Utah State University Announces Major New Programs for Students and Faculty with Largest Gift in School History from Huntsman Foundation and Charles Koch Foundation

LOGAN, Utah, May 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Utah State University announced today a major expansion of its highly selective Huntsman Scholar Program and the launch of the Center for Growth and Opportunity thanks to a joint $50 million gift to the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business from the Huntsman Foundation and the Charles Koch Foundation.

The joint gift is the largest in the school's history and will enable USU to continue fostering innovative research and teaching to improve lives and communities.

"This gift will be transformational for the Huntsman School, and I am grateful for the direct benefits it will provide for our students," said USU President Noelle Cockett. "It represents a tremendous expansion of opportunities for students through direct scholarships and enhanced program offerings."

The new support will bolster the Huntsman Scholar Program, renowned for bringing together outstanding students with leading educators for a rigorous, one-of-a-kind undergraduate business education program. This integrated curricular and co-curricular experience across four years is focused on academic discipline and mentoring to provide a solid understanding of financial markets and the nature of business enterprise. Huntsman Scholars will also benefit from international travels to experience foreign markets.

The Center for Growth and Opportunity at USU will advance scientific understanding of the interaction between individuals, business and government to develop solutions to important problems through economic research and student engagement. Activities conducted through the center will include scholarly research, conferences, seminars, workshops, visiting speakers and student career exploration. The center will also fund scholarships and fellowships.

Huntsman School Dean Douglas D. Anderson said the Huntsman and Charles Koch Foundation gifts will enable the school to provide rigorous curricular and meaningful extracurricular opportunities to a larger number of undergraduate and graduate students.

"Jon Huntsman challenged us 10 years ago, when he made his initial gift to Utah State, to produce students who can compete with the best and brightest anywhere in the world," Anderson said. "We have been on quite a journey since then, and I am so thrilled that he and his friend Charles Koch believe in what we have done and in what we can become."

Combined, these newly announced endeavors will create meaningful learning experiences for nearly 500 students a year through scholarships, opportunities to explore new ideas, and through interaction with esteemed faculty, alumni and business professionals.

"I've been observing Utah State University for the past 50 years, and this is the finest college in America," said Jon M. Huntsman, Sr. "I didn't go to school there, but I recognize it as the institution where I would go today if I had to select the best university. So when the opportunity arose to partner with my good friend Charles Koch to benefit future generations of students at Utah State, we immediately took it."

Brian Hooks, president of the Charles Koch Foundation, echoed Huntsman's sentiments.

"We're excited about the university's vision to support the students and world-class faculty at Utah State University, and it's an honor to join Jon Huntsman and his family on this innovative project," Hooks said.

ABOUT THE HUNTSMAN FOUNDATION
Huntsman Foundation was founded in 1988 by Jon M. Huntsman. Its mission is to eradicate cancer, assist the underserved and advance educational opportunities for predominantly rural Americans. Thus far, the foundation has assisted over 800 organizations and provided several thousand scholarships.

ABOUT THE CHARLES KOCH FOUNDATION
Since its founding in 1980, the Charles Koch Foundation has supported research and educational programs focused on advancing an understanding of how free societies improve well-being. This includes support at over 300 universities and colleges and other organizations around the country.

ABOUT UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
As Utah's land-grant university and one of only two research universities in the state, Utah State University provides research, public service and education to Utah, the nation and the world. USU is building upon its research capacity with focused areas of expertise in water, aerospace, agriculture, life sciences, business, education and engineering.

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SOURCE Utah State University