USU Outlines Updates to Offices of Executive Vice President, Provost

Utah State University officially welcomed Robert Wagner to the position of executive vice president and Laurens H. Smith as university provost on July 1, reallocating the responsibilities that were jointly held by now-retired EVP and Provost Frank Galey. With this leadership transition, USU President Noelle E. Cockett also announced several organizational changes.

USU’s Division of Academic and Instructional Services has changed its name to the Division of the Executive Vice President, reporting directly to Wagner. All previous offices that were housed within AIS will be part of this new division, except the following:

• Registrar’s Office (now under the Provost’s Office).
• Empowering Teaching Excellence (now under the Provost’s Office).
• Disability Resource Center (now under the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion).

Additionally, the Office of Analysis, Assessment, and Accreditation will also be under the purview of the Division of the EVP.

“I am looking forward to serving President Cockett and Utah State University with a focus on daily operational areas and special initiatives,” Wagner said. “USU is an outstanding institution and will continue to have a positive impact on its students, faculty, staff and local communities.”

Secondly, Janet Anderson has had two title elevations. Wagner has elevated Anderson to senior associate vice president, while Smith has also elevated Anderson to senior vice provost in the Provost’s Office.

The Division of the EVP will maintain a strong emphasis on enrollment management at USU, working with admissions, student financial support, student orientation and transition services, and student retention and completion. The orientation and retention offices and the Student Achievement Collaborative will continue to report to Anderson in the Provost’s Office.

“The reorganization associated with the new executive vice president position will help broaden and streamline academic functions managed by the Provost’s Office,” Smith said.

With Wagner also acting as USU’s chief operating officer, several offices will also continue to report to the division of the EVP. These include:

• Center for Student Analytics.
• Teaching and Learning Technologies.
• Center for Innovative Design and Instruction (CIDI).
• Classroom Technologies.
• Academic Media Production.
• USU Testing Center.
• USU Online.

“I am confident that the changes in responsibilities of EVP Wagner and Provost Smith will significantly improve the university’s ability to respond to emerging issues and to develop new and innovative initiatives that better serve students, staff and faculty,” President Cockett said.