USU, Navajo Nation Celebrate Groundbreaking for New Monument Valley Education Building

MONUMENT VALLEY, Utah — Representatives of Utah State University and the Navajo Nation broke ground for the long-awaited academic building in a ceremony on Friday morning. The education building, which will be located just northwest of Monument Valley High School, will serve students and community members of the Navajo Nation.

“The new USU Monument Valley Education Building strengthens the commitment to higher education and opportunities to rural and Indigenous communities,” said Kristian Olsen, senior associate vice president for USU Blanding. “Today is a historic day and the culmination of a lot of dreams, hard work, blood, sweat and tears. It’s the culmination of the effort of so many people over decades to make this dream a reality.”

The education building will include modern classrooms, computer labs, a nursing and CNA lab, a career & technical education lab, a small business development space, a welding lab, spaces for adult education and USU Extension, and administrative and faculty offices.

“The opportunity that students will have here at home will open doors,” said Donald Mose III, program coordinator at USU Monument Valley. “The future is wide open now, and the fact that we have a university in our own place that is going to help us achieve some of these goals to help our community success is something that I couldn’t put a dollar value on.”

The building will also double as a center for community gatherings and public events. It will be equipped for distance learning and will allow USU to offer an array of certificates and degrees, ranging from technical certificates to doctorate degrees, as well as academic guidance and support, counseling services and career mentoring. Community members are excited to see the building finally come to fruition so it can better the lives of the next generation.

“To me, this university is sacred. It will help this community,” said Don Mose Jr., a community member and respected elder of the Navajo Nation. “This university is going to be a seed that will be planted here in Monument Valley so our children can learn how to help themselves and blend the two worlds together. You no longer have to go off the reservation to get your education. The kids do not have an excuse anymore; they have it all here.”

Additionally, students attending Monument Valley High School will have opportunities for concurrent enrollment in collaboration with USU Monument Valley once construction is complete. Local students are already planning to utilize the building, after previously not knowing exactly what their future held after high school graduation.

“I mentored some students last fall from the high school, and they didn’t know where to go to school,” said Treasha Hunt, a USU sophomore majoring in elementary education. “After sharing my experience with USU to them, they have enrolled. Some are going to attend here, and some are going to attend in Logan. It's very exciting to see that they're going to have a USU building here.”

Prior to the ceremony a prayer was offered by André Haycock, a Medicine Man from Monument Valley. USU President Elizabeth Cantwell, Navajo Nation Council Delegate Herman Daniels Junior, USU Blanding Senior Associate Vice President Kristian Olsen, and others gave remarks to those in attendance, highlighting the importance of education and the impact the building will have on future students and the entire Monument Valley community.

“There is a wonderful word in the Navajo language, ‘hozho,’ which means harmony and balance,” Olsen said in an interview after the ceremony. “This word, to me, encapsulates all things that are good in life. This new building is going to be a place of hozho, where students can really feel like it’s their home. We feel this building will be a place the community can point to and say, ‘we have a university in our community, and we are proud of that fact.’ We are excited to see people adopt this building and make it their own.”

An exact opening date of the approximately 10,000-square-foot building has yet to be announced, however the building is expected to be completed in early 2026.

Utah State University’s Statewide Campuses create impact by bettering the lives of the people and places they serve. From career and technical certificates to doctorate degrees, USU offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. With multiple locations across 85,000 square miles, USU can be the hometown university to anyone, no matter where they live. Learn more at statewide.usu.edu.