University Affairs

Harvard Scientist and USU Alum Willy Lensch to Speak at 2025 Commencement Ceremony

Kem C. Gardner Will Also Receive an Honorary Degree.

(Photo Credit: USU/Levi Sim)

LOGAN, Utah — M. William “Willy” Lensch, USU alumnus and associate provost for research at Harvard University, will receive an honorary doctorate degree and serve as USU’s Logan commencement speaker for its 138th ceremony this spring.

Kem C. Gardner, real estate mogul and prominent community philanthropist, will also receive an honorary doctorate degree during the ceremony on April 30.

“We are privileged that Dr. Lensch has accepted the invitation to address our 2025 graduating class,” said USU President Elizabeth Cantwell. “As a renowned genetics scientist and researcher who can trace his roots right back to our great state and university, his message on this momentous occasion will inspire and uplift our graduating class to fulfill their own potential.”

Lensch graduated from USU in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, becoming a first-generation college graduate. Following his love for research and study of genetics and blood disease, Lensch would go on to earn a doctorate degree in molecular and medical genetics from Oregon Health Sciences University in 2002.

Professional pursuits led Lensch on a path that eventually landed him at Harvard Medical School, where he held positions as instructor, executive director of the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, chief of staff of the dean, and many other appointments. He has been in his current position of associate provost for research for the university since 2021. He is also currently a part-time lecturer in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine and a member of the Center for Bioethics at HMS.

Honorary degrees enable universities to recognize and honor individuals for their sacrifices and commitment to making positive changes in the world.

This year, the Logan commencement ceremony will take place over three days. The academic procession and commencement ceremony will start at 6:30 p.m. April 30 in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. College convocations and hooding ceremonies will be on May 1-2.

All Logan commencement ceremonies will be implementing a clear-bag policy, with a maximum volume of 12 inches by 12 inches by 6 inches, in coordination with guidance from the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement. Small clutch purses and medical and diaper bags of reasonable size are also permitted.

Statewide campuses are planning graduation ceremonies as well, scheduled on dates from April 17-26. The USU Statewide Campuses commencement schedule lists details about ceremonies at USU Blanding, Brigham City, Eastern, Moab, Southwest, Tooele and Uintah Basin.

For a full schedule of USU’s 138th Commencement, visit the commencement website.

M. William "Willy" Lensch

Raised on a small farm in Lehi, Lensch graduated from the USU College of Science with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1991, becoming the first member of the Lensch family to graduate from college. He is proud of being the first in his family to graduate and proud to be an Aggie.

Lensch would later enroll in the doctoral program at Oregon Health Sciences University, graduating in 2002 with a doctorate in molecular and medical genetics. He studied pediatric bone marrow failure, the onset of myeloid leukemia and rare diseases of the blood.

His postdoctoral work at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and as a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Career-Development Fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital used various types of human cells and tissue as platforms for understanding the genetics, development and diseases of the blood-forming system.

Lensch is currently the associate provost for research at Harvard University. In this role, he provides high-level guidance for interfaculty research and educational initiatives in the physical, life and social sciences. Lensch’s experience in research, education, administration, science policy, intellectual property, consulting and outreach combine in support of education and discovery.

Prior to assuming his current role, Lensch was strategic adviser to the dean of Harvard Medical School (HMS) and executive director of the Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness (MassCPR), an HMS-led, multi-institutional response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. He has additionally served the Harvard community as chief of staff to the dean of the faculty of medicine, executive director of the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (SCRB), faculty director of education for the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), and as instructor in pediatrics at HMS/Boston Children’s Hospital.

He has contributed to more than 60 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, book chapters and policy recommendations, and presented over 200 lectures, medical grand rounds, interviews and panel discussions.

Lensch also served as a Connecticut gubernatorial appointee to the state’s Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee, earning a Distinguished Service citation. He was a founding member of the Interstate Alliance on Stem Cell Research, has served on the Public Education Committee of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, the Research Committee of the American Heart Association, and as chair of the Bioethics Subcommittee of the American Heart Association.

Lensch’s recognition includes multiple certificates of distinction in teaching from Harvard University, the Star Family Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Student Advising (Harvard), and the Daniel D. Federman Staff Award for Exceptional Service from HMS.

From 2016-2024, Lensch served a member of the advisory board of the USU College of Science and was chair of the board from 2021-24. Through this service and beyond, he has been a mentor and advisor to countless USU students.

Kem C. Gardner

The son of a schoolteacher and raised on a Wyoming farm, Kem C. Gardner became one of the most prominent real estate developers in the Intermountain West. The co-founder and former president of the Boyer Company L.C., Gardner and his partners and associates have developed more than 35 million square feet of commercial real estate in the U.S. during his more than 40-year career. Gardner would later found and chair the Gardner Company, a private commercial real estate company.

Through his career, he has been involved in major projects throughout Utah, including the development of the Gateway in downtown Salt Lake City, the Zions Bancorporation Technology Center, the Huntsman Cancer Institute and more.

Alongside his wife, Carolyn, Gardner has shown an extraordinary dedication to higher education, serving as chair of the Utah State Board of Regents and on the national advisory committees of Weber State University and Southern Utah University. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah is named in his honor. The Gardners also sponsor numerous student scholarships for students at USU, U of U, SUU, WSU, SLCC, USU Eastern, and Boise State University.

Kem and Carolyn have also contributed greatly to the Carolyn and Kem Gardner Learning & Leadership Building, which is currently under construction on the USU Logan campus. The building will house much of the experiential learning programs of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business and will fill a vital and honored place on campus.

Since 1998, Gardner has served on the executive committee of the United Way of Salt Lake, including two terms as chair. In 2004, the organization named him Compassionate Leader of the Year for his philanthropic efforts. Gardner also served as chair of the 2002 Olympic Ambassadors and chair of the Salt Lake Board for Olympic Aid during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, leading fundraising for the games.

Gardner has served as chair of The Salt Lake Chamber, chair of the board of trustees for Intermountain Healthcare, and chair of the Capital Advisory Committee, responsible for developing a 25-year master plan for Salt Lake City. His work with the chamber earned him the recognition as a Giant In Our City, an award that honors those with exceptional and distinguished service, as well as extraordinary professional achievement, and is widely recognized as the most prestigious business award given in Utah.

Gardner received his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1967 and a juris doctorate in 1970 from the University of Utah.

For a complete schedule and more information on the 138th USU Commencement, visit www.usu.edu/commencement.

M. William "Willy" Lensch (Credit: Jodi Hilton)

Kem C. Gardner

CONTACT

Logan Wilber
News Director
University Marketing & Communications
(845)667-0213
logan.wilber@usu.edu


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