From Dean John Allen
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is at the heart of Utah State University's mission to be student centered and serve the public through learning, discovery and engagement. Our outstanding faculty are committed to guiding and challenging our students as they become more effective communicators, critical thinkers and life-long learners. To continue our tradition of excellence in teaching, research/creative activity and engagement, we bring together a remarkable faculty and exceptional students who dedicate themselves to making sense of the world in an increasingly complex global community. To accomplish our vision, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences must enhance its financial support of student learning, faculty development, and world-class research. We invite you to join us. Our campaign goal is to raise $27 million by 2012, which will make a lasting difference in the lives of our students, in the successes of our faculty and in the future of the College and Utah State University.
College Campaign Goals: $40 Million
Facilities
The Anthropology Museum Barn
Fundraising Goal: $4 Million
The Museum of Anthropology is one of the most popular cultural venues in Cache Valley. The museum showcases a collection of Native American artifacts, pre historic artifacts and more contemporary cultural works from the Mountain West region. It attracts about 10,000 visitors yearly, most of whom are K-12 students.
The current Museum of Anthropology, which includes an exhibit gallery, curation room, and office, occupies 2,074 ft2 of space on the second floor of the south turret of Old Main. USU's current "visitor information center" is a difficult-to-locate and rarely staffed drive-through booth west of the Aggie Terrace parking garage. While personnel responsible for the museum and information booth have maximized limited resources, both facilities require more space and increased accessibility.
In response, the anthropology program acquired an old Art Barn on campus that was slated to be demolished due to its structural deficiencies. Dr. Bonnie Pitblado, Associate Professor of Anthropology, developed a strategic plan to raise $4M that would facilitate the restoration and expansion of the Art Barn to serve as a future home of a much expanded Museum of Anthropology and a new Utah State Welcome Center.
The renovation and expansion will yield 11,500 ft2 of space and will cost $4M, a figure that includes hard building costs, soft costs, and specialized furniture such as compact storage for the curation room. The campaign will also aim to endow several programmatic needs.
Utah Public Radio Building Contribution
Fundraising Goal: $2.5 Million
Utah Public Radio (UPR) is a member of National Public Radio (NPR) and an affiliate of American Public Radio (APM) and Public Radio International (PRI). The station provides programming from these national distribution networks and produces local programs, live and recorded, to a statewide audience that includes southern Idaho via a network of 32 radio translators.
UPR offices are currently located in a Quonset building built in 1941 by the Army, which in its earliest years also served as a chapel and TV studio. The building is currently shared by UPR and Information Technology. This structure is set to be demolished to make way for a new $8 Million state-of-the-art building granted to Utah State University Regional Campuses and Distance Education (RCDE). UPR will be relocated to the new RCDE building upon its completion.
Ground breaking is tentatively planned for spring 2011 with building completion set for 2012. UPR is conducting a $2.5 Million capital campaign to raise funds needed to support the building infrastructure and station facilities.
The new building will provide office, technical, and production work space as well as conference room space for the state-wide operation of UPR. It will house multiple control rooms, interview and performance studios, and teaching space for the instruction of the radio arts. This facility will meet the needs of UPR well into the Twenty-first Century utilizing state-of-the art equipment.
Student Support:
- Undergraduate Scholarships
- Graduate Fellowships
- Experiential Learning
Our students are at the center of all we do in the college. Because of our outstanding faculty and renowned programs, we want students to make a conscious, deliberate choice to attend CHaSS at Utah State. We must endow merit and need-based scholarships for our best and brightest students so no one will be denied an opportunity to get the excellent education that the college offers.
President Stan Albrecht challenges us by noting "our issues are global issues...how is Utah State to respond to these global [issues]?" For experience outside the classroom our faculty and students study art in Germany; design in Switzerland, England and Italy; theatre in France and England; and cultural anthropology in Peru. Closer to home, consider the value of internships for our students in Congressional offices in Washington, D.C., or service-learning opportunities in local communities. An endowment will enhance these life-transforming experiences for our students.
Faculty Support:
- Endowed Professorships
- Visiting Artists and Scholars
- Research & Creative Activity Funds
Endowed professorships allow us to recruit some of the most distinguished scholars in the country and enhance our faculty. An endowment for visiting artists and scholars would provide incomparable experiences for our students to interact with renowned figures in the humanities and social sciences. Research and creative activity endowments represent an investment, seed support, for faculty to develop innovative ideas and creative projects and engage students in unique learning opportunities.
CHaSS is an outstanding college and with your support it will become even better. I invite and encourage you to join the success that is the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Utah State.
For questions or to make a gift, please contact:
Kim Nyoni
Development Officer
Email: kim.nyoni@usu.edu
Phone: (435) 797-7871 or (801) 781-0774