H.C.R. 9 Enrolled

RESOLUTION HONORING OUTGOING USU
PRESIDENT KERMIT L. HALL
2005 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Sponsor: Fred R. Hunsaker

LONG TITLE
General Description:
This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor expresses appreciation
to outgoing Utah State University President Kermit L. Hall.
Highlighted Provisions:
This resolution:
. expresses appreciation to outgoing Utah State University President Kermit L. Hall
for his years of service to the students, faculty, and staff of the university and for his
commitment to excellence.
Special Clauses:
None

Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
WHEREAS, Kermit L. Hall, President of Utah State University, has announced that he
has been named President of State University of New York at Albany effective February 1,
2005;
WHEREAS, Kermit L. Hall was named the 14th President of Utah State University on
January 2, 2001;
WHEREAS, President Hall's four years of service at Utah State University have been
filled with tremendous dedication, energy, and accomplishment;
WHEREAS, President Hall declined to have a traditional inauguration and instead
pledged $10,000 of his own money to be used to establish a student inaugural scholarship fund,
saving the university $50,000;

WHEREAS, the scholarship fund is now worth $850,000;
WHEREAS, President Hall introduced a new funding relationship between the university
and its departments that matches funding allocations with departmental objectives;
WHEREAS, President Hall helped the university create a role statement and ten
well-defined university goals that are centered on the university's historical mission as the state's
only land grant university, and key decisions are made based on meeting these university goals;
WHEREAS, "academics first" became President Hall's rallying cry, and in 2003 the fall
freshman class was the best prepared class Utah State ever admitted academically, with an
average grade point average of 3.6 and an average age of 18;
WHEREAS, Utah State University's incoming freshmen athletes have an 80% graduation
rate, ranking the university in the top ten nationwide;
WHEREAS, in May 2004 the university participated in its second Roads Scholars Tour,
which showcased the university's new faculty and staff and introduced them to the state of Utah;
WHEREAS, during his service, President Hall saw Utah State University honored with
its first Rhodes Scholar in 22 years;
WHEREAS, President Hall helped the university to develop a new mission that supports
the vision of the State Board of Regents for the university's place in the state's system of higher
education;
WHEREAS, Utah State University was the first to develop this mission statement and
was cited by the State Board of Regents as a model for other institutions to follow;
WHEREAS, under President Hall's urging, the way in which Utah State University
measured research productivity was significantly changed, emphasizing the same measuring
standards applied by the National Science Foundation and the Carnegie Foundation;
WHEREAS, despite historical state budget cuts amounting to some $14 million,
President Hall insisted that student tuition dollars earmarked to the university be used, in part, to
hire more teachers and advisors, resulting in the student/faculty ratio declining from 27:1 to 21:1;
WHEREAS, during the past 18 months, he has coedited two books, "The Oxford
Companion to American Law and Constitutionalism," and "American Culture: Writing the New

Constitutional History";
WHEREAS, early in his presidency, Kermit L. Hall vowed to meet Utah residents in
every county, and later he also milked a cow from every county and forged new friendships and
reintroduced and endeared many hundreds to the state's land grant institution;
WHEREAS, despite the demands on his time, President Hall, who is also a history
professor, took time out of his schedule to teach advanced classes in constitutional history;
WHEREAS, since he arrived four years ago, key decision makers around the state and the
nation have come to know and respect President Hall for his vision and insights regarding higher
education in Utah and the nation;
WHEREAS, President Hall has helped to reduce administrative costs by collapsing the
College of Family Life and dispersing departments among the university's existing seven
colleges, and reorganized the president's executive committee to reduce the number of vice
presidents traditionally required of similarly sized institutions;
WHEREAS, under his urging, university administrators, faculty, and staff were asked to
join him in giving up a portion of their day to help new students move into their campus housing
units;
WHEREAS, President Hall instituted a "Graduate in Four" program that encourages
students to graduate in a timely manner by following a preprescribed curriculum plan, and if the
student follows the plan but does not graduate in four years, the university covers the student's
last year of tuition;
WHEREAS, under President Hall's leadership, Utah State University advanced from not
being a member of any athletic conference league to joining the Sunbelt Conference and recently
accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference;
WHEREAS, under President Hall's direction, a child care development center will be
constructed to provide services for children of students, faculty, staff, and community members;
WHEREAS, under President Hall's direction, Utah State University has seen its research
funding increase to record amounts;
WHEREAS, in the fall of 2004, under President Hall's direction, Utah State University

came together with the community to hold a benchmark summit that combined university
expertise with community know-how to address environmental sustainability, economic growth,
and demographic diversity, with the goal to make Cache Valley a better and even more rewarding
place to live, work, and study;
WHEREAS, President Hall has always been a champion of the open process and
demonstrated his commitment to this approach by taking his proposal for a tuition increase over
three years directly to the student body six months in advance of the usual timetable for these
discussions; and
WHEREAS, President Hall will be greatly missed by all those he has touched through his
leadership and service:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
Governor concurring therein, express gratitude to Kermit L. Hall for his years of service and
dedication as the President of Utah State University.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be presented to Kermit L.
Hall.