Q&A: Why new USU president Brad Mortensen ‘wouldn’t have applied’ without Utah’s now-secret hiring process

Logan • Brad Mortensen is both one of Utah’s longest-serving public university presidents and among the state’s newest appointments.

That’s because he’s new to Utah State University but came to the helm after serving nearly seven years as president of Weber State University in Ogden.

Mortensen sat down with The Salt Lake Tribune in his recently unpacked Logan office to talk about how he’s walking that line between new and familiar — and how it will help him tackle a position marked in recent years by controversy.

Already, he’s got a Utah State football jersey on the wall with his name on it and a shelf with mementos from his time at Weber, too. He also brought books from his undergraduate philosophy and political science classes at USU, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1995. “The Prince” sits at the front.

“There’s a little Machiavelli in all of us,” Mortensen said with a wink and a laugh. “I just don’t know that we always acknowledge that.”

The new president — a tall, marathon-running alum — will now oversee a sprawling enterprise at USU, with nearly 30,000 students and 30 locations across the state.

These are his thoughts, lightly edited for clarity and length, on the university’s future, as well as how he plans to respond to state-imposed budgets cuts, concerns about presidential spending and threats to research funding.

You’re coming into a job that’s been marked by turmoil over the past few years, including concerns with athletics and mishandled sex assault cases. How will you resolve the issues you’re inheriting?

I was aware of some of the struggles that have happened here at Utah State in the past. At the same time, since it’s my alma mater, I know how many great things are happening here. And I felt like, because I am an alum, I am an Aggie, and I’m familiar with the climate here in Utah for higher education, that I could help. ...

I wasn’t looking to leave Weber State. But this was a very unique opportunity. And I just saw it as an opportunity to really elevate higher education in the state, which is one of the core values I have from when I was a student on this same floor in this same building taking classes here.

One concern with USU’s past president was unchecked spending. What is your view on what’s necessary to buy in this job?

To me, these are important public positions at a public institution. It’s critical that you realize that and represent that.

Because of that, there can be some criticism and some oversight. ... I always try to present myself so that I don’t have anything to hide. Sometimes you do have to spend some money when you’re in these positions to move things forward, but when we do that, we want to make sure we follow all the procedures and the protocols, and there’s a solid business case for it, and we spent the money in an appropriate way.

You are tasked with amending USU’s budget cut plans. Lawmakers specifically questioned if the school needed to add more nursing majors. Do you have ideas for what changes you’ll make?

That’s one of my first tasks. It’s important to get that plan approved before the 2026 legislative session starts so that’s not hanging over the university.

Legislative sessions can be difficult, but I view them as we have 45 days for the Legislature to help us. We need to position ourselves to be able to do that. I think getting the strategic reinvestment plan approved is critical for that.

We’ve reconvened the group that developed the initial plan, and then have had a working group to address some of the concerns that the Legislature has talked about.

I think nursing — there was some attention around that just because it’s not seen as core to USU as some of the other programs are, like engineering or agriculture, or the research that happens around air, water and land, or some of the things that we’re doing around AI (artificial intelligence), or to reflect some of our statewide role as a land-grant institution. So we’re really talking about — what is in the plan that addresses those issues? … We do have this new Center for Civic Excellence, and what we have there is really innovative. And does that need some resources?

So we’re taking a look at all of that now. We’re hoping to take that back to the Executive Appropriations Committee on Dec. 9 to get their final approval. There’s still a lot of work to do.

You mentioned the new Center for Civic Excellence. There’s been some faculty concerns with how that came about. How are you balancing that with the state’s push to reframe general education curriculum through the center?

To me, that’s one of the three or four things that are vital that students should walk away from a college education with: To learn how to debate difficult subjects, to have that broad liberal arts education.

What’s happening here — I’m super excited to come to USU to be a part of this. We have some great folks leading out on it. It’s not just about civic education, but how do we reformulate general education so it’s not just a checklist of things you have to do. … It’s helping students have those civic and durable skills to be successful, no matter what their profession is afterward.

Whenever there are faculty concerns, I know faculty are coming from a legitimate place. We try to listen and work with those and find areas of compromise where can move forward together.

You are the first president to be hired under the state’s new secret process for university leaders. What do you think about that law?

I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t have applied if it was an open process. ... I was very happy at Weber State and still felt like I had a lot to do there. … I had been there a long time, almost seven years. I really wasn’t looking to leave.

