January 24, 2003 Feature
Story
The
Utah State Campus: Then, Now and To Come
Today's
feature is interactive. Please read the invitation for responses
at the end of this article.
When college President Jeremiah Sanborn strode across the Quad
in 1890, it was a barren field waiting for the college's new-fangled
agricultural experiments. Barns, chicken coops and a piggery
were scattered about the fields east of Old Main. The field
was also used for military drills, an exercise required of all
students, and for sporadic football games.
"It wasn’t much of a game, but then it wasn’t
much of a field," said Bob Parson of the field that is
now the Quad.
Parson directs Utah State University Special Collections and
Archives, which houses the 1912 campus master plan — the
plan that defined the campus on paper long before fields were
plowed, foundations were laid or trees were planted. The present
day Quad and its surrounding buildings were designed that year
by a professional architecture firm, with most of the buildings
going up during the First World War. During the 1920s, Old Main
Hill and the Quad were planted with trees and grass, and the
campus began to take on the look of a proper university.
 For
hundreds of thousands of Utah State students, the Quad has been
central to memories of their experience here. In fact, many
students became "true Aggies" on the Quad when they
were kissed under the full moon.
Alumni have memories of Old Main Hill as the place where they
skied or played hooky "right under the president’s
nose," found romance under spring blossoms, attended Greek
theater and evening lectures or first read Socrates. Some of
the trees on the hill are older than the oldest alumni, and
cottonwoods and evergreens have grown in almost as tall as the
tower on Old Main.
It's no surprise that the campus has nurtured a number of well-known
nature writers. Utah State students don't just read about "sense
of place" in academic journals; they experience it every
day walking the shaded campus walkways set in a circle of forested
mountains.
A Sustainable Future for Campus
 Now
there is talk again of what constitutes a "proper"
university and, especially, what is appropriate for a school
in the arid West faced with ongoing drought and severe budget
cuts.
Amidst worldwide discussions about a sustainable future, President
Kermit L. Hall has established an Environmental Campus Task
Force, chaired by Jack Payne, vice president for University
Extension. Subcommittees will look at water use, energy conservation,
waste management, and policies and practices.
"Utah State University should lead the way in being a
good citizen with respect to the environment," said Hall.
"As the state's land grant school, we should become known
as one of the most environmentally responsive universities."
Campus landscape architect Jim Huppi has already begun the
process of designing more diverse campus plantings, and landscape
manager Ellen Newell recently upgraded the Quad with a state-of-the-art
sprinkler system, a necessity given the dearth of rain and snow
in recent years. The new system will use far less water. She
is also improving campus irrigation systems to allow the future
use of drip irrigation.
Campus landscapers go easy on pesticides and fertilizers, said
Newell, using spot treatment rather than blanket coverage in
an effort to promote a healthy landscape and protect groundwater.
"We're not one of the chemical salespeople's best stops,"
Newell said.
New Landscape Committee Forms Vision
 Roger
Kjelgren, associate professor in Plants, Soils, and Biometeorology,
chairs the Landscape and Grounds Committee for Hall's new task
force. "Landscape values shift over time," he said.
"The extensive use of bluegrass was the norm that worked
well in past generations when water was cheap," he said.
"Tastes are changing, and Utah is no exception. People
are realizing that the norm is no longer sustainable in our
state given the anticipated population growth. More and more
people want diversity in their landscapes. Perennials, ground
covers, shrubs and naturalized plantings are becoming increasingly
popular."
The Landscape and Grounds Committee, composed of faculty, students
and campus landscape professionals, is in unanimous agreement
on many goals.
For starters, they believe that campus planners should, in
Kjelgren's words, "honor the existing landscape."
That means holding the green, open space of the Quad and Old
Main Hill sacrosanct, nurturing the 100-year-old Austrian pine
near the education building and recognizing that the mature
trees across campus are one of the most important parts of the
university’s institutional heritage.
Landscape architect professor Craig Johnson said, "The
Quad is a beautiful centerpiece of campus and a cultural icon
that is important for alumni."
Campus Landscape as a Teaching Tool
 The
committee is also looking toward low-water-use and cost-efficient
landscapes that are not only attractive, but can serve as outdoor
teaching labs for Utah State professors. Committee members believe
they can preserve the much-loved, traditional areas of campus
while promoting the outdoor campus as a teaching tool for sustainable
landscape practices. Interpretive guides and signs could help
explain the campus landscape to the public.
Education professor and committee member Tim Slocum would like
to see the campus landscape be a selling point of the university,
a feature that distinguishes it from other universities.
"I would like people to travel here to learn about xeriscaping
and biodiversity," he said.
Kjelgren agreed. "It shouldn't just be a physical destination,
but a conceptual destination," he said. "This is an
opportunity to bring more mindfulness to our campus landscape.
We live in a desert; we need to respect that. We want some traditional
looks but also need diversity."
Committee members believe that one useful tool would be to
assess the different areas of campus, define levels of importance
according to pedestrian patterns and visibility and develop
micro-climate zones — areas with similar water, shade
and sun requirements.
State Extension forestry specialist and committee member Mike
Kuhns pointed out that the campus is not just one landscape.
"It's a whole variety of landscapes," he said. Not
every element of the landscape has the same value or use.
Diversity in plantings will be important. "No one wants
a monoculture," said Newell, who believes that diverse
plantings provide more interest, variety and beauty.
Huppi said that a standing committee could help define those
areas and advise planners upfront, before new building plans
are too far along for input and landscaping plans get locked
in — before landscaping becomes an afterthought.
Looking Toward the Future
The challenge of budget cuts, drought, rising temperatures
and changing public perceptions will require careful stewardship
of our campus landscape. The Landscape and Grounds Committee
and campus landscapers hope to set the stage for the next century,
defining and enhancing the 400-acre campus we think of as home
away from home.
Or just home.
What Has Campus Meant to You?
As campus officials focus on the future look of Utah State,
we invite you to reminisce about its past. Campus has been a
place of new beginnings and significant happenings for many.
What makes it significant for you?
In the box below, please write your recollections of campus.
What important moments in your past are linked to campus landmarks?
What is your favorite garden, shady walkway or green space on
campus? When you think of your time at Utah State, what images
come to mind?
Once our readers have had a chance to reminisce, we plan
to review your comments and write a follow-up story featuring
your memories of campus life and post it to this site in the
next few weeks. Please check back.
Story by Nadene Steinhoff, 435-797-1429; nadene.steinhoff@usu.edu
Photos by Nadene Steinhoff and John DeVilbiss
Historical information and archival photos courtesy of Bob Parson,
USU Special Collections and Archives
Contacts:
Jack Payne, chair, Environmental Campus Task Force, 435-797-2201;
jack.payne@usu.edu
Roger Kjelgren, chair, Landscape/Grounds Committee, 435-797-2972;
rkjel@mendel.usu.edu
Jim Huppi, Landscape Architect, 435-797-3758; jimh@fac.usu.edu
Ellen Newell, Landscape Manager, 435-797-2111; ellen.newell@usu.edu
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