USU's James Taylor Returning to His Roots Teaching in Wildland Resources Classrooms, Field

VERNAL, Utah — After spending the last three years as the vice president of Statewide Campuses and a decade of leadership, James Taylor made the decision to return to his faculty roots once again.

“James Taylor has two great professional loves: leadership and nature,” said David Law, associate vice president for USU Uintah Basin. “I am excited for the impact James will have on our students across the state and in our community as he shifts his focus to natural resources and student experience. The Uintah Basin is fortunate to have a professor of James’s caliber in the Wildland Resources Department. His love for nature is contagious, and this passion will transfer to deep learning that will shape how his students identify themselves as naturalists and resource professionals working for our agency partners, nonprofits, and as educators.”

Taylor joined the USU faculty in 2016, when he was also appointed the associate vice president of the Uintah Basin region. Taylor would go on to lead the campus for seven years before being appointed as vice president for Statewide Campuses.

Throughout his service as a university leader, Taylor felt it was essential that he maintain his presence in the classroom, always teaching. He will serve as an associate professor of wildland resources and as associate director for the Masters of Natural Resources program. Taylor will help students develop their own passion for professions in resource management and gain the skills to be successful. Taylor is thrilled to be returning to the classroom full time, although much of the classroom will be in the field.

“Being back in my full-time faculty role is a full-circle moment for me and I could not be happier,” Taylor said. “I could not be more content to remain in the Basin, where my family is deeply rooted and where I have incredible access to one of the most diverse landscapes and providing a wonderful opportunity for experiential education and student engagement.”

Taylor grew up in an outdoors-loving family. His childhood memories are all centered on outdoor experiences and nature. Taylor began teaching and sharing his love of nature with others in the 1980s at the Teton Science School. It was there that Taylor connected the value of learning, nature, and knowledge and his passion for teaching others.

In addition to his role as an educator, Taylor was an alpine climbing guide for more than 20 years — leading expeditions in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Taylor also was a seasonal backcountry ranger, researcher, and naturalist in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for nearly two decades. He has a love for mountains, mountain people and the delicate balance of mountain cultures in a globally connected world.

His work and academic interests focus on ecosystem impact and responses to recreation and management challenges around remote areas, specifically management issues around sustainability and conservation.

“I love teaching and find purpose in helping others understand the world in which we live find value in understanding our place in the world through academic knowledge and personal experiences,” he said. “What I find most compelling about teaching is watching students discover their own knowledge, feelings and ideas around conservation and stewardship through experiences of discovery, not just telling them what to think from my own experiences and background.”

Taylor hopes to help more individuals find passion in understanding the natural world and looks forward to helping those interested in the field to be better prepared for careers in resource management and conservation. He also hopes to help his students become better citizens with the knowledge and experiences to be wise decision makers with a background and appreciation for the intricacies of the natural world.

The USU Uintah Basin campus is excited to welcome Taylor back to his academic roots and is doubling down on resource management and wildland resources. Over the course of the next year, Taylor and the Wildland Resources Department will be searching for a new faculty member in wildlife ecology and management who will being in the fall of 2027.

“Great things are ahead for wildland and natural resource programs in the Basin,” Law said.

Operating campuses in Vernal and Roosevelt for more than 50 years, Utah State University Uintah Basin gives students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university, all in the backdrop of the outdoor oasis that is the Uinta Mountains and Ashley National Forest. With degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees and more than 125 programs available, as well as access to the renowned Bingham Research Center, USU Uintah Basin offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at uintahbasin.usu.edu.