Upon returning to the United States, Lund heard about the Morrill Act and pitched a vision for the college that would receive widespread support among members of the Territorial Legislature, seeking to reapply for statehood.

According to historian Joel Ricks, "Provo had received the Insane Asylum, Salt Lake City had the University and Capitol, and most of the legislature felt that the new institutions should be given to Weber and Cache Counties."

[36] Consequently, the University of Utah became solely responsible, for a time, for courses in engineering, law, medicine, fine arts, and pedagogy, despite the Agricultural College's initial charter in 1888, which mandated that it offer instruction in such things.

Sidney R. Stock had developed the Radio and Aviation Department earlier and entered the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander to assist in organizing electronics training.

[53] Following the outbreak of the hostage crisis of 1979, immigration officials arrived on campus to interview each Iranian, an event that alienated many international and domestic students.

[54] By the late 20th century, Utah State University aimed to expand its scope beyond being primarily recognized as a regional institution and sought to develop a broader national presence.

[36] In 2010, USU acquired both the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter outside Park City and the former College of Eastern Utah, with its two campuses and various undergraduate and vocational programs.

[100] Extension operates 30 offices throughout the state, which include the Bastian Agricultural Center (South Jordan),[63] the Ogden Botanical Gardens (Ogden),[65] Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter,[68] Thanksgiving Point (Lehi),[66] and the Utah Botanical Center (Kaysville)[101] With a focus on teaching, research, and public service, Extension programs include 4-H, agribusiness, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education, gardening and yard care, personal finance, and animal health.

[103] The campus sits on a "bench," a shelf-like foothill overlooking Cache Valley to the west, with Mount Logan and the Bear River Range rising sharply to the east.

Students have full access to the HPER (pronounced "hyper"), Nelson Fieldhouse, and the 117,000-sq-ft ARC (Aggie Recreation Center) exercise facilities, which include basketball courts, indoor rock climbing, gymnastics equipment, two swimming pools, racquetball, squash, and outdoor field space for lacrosse, rugby, soccer, ultimate, and other sports.

[119] Logan Canyon also serves as the main route to Beaver Mountain Ski Resort and Bear Lake, both of which are popular among students for winter sports and summer activities.

[145] Nearby the Block "A" is the lighted "A" atop the Old Main tower, which shines white throughout the entire valley and blue on nights when a varsity sport has picked up a victory, or other special events have occurred on campus.

The duties of USUSA officers can range from managing campus events and activities to promoting and advocating for particular initiatives at the Utah State Legislature.

The USUSA received significant attention during the 2016–2017 school year when the organization declared a mental health crisis at Utah State University.

[156] Given USU's history and traditions as a land-grant school with an original charter for, in part, military sciences, Utah State supports a robust ROTC program for the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force.

Wearing field attire, members of the ROTC perform pushups and fire a 75mm howitzer cannon at the initial kickoff and each time after the Aggies score points.

Utah State's ROTC cadets also participate in other opportunities and events both on and off campus, including at the annual USU homecoming parade in Logan.

However, when the new Spectrum was built, concerns over the real-life bull scuffing up the basketball court gave rise to the student version of the mascot becoming the more visible and public avatar of Big Blue.

When the Aggies compete in athletic events against in-conference rivals, the Air Force Falcons and Big Blue will also wear military field attire during those games.

[207] University Special Collections and Archives, located at the Merrill-Cazier Library, has extensive archival holdings documenting the histories of Utah, the Intermountain West, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as one of the nation's largest collections pertaining to American folklore, and the lives and works of western authors such as Jack London and poet May Swenson, a Logan native and USU alumna.

[216] USU is the only university in Utah that offers a Housing and Financial Counseling program through the college's Family, Consumer, and Human Development Department.

[222] The Huntsman School of Business also houses the Shingo Institute, an outreach program that develops executive education to be licensed and taught to leaders of organizations worldwide.

[286][287] The preserve protects critical wetland and foothill terrain in the heart of one of the state's fastest-growing areas, and the EcoCenter, completed in 2009, is a multi-use facility with space for educational and community activities.

[303] USU basketball was 193–13 (.937) at home during the Stew Morrill era, having received 6 NCAA Tournament berths in between 2000 and 2010, and amassed more wins than any team in the nation except Duke, Kansas, and Gonzaga during that time.

[316] In December 2020, Utah State University vice president and director of athletics John Hartwell announced Blake Anderson as the Aggies' 29th head football coach.

[325] Utah State's Logan Campus is the largest residential public campus in the state and, as such, there exists officially through Aggie Athletics an array of competitive club sports which students can try out, participate, and compete in, including:[326] Intramural sports are offered to students, faculty, and staff in connection with Aggie Recreation and various on- and off-campus resources and facilities.

Aggie Radio is an affiliate of Learfield IMG College and broadcasts all of the Utah State University Football and Women's and Men's Basketball games throughout the season.

Particularly notable alumni include Harry Reid, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader;[358] Lars Peter Hansen, one of the three Americans to win the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences;[359] May Swenson, poet;[360] Merlin Olsen, pro football hall-of-famer, actor, and TV personality;[361] Ardeshir Zahedi, former Iranian Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the U.S. under the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Shah;[362] LaDonna Antoine-Watkins 1996 and 2000 Olympic sprinter;[363] Chris Cooley, pro-football tight-end who played for the Washington Redskins (2004–2012);[364] the late Mary L. Cleave, NASA astronaut,[340] Bobby Wagner, an NFL linebacker who has played for the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, and Washington Commanders;[365] South Korean film and television actress, Cha Joo-Young;[366] Julie A. Robinson, Chief Scientist of the International Space Station (ISS) Program at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center from 2007 to 2018;[367] Bibhu Mohapatra, New York-based fashion designer and costume designer;[368] and Ann Overdiek Dalton, co-founder of Perfectly Posh.

[369] Particularly notable faculty include Stephen R. Covey (1932–2012), author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People;[370] Michael Ballam, a tenor and general director of the Utah Festival Opera;[371] Don L. Lind (1930–2022), NASA Astronaut and member of "The Original 19";[372] George Dewey Clyde, Governor of Utah;[373] Christopher Cokinos, (2002-2011) award-winning poet and nonfiction writer;[374] Hugo de Garis, artificial intelligence researcher, (2001-2006);[375][376] Rainer Maria Latzke, mural and fresco painter, and founder of the Institute of Frescography;[377] David Peak, physicist, Utah Carnegie Professor of the Year, and mentor to 1 Rhodes and 7 Goldwater Scholars;[378] Richard B.

Powers, American psychologist; Joseph Tainter, anthropologist and historian;[379] and Maura Hagan, Professor of Physics and Dean of the College of Science at Utah State University.