It’s a balancing act, I know, because these are important positions where you’re a steward of the public trust. But my perspective is, if you want to have good candidates, you need to be able to provide them that opportunity to not put their current position at risk to apply.

I appreciated the process. I was honestly a little bit skeptical that word would not trickle out. And I felt like folks honored the requirements of keeping it confidential throughout, which I appreciated.

You’re the second longest-serving public university president in the state. That’s at a time when there’s been a lot of turnover in Utah higher education leadership, with the most at USU. How does that shape your role here?

The day of the announcement, I had a couple people [at USU] say this to me: “You’re going to be my fourth president in three years.” I felt that from people not just on campus but in the community.

When people ask me: How long are you going to do this job? My answer is: I hope I make it to Friday. Given the landscape, I always try to keep that in mind. Any of us are one decision or event that might be in our control — but might not be in our control — that would cause us to not be able to be in these roles.

Despite folks saying, “You have a tough job,” — and it is tough — it’s also one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. You get to see students come and just invest their wholes lives in this process that really is transformative.

USU is known for its agriculture programs. And you grew up on a farm. How does that play into your work?

So we grew alfalfa and barley. And [my dad] had about 50 head of cattle — just beef cows — so he didn’t have to milk them every day.

Calving season was always fun. If a calf was born during a snowstorm, I’d wake up to a calf in the bath tub in the morning. It was very much a rural upbringing, which I think helps — even though I didn’t study agriculture and didn’t go into that. ... It grounded me into hard work and to appreciate some of the things that our extension programs do, to pivot this back to USU.

We flood-irrigated our fields growing up. Once I got older, like once I was 12 and my dad was working at the potato plant as well in town, that was my summer job. I was a kid and if there was something happening, I didn’t want to change the water when it was time, so I would waste so much water. I think about that.

There are other technologies and practices we can use, and water is such a valuable resource. Families that are spread all across Utah might not be aware of the technology or the grants or other stuff that might be available — stuff that’s being developed here — and that we can have that impact.

Utah’s higher education environment was rocked by the recent killing of commentator Charlie Kirk, who was later scheduled to speak at USU. There are concerns about having divisive speakers on campus, as well as schools being a place for free speech. How do you balance that?

It’s super important that we figure out how to provide the safety. Safety always has to be our No. 1 priority for folks. But we can’t not have speakers come to campus who speak on controversial topics. And so we have to make sure we’re doing all the appropriate things to provide as much safety and protocols as we can.

That’s one of the questions I’ve asked early on in these first few days. We have a good team; we’re used to doing large-scale events, between sporting events and other things. We know it’s critical to be able to partner with other law enforcement agencies in the community. …

To me, the funny thing about freedom of speech is everybody is for freedom of speech as long as they agree with the speech. And we, at universities, need to be the places that demonstrate that we can respect and listen to folks who have other opinions. That’s just something that’s severely lacking in society right now. I’m really committed to that.

Let’s talk a bit about your work at Weber. You were a strong advocate for keeping tuition there low. Will you bring that same focus to USU?

The role of tuition is different at different types institutions. And USU is different types of institutions within itself. Part of what we did at Weber, around the associate degree tuition, was modeled after what’s happening at Price, because USU Eastern has that associate degree tuition there, and then a [separate] bachelor’s degree tuition. ...

Across the board, sometimes it’s not just the cost but the transparency of the cost that is a hangup for students. I’ve already heard from some students here that sometimes, with different charges that we have around differential tuition or around course fees or other things, that we could be more transparent with that up front. I want to learn more about that, and look at how we can maybe help students be better aware when they’re seeking scholarships.

Scholarships are still a super important part of that plan. I’ve already met with some more donors here who are big scholarship supporters and heard some of the stories about why they do what they do. I want to continue to grow that base of scholarship support through philanthropy at USU, even though that is very strong already.

Overall in higher education, some of the criticisms that are out there nationally we deserve, because we haven’t been as cost-conscious as we should’ve been over time. Continuing to advocate for low tuition increases is something that is important to me.

At Weber, you defended the humanities during state-imposed budget cuts. Do you still have concerns there?

The humanities are undervalued right now. If you look at a lot of folks who are doing innovative things all across the world, they got their initial training in the humanities. There’s such a rich and fertile ground to teach people how to think and ask questions and to write.

