USU Eastern Holds Welcome Center Ribbon Cutting at Student Center

PRICE, Utah — Utah State University Eastern has officially opened its new Welcome Center in the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center. The center includes a welcome desk, a welcome room for small group events, renovated offices, and a new school store.

On Nov. 20, the Welcome Center held a ribbon cutting ceremony, with a multitude of stakeholders in attendance. The ribbon was cut by Brooklyn Mackay, USUSA vice president and Ally Robertson, a USU Ambassador who was the team lead on this renovation. During the ribbon cutting ceremony, there were speeches from Kristian Olsen, vice president for Statewide Residential Campuses and Kevin Hurst, director of Student Services.

“Having this Welcome Center will allow our students and campus visitors to have an even better experience while entering the student center,” Olsen said. “We are so grateful for the many people who made this renovation possible. We are especially grateful to the Leavitt family for their continued generosity and support of USU Eastern.”

The top priority of the renovation was to have a clear front door of the center, where people could immediately get their questions answered and receive a warm welcome. Hurst, who spearheaded the renovation, said that many of the comments he has heard have said the area feels revitalized and is a beautiful space that feels warm, welcoming, and is easy to find.

“Those reactions speak directly to the purpose and design of the Welcome Center, so hearing them told me we accomplished what we set out to do,” Hurst said.

In addition to the welcome space, the renovation added practical storage spaces and several offices that have windows. Hurst echoed Olsen’s gratitude for all who made the renovation possible.

“I express my appreciation for the support from local business leaders, community leaders, faculty, staff, students, and administration,” he said. “We live in an amazing community, and I love working together in ways that strengthen and support Eastern and the students we serve.”

Located in picturesque Price, Utah State University Eastern provides the best of both worlds for students­– the personalized attention and small student-to-faculty ratio of a small-town college, with the educational opportunities and resources of a large university. USU Eastern boasts student government opportunities, clubs and programs like theater, choir, and the award-winning student newspaper “The Eagle”, as well as its own athletic program. USU Eastern provides personal or professional development training, technical education in Health Professions, Technical Careers and Business, as well as associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees and certificates of proficiency. Learn more at eastern.usu.edu.