Show r fyt I i Friday? March 11 1977 (Photo by Rich LaRocco) USU should be proud of achievements Taggart says Utah’s by C mdy Ford managing editor There is much goodwill surrounding USU goodwill that has been won by the merits of the faculty staff and programs USU President Glen L said Taggart speaking to a capacity crowd m the UC Auditorium as he opened the first annual Founder’s Day activities Tuesday USU can be proud of its achievements in meeting its basic goals" he said “ it continues to be a university and a service of the people” Taggart complimented the university by giving a short history He said the communities of the Utah territory in 1888 were con- cerned about where the new agricultural college and industrial school were to be located Salt Lake already was the site of the Capitol and a university Provo had the state hospital industrial school was situated in Ogden and Cache Valley was given the college The bill establishing the Agn-tur- a College passed March 8 1888 the day the university now observes as Founders Day” Taggart said the landmark Morrill Act committed sizable resource lands to land-gracolleges Those who supported the act claimed the institutions could be available to nearly everyone who works for a uving and they helped erase the old image that higher education jvus for the elite The institutions oecame known as the “people’s” tracts of colleges from the very beginning nt Land-Gra- university was given free reign to offer a comprehensive educational program which combined tradition and classical education with a curriculum better suited to meet the needs of a changing society” Taggart said It is no accident that USU has emerged as a fine and competent institution ” Taggart cited examples of achievement of various facets of the university including the 11 buildings completed since 1968 I sense that USU stands at the threshold of an exciting era” he said "New doors are opening for this institution that will undoubtedly lead to new horizons ” Taggart said that besides the maintenance of high quality education for students the university has two important challenges First to expand on the research and involve more students to better prepare them for a changing environment and second to make the institution accessible for everyone who wants to attend ‘ ‘ it “As the university responds to these challenges there is evolving a changed USU an institution even more aware of its capabilities and responsibilities” Taggart said He then listed some important accomplishments USU has made m recent years especially in teaching and academic programs “The 748 members of today’s faculty represent more than 250 of the leading educational institutions of America and the world” he said “Seventy per cent of the faculty possess doc torate and terminal degrees” However Taggart said that advanced degrees do not always ensure good teaching and research therefore the deans and departments have set up a strict tenure policy ‘ We want a faculty unwilling to settle for medicore or average” he said Taggart said over 3200 separate classes are offered through the 45 departments of the eight colleges and graduate schools and cited 11 programs for academic leadership in the world He said all the colleges engage in research and in the 1976 fiscal year of the 451 proposals prepared and submitted to potential funding sources 423 between the creation dissemination and application of knowledge” Taggart said “We are working to offer a wider dispersal of educational facilities and services to brmg them closer to the people ime proved opportunities for workers to study part time and full-tim- ways to tram and retrain persons whose skills or professions have become obselete or unwanted in the market place” To meet these challenges Taggart said an effort to improve accommodations for workshops and continuing education programs has been planned projects were approved Taggart said one of the strongest points about USU’s research success is that 15 per cent of the students participate actively m research and other scholarly activities “Few other colleges and universities in America have been as successful as USU at wedding the service component with the teaching and the research” Taggart said “The university’s extension services has been assigned the task of delivering a wide variety of educational services both on and off campus and in almost any field and to both urban and rural interests” He said extension services employs 64 county or area agents eight area coordinators nine area specialists eight administrators and 33 subject matter specialists "Higher education is becoming increasingly concerned by the lag Day acPresident Taggart opened the first annual Founders chaired were The by activities UC auditorium the in tivities (Photo by Al Hartmann) Vern and Emma Rae Eyre |