USU given $5 million gift for scholarships

Utah State University on Tuesday announced another multimillion-dollar donation for the school — one that aims to benefit students directly.

A $5 million gift from the S.J. and Jessie Quinney Foundation will provide continued funding for undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships through the Quinney Scholars program in USU's College of Natural Resources.

"These are our very best scholarships within the college," said Jonathan Paulding, development director for USU's College of Human Resources. He said such incentives allow the college a more competitive edge when recruiting committed students who in turn "will advance the field and promote the college name."

About $2 million will support the scholarship program over the next five years, while another $1.2 million will go to the college's S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Natural Resources Library, which is the only college-specific library of its kind in the region, housing more than 60,000 items.

The remainder of the gift will go toward the college's program development for projects including bio-regional planning, the Aspen Alliance, Utah's river and riparian restoration, sustainable living in Utah and Great Basin restoration, along with the college's academic service center, distance education and technological facilities.

A formal announcement of the gift, including speakers from the College of Natural Resources, USU administration and members of the foundation, will be made at the Taggart Student Center Stevenson Ballroom, at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 12.

USU is close to surpassing a fundraising goal of $200 million during its first comprehensive campaign, which kicked off publicly last March.

"The money we raise, as has been noted by Stephen Trachtenberg, 'will be redeemed only by how we use it,"' USU President Stan Albrecht said during the kick-off ceremony. "It will be redeemed as we apply these funds to attract and support outstanding faculty, and as we create opportunities both here in Logan and at our regional campuses for the most able and deserving students; it will be redeemed as we use these funds to assure that no one who desires and is qualified for a USU education is denied that opportunity; it will be redeemed as we create excellence in our athletic programs; and as we build new facilities to house the classrooms and laboratories where the discoveries that will change the quality of our lives will be made, and taught."

As of Feb. 1, the research institution had earned more than $171 million. Donors who have made significant contributions to the school's efforts include the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, Jon M. and Karen Huntsman, Marc and Debbie Bingham, as well as numerous alumni and community members.

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