USU Names New Dean and Executive Director for Tooele

Gary S. Straquadine has been named dean and executive director of the Utah State University Tooele Regional Campus. His appointment will be effective May 1, 2009. 

“Dr. Straquadine has an outstanding record of excellence in teaching, research, university Extension and leadership,” said Ronda Menlove, vice provost for Regional Campuses and Distance Education. “He emerged from a national search and stood out from the group as someone who understands USU’s mission to make higher education accessible throughout the state and is passionate about making that goal a reality.”

Straquadine will come to the Tooele Regional Campus after working for nearly three years as the associate dean of the College of Agriculture at USU. Previously, he was vice provost of academic and faculty services at USU. Earlier, he served as the head of USU’s Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from New Mexico State University in agricultural and Extension education and his doctorate in 1987 from The Ohio State University in agricultural education. Straquadine has published more than 70 professional manuscripts and scientific articles on agricultural and science education and related areas and has been awarded nearly $750,000 in extramural funding.

“I am excited for this opportunity to lead a regional program for traditional and non-traditional learners,” Straquadine said. “I seek to serve a community of students who will succeed in spite of place-bound restrictions. With technology increasing delivery options, more communities can be served with a greater variety of degree programs.”      

The search began in summer 2008, and the applicant pool contained a significant number of well-qualified candidates, many of whom had substantial experience with multi campus systems and distance education. After preliminary interviews with a pool of candidates, two finalists were invited to visit the Tooele and Logan campuses.

The USU Tooele Regional Campus is one of the largest and fastest growing campuses in the USU system. Many of the students at the Tooele Regional Campus are working full-time, raising families and going to college. Each semester, students on the campus select from more than 300 course offerings representing the undergraduate and graduate programs that are available. The faculty, staff and students are looking forward to a $3 million addition to the current facilities being built in partnership with Tooele County. In addition, Tooele City has donated an adjacent 30-acre plot of land, which will permit future expansion of the campus.

Straquadine will have executive oversight of the Tooele operation and will also administer programs at centers and distance education sites located along the Wasatch Front and throughout the southwest area of the state, including the USU partnership with Snow College. In combination, approximately 1,000 additional students take USU courses in these sites spread over the huge geographical area of southwest Utah.

 

“I want to express our appreciation to the many faculty, students and members of the community, especially the search and screening committee chaired by Dean Frazer, for their participation in this recruitment process,” said Raymond T. Coward, executive vice president and provost. “We are extremely fortunate to have a scholar of Dr. Straquadine’s reputation and stature assume this important position of leadership. The potential for growth at the Tooele Regional Campus is enormous, and we are pleased to have identified the right person to provide leadership for that academic unit. Dr. Straquadine is an established scholar, an experienced administrator and an inspirational leader. We look forward to his stewardship of this important USU asset.”

Writer: Annalisa Purser, 435-797-1429

Contact: Gary Straquadine, 435-797-3521; Ronda Menlove, 435-797-3728