Even in a world of AI, it becomes increasingly important that we don’t lose that human connection. So figuring out how to keep the humanities front and center as part of higher education is important.

The Center for Civic Excellence gives us an opportunity to reinvent that in a different way. ... The way we teach humanities might need to evolve as technology and artificial intelligence and other things come into play, but still, I think, the humanities are going to be fundamentally important.

Higher education is in a tumultuous place right now, including significant cuts to federal research funding, which affects USU as an R1 institution. How do you plan to navigate that?

When I was back in [Washington,] D.C., I had a chance to meet with all six members of our [federal] delegation and talked about the importance of research funding. …

There’s a much more direct connection with Utah State than there was at my previous institution, with regard to the federal government. That is evolving right now. We need [them] to be our advocate and our champion.

I had some really good conversations, especially with the staff on the Senate side, about them recognizing the importance of maintaining research funding and thinking about the vital role. It’s going to help us come up with solutions for our air quality, for our utilization of our water and land and the better use of critical minerals. We have to keep that pipeline going, even though it’s under attack. ...

I just hope that we can have a seat at the table and not have things imposed on us from folks who may or may not actually understand how public land-grant institutions like Utah State are working — or institutions all across the state of Utah, for that matter.

USU has a unique land-grant mission. What do you want to do to support and expand on that?

It does create that opportunity to have a positive impact on every family and household across the state — even if they don’t recognize it or see themselves as associated with USU. But that’s part of our charge and responsibility.

It’s through the extension programs, where we reach out and support 4H programs in the community, or master gardeners, or those other enriching parts of peoples’ lives that get them out from behind their screens and just connecting with the beautiful world that we live in. I think that’s a great thing.

We also have that obligation on the research front. I haven’t even talked about energy yet. But that’s another huge area as we partner with folks in Uinta Basin and eastern Utah, where we have a lot of really rich resources.

What are the best ways we can utilize those responsibly, as stewards, and still help meet growing energy needs of our state? [How can we] also look at developing other energy applications, whether that’s nuclear, or renewables, and all of these other things that the governor and our state leaders are talking about?

Our land-grant mission really positions Utah State to be a leader in those areas. If we’re not being a leader, then we’re not doing our job. ... I’m going to be the advocate in helping our expert researchers have the resources and support and connections they need to make a difference.

You are also a first-generation college student. How will you support students like you at USU?

I don’t want it to come across as bragging, but if you’re a first-generation college student, that shouldn’t stop you from reaching anything.

I mean, not only was I a first-generation college student, but I basically flunked my first two colleges classes, so I did not start out well. ... I just want students to know — if they can just see me and think, “Man, a first-generation student can become the president of the university that he’s at. If he can do that, anybody can, and I can do anything.”

I just think students don’t understand how much potential they have. I want them, if they can see that through me a little bit, to have me as their biggest cheerleader and supporter. And just knowing that there’s some stability in the president’s office — and the president was once a student who walked these same sidewalks like they’re walking — is important.

When you think back on your time as a student at USU, what was your favorite part?

I just remember sitting here [in this same building], studying between classes and seeing administrators walk back and forth, because these offices were still here, and they were walking in the halls between meetings. ... I thought I knew what surreal meant, but it’s been a whole different level of surreal to be back.

I think about printing off a paper in the old library and sprinting across the quad to turn it in on the third floor, upstairs, at the last minute. I still procrastinate. Even walking across the sidewalk, I remember, “Hey, this is where I saw a friend and visited with them.” All of these memories just kind of come rushing back. They’re all just these little treasures, and make me feel really honored and humbled to be here now.

I hear the new president at USU gets to create a new flavor of Aggie ice cream. What is your current favorite flavor? And what new flavor are you considering?

I have always loved Aggie Blue Mint. I just don’t know how you could ever even improve upon it. But apparently this is a thing.

I have a text message, because I know one of the guys who works over in the creamery, and he was like, “OK, so we have to talk about your ice cream flavor.” We’ll see where this goes. To be continued.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I know there will be challenges that happen again. I don’t imagine that I will handle every situation perfectly, but we want to learn from those and we want to be transparent about it.

We also want to highlight all the great things that are happening here. There are so many amazing faculty and staff and students and researchers and community partners who are investing a lot because they believe in Utah State.

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