Brad Mortensen is a Rexburg native, who was inaugurated as president of Utah State University last month. Mortensen previously worked at Weber State University for 15 years before becoming the president of WSU. He stayed in that position for seven years before moving to USU.
Mortensen offers a unique perspective, as he is the first alumnus president of the university in nearly 70 years.
“I think that they really appreciate that there's a president now who once sat in the same classrooms, walked the same sidewalks that they walk on and knows what it's like to be a student at USU,” Mortensen said. “So, I do bring that to the table. The faculty alumni, people in the community, others have really welcomed back one of their own.”
Mortensen believes the time served as president of Weber State will help him in his position of president of Utah State.
“Just being able to carry over that experience from being a president, sitting in the chair before, and knowing how to make those decisions,” Mortensen said. “And when they don't work out and being willing to own that and change and move another direction. I think that's the thing that helps me the most.”
Mortensen sees a lot of connections between USU and the Upper Valley of the Snake River Plain.
“A lot of folks transferred from Ricks to Utah State back in the day and are here in Cache Valley or still connected to the university in some way,” Mortensen said. “It's fun to rekindle those connections and hopefully build a lot more bridges between BYU-Idaho and Utah State.”