Learning By Doing

Our $60 million "learning by doing" campaign, an effort to expand experiential opportunities to all of our students, continues afoot. Our experience shows us that learning by doing has an outsized impact on student outcomes. Our goal is to create and provide opportunities such as internships, competitions, hands-on research, industry projects and more for all of our students. A central part of our campaign is the construction of a new building, adjacent to Huntsman Hall, to house our experiential learning centers.

In the past year, we secured several major gifts as well as approval from the State of Utah to begin construction. The anchor gift for this new building came from prominent business leaders and philanthropists Kem and Carolyn Gardner. The building, to be named the Kem and Carolyn Gardner Learning and Leadership Building, will fill a vital and honored place on campus in connection with the Jon M. Huntsman Hall (primarily a classroom building) and the George S. Eccles Business Building (primarily an office building).

"I have been privileged to know Kem and Carolyn Gardner and their family for more than 50 years," said Douglas D. Anderson, dean of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. "I know of no couple who has done more to build our community than Kem and Carolyn. They have helped lift our entire state through their support of education, the arts, and a host of civic activities, as well as through their great company, the Gardner Group. Their entrepreneurial spirit, deep love for our community, and leadership in ensuring a prosperous future for our state align perfectly with the values we want to imbue in the graduates of the Huntsman School. We hope our students will emulate their example, build relationships, and invest in sustainable practices as they do. We are so honored to be able to recognize their many contributions."

The 45,000-square-foot, $30 million building will house Huntsman's expanding experiential learning programs and create room for new hands-on learning initiatives. It will also include professional co-working space for student use for remote internships or other needs.

"Utah State University is a gem in our community," Kem Gardner said. "Carolyn and I are so pleased to join many others in supporting USU so that generations of Aggies may benefit from world-class education in Logan and find ways to contribute and build our community."

The new building will be located adjacent to the Huntsman School of Business complex at Utah State.