USU President Names Interim Vice President for Statewide Campuses

Utah State University President Elizabeth Cantwell has named James Taylor as the interim vice president for USU Statewide Campuses, beginning Dec. 16. He will serve in this role until a search is conducted and a permanent vice president is named.

Taylor will replace Rich Etchberger, who will retire on Dec. 31. Taylor currently serves as senior associate vice president of the USU Uintah Basin campus and has taken on additional systemwide initiatives over the last year.

“I’m thankful that James is willing to serve the USU system in this important role,” Cantwell said. “USU’s statewide campus system is the backbone of fulfilling our mission of excellence, access and inclusion.”

USU Statewide Campuses saw strong enrollment growth this fall, with a 4.3% increase overall and a 15.8% increase for the USU Moab campus, specifically.

“The statewide system provides an exceptional Aggie experience,” Taylor said. “The future of our Statewide Campuses is bright as we continue to empower the system and campuses to better meet student needs and support USU’s goals while being regionally rooted. I am excited and thrilled to be part of the innovative future with a strong respect and appreciation for our unique history.”

Taylor joined USU Uintah Basin as associate vice president in 2016. He also serves as an associate professor in sociology and anthropology. In 2019, Taylor was named Teacher of the Year by the Utah Work-Based Learning Association and in 2018 was named the Post-Secondary Educator of the Year by the Association for Career and Technical Education.

Taylor has published several papers since joining USU and has also presented at multiple national conferences. Prior to joining USU Uintah Basin, Taylor served for two years as vice president of Colorado Mountain College and dean of Timberline Campus. He earned his master’s in earth sciences from Montana State University and a bachelor’s in biogeography from the University of Utah. Taylor completed his doctorate in educational leadership and organizational development from Grand Canyon University.

With Taylor’s interim appointment, David Law will serve as interim associate vice president to lead the Uintah Basin campus. Law is a human development and family studies professor. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from USU, a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and a doctorate in marriage and family therapy from Brigham Young University.

Law has published in the fields of marriage and family therapy, family life education, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and mentoring in academia. He has served as guest editor of the online journal Family Science Review. He has received awards for mentoring undergraduate students and was recently recognized as the 2021 Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services Undergraduate Faculty Mentor of the Year. For the past five years, Law has overseen the design, implementation and evaluation of Faculty-to-Student Mentoring Programs for the Uintah Basin campus and the USU Statewide Campuses system.