USU New Faculty

Welcome New Faculty

Utah State University (USU) welcomed more than 100 new faculty in eight academic colleges, University Libraries, and University Extension. More than 70 faculty have tenure-eligible appointments, including Assistant Professor (most), Instructor, Assistant Librarian, Extension Assistant Professor, and Career and Technical Education Instructor. More than 30 faculty have term appointments, including Lecturer (most), Clinical Assistant Professor, Research Assistant Professor, and Professional Practice Assistant Professor or Instructor. New faculty are at the Logan (most), Blanding, Uintah Basin, Moab, Brigham City, and Utah State University Eastern (Price) campuses, and in several county Extension offices throughout the state of Utah. The Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Resources has the largest cohort, with more than 20 new faculty in eight academic departments on four campuses.

“Because the quality of our faculty is integral to our mission of academic excellence, innovation, and outreach, we seek to recruit and hire passionate, forward thinking, and committed teachers, researchers and scholars,” stated Laurens (Larry) Smith, Provost and Executive Vice President. “These new faculty members infuse the university community with fresh enthusiasm, talent and dedication.” The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President provides new faculty with resources to help launch their careers at Utah State University. New faculty are encouraged to access Teaching Resources to support teaching innovation, enhance student learning, and foster academic integrity. New tenure-track faculty are invited to participate in the Tenure Academy, which provides information and tools to support transitioning into and the multiple faculty roles at a modern, comprehensive, research intensive, student-centered land-grant university.

The new faculty cohort is one of the largest and most diverse – for example, 58% are female and 31% are from historically underrepresented racial or ethnic groups. The College of Science and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences intentionally created clusters of faculty positions to advance justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) at Utah State University. Departments voluntarily participated in JEDI cluster hires, which employed “Best Practices for Equity and Inclusion in Faculty Recruitment,” a white paper prepared by Christy Glass, professor in the department of Sociology and Anthropology. Position announcements deliberately sought faculty who were committed to contributing to JEDI while advancing discovery, learning, and engagement in their discipline. Michelle Baker, dean of the College of Science, said, “some faculty indicated they were attracted to the cluster hire positions because of the JEDI commitment.” Baker also compared demographic data of the applicant pools to that reported by the National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates (2019), encouraging search committees to expand recruitment efforts in some cases.  Faculty hired in these clusters join JEDI-themed networks that foster collaborative opportunities. Glass concluded that the first experiment of JEDI cluster hires at USU was “wildly successful” and we have “hired some amazing faculty.” “The challenges are to support and retain these faculty, and build the cohort and make space for them.”  

Aaron Arredondo, assistant professor in the department of Sociology and Anthropology, applied for the JEDI cluster hire position of sociology of race and/or ethnicity because it fit his Latinx community-based research interest and experience well. Exploring the department profile, he thought “there was a lot of potential for collaboration,” and had “heard great things” about the well-established Sociology program and faculty. In the interview, he connected with the department and the search committee chair, Christy Glass, who inspired him about the resources to conduct research at USU. During the Logan campus visit, Arredondo liked the social and natural environments. “The people were really nice, and I could feel a sense of place and belonging at USU and in the community.” He feels that his research is well received at USU in the college and beyond. “There is a real, tangible need for research assisting in the development of the minority community, especially given the demographic projections of the state of Utah. It was also really appealing to support the development of diversity and inclusivity at USU.” Arredondo said that the Tenure Academy has been helpful in preparing for tenure and promotion – it prompted him to review the faculty code. “However, the weekly JEDI events in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences help develop a sense of community and commonality in an environment that is very nurturing and welcoming. If not for these efforts, I would self-segregate and not connect.”