New Endowment for Student Research Established at Utah State University

May 11, 2023

On May 11, USU welcomed back a number of familiar faces, as President Noelle Cockett recognized and celebrated the establishment of the Judi "Houston" Rangesan and Rangesan Narayanan Endowment.

“Thanks to a generous gift of $1,000,000 from Dr. Rangesan Narayanan, the endowment will support student research associated with the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air at USU,” said Matt White, USU vice president for Advancement.

At the celebration reception, Narayanan recognized nine USU professors who were foundational to his experience at USU: Delworth Gardner, Kenneth Lyon, Bartell Jensen, Herbert Fullerton, Basudeb Biswas, Bruce Bishop, Trevor Hughes, John Keith, and Mac McKee.

“At USU, I had many dads and moms,” said Narayanan. “I was ‘adopted’ into their families and taken care of throughout my time at USU.”

The Judi "Houston" Rangesan and Rangesan Narayanan Endowment is intended to exist in perpetuity, with the income generated from the endowment to be utilized for various purposes. Specifically, the funds will support research assistantships for students working with faculty mentors, as well as travel awards to present scholarly papers at professional meetings. Awards will be focused projects involving the economics of and policies related to public and private lands, water resources, and associated environmental and recreational aspects.

Judi Rangesan, born in Texas, graduated from Tarleton State University and earned a Ph.D. in economics from Utah State University. She was a trailblazer, being the first female student in the economics program at USU and the first female faculty member in the Agricultural Economics Department at Texas A&M University. Judi was deeply devoted to family, volunteer work, and the environment.

Rangesan Narayanan, born in India, also holds a Ph.D. in economics from USU and has made significant contributions to academia, particularly in the field of agricultural and resource economics.

"We are profoundly grateful to Rangesan Narayanan for his exceptional generosity and commitment to advancing research and education in the fields of land, water, and air," said Brian Steed, executive director of the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air. "The endowment will empower our students and provide them with invaluable opportunities to conduct research and contribute to the fields of economics and environmental studies."