The northern Utah school known for its agricultural roots welcomed Brad Mortensen as its new president on Friday as he told a crowded auditorium that Utah State University has “weathered uncertainty” and acknowledged the frequent turnover in its top leadership spot.
The inaugural ceremony opened with the university’s bagpipe band, the sound of Scottish pipes and drums filling the air as Mortensen and other university leaders took the stage.
“We have not been immune to leadership churn or the crosscurrents that shape higher education. We have weathered uncertainty, yet we persist with conviction that the children of farmers,” Mortensen said, growing emotional, “and physicians; children of entrepreneurs and engineers; children of mechanics and military members; and children of those with no degree and those with a Ph.D., deserve access to an education that transforms lives.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah State University President Brad Mortensen speaks during his inauguration ceremony Friday.
Mortensen is returning to his alma mater, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1995 as a first-generation college student.
He takes the helm of the state’s land-grant institution after more than two decades at Weber State University, including nearly seven years as its president. Mortensen started his new post Nov. 10, shortly after his appointment in October.
Geoffrey Landward, Utah’s higher education commissioner, poked fun at the university’s frequent turnover in the presidential post, with the previous leader — Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell — staying less than two years.
“I’m thrilled to be here giving remarks at this inauguration,” Landward said, pausing. “Again, feels like I was just here.”
After praising Mortensen’s selection and the university’s role as a research institution, Landward added: “I’ve said the things that a responsible commissioner should say at an inauguration because I plan on never giving another one of these speeches at Utah State again,” he said, pausing to a laughing audience, “ever.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brad Mortensen claps along to the Aggie fight song during his inauguration ceremony Friday.
The former president’s brief tenure prompted changes to the hiring approach for top higher education positions in Utah. Mortensen is the first university president selected under the state’s now entirely secret hiring process.
Gov. Spencer Cox said the university has faced “rocky times,” but he believes Mortensen is the right person to lead the institution forward.
“I don’t put my finger on the scale when it comes to these decisions, but I will tell you that one of the very first things I did when I knew that there was going to be a new president of Utah State University was to reach out to my friend Brad Mortensen,” Cox said. “Because I knew that the person that I wanted to lead this university, this university that I care so much about ... needed the very best president possible.”