such as expansion of course offerings for students, more utilization of internet-delivered courses, opportunities for better cooperation between the USU system as a whole, the benefit of research opportunities for students and faculty, better utilization of concurrent enrollment, and more.

“My purpose for this is to learn things, but more of it is to create a sense of knowing ourselves,” Cantwell told faculty and staff. “It is about knowing who we are and what we do. Because in higher education, there will be massive change. The way we teach, the way we learn, and the way we research will be different. Those are all shifting under our feet and we have to be able to be flexible enough so we can still be able to serve our communities in 100 years.”

Each of the sessions were well attended and maintained high engagement levels. Cantwell also highlighted that those who were not in attendance, or who did not ask their questions publicly, could still submit their answers and concerns online. This can be done by visiting www.usu.edu/president/transition

Operating campuses in Vernal and Roosevelt for more than 50 years, Utah State University Uintah Basin gives students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university, all in the backdrop of the outdoor oasis that is the Uinta Mountains and Ashley National Forest. With degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees and more than 125 programs available, as well as access to the renowned Bingham Research Center, USU Uintah Basin offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at uintahbasin.usu.edu.