Stan Albrecht has been appointed to the Utah Board of Higher Education by Gov. Spence Cox. Albrecht served as president of Utah State University from 2005 until his retirement in 2016 (Image courtesy of USU).
SALT LAKE CITY – Gov. Spencer Cox has appointed former Utah State University president Stan Albrecht to the Utah Board of Higher Education.
Albrecht was one of five new members named on May 13. The others were Julie Bangerter Beck, Rich Christiansen, Hope Eccles and Steve Starks.
“Each member of this new cohort of exceptional Utahns has a deep respect for learning and a track record of success,” according to the governor.
The Utah Board of Higher Education oversees the Utah System of Higher Education, which includes eight public colleges and universities and eight technical colleges.
The 18-member board sets policies; reviews degrees and programs; hires and evaluates institutional presidents; and submits an annual budget request to the governor and Legislature, among other responsibilities.
Stan Albrecht became dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at USU in 1998. He was named provost of the university in 2001 and was appointed president in 2005. He retired in 2016.
A native of Fremont in Wayne County, Albrecht enrolled as an undergraduate at Southern Utah University and later transferred to Brigham Young University.
After obtaining an undergraduate degree from BYU, he completed a master’s degree and a doctorate in sociology from Washington State University.
His professional experience includes teaching at USU; a more than 20-year tenure at BYU as a professor, department head, dean, vice-president and associate provost; and serving as associate director of the epidemiological research center at the University of Florida College of Medicine.
A native of Granger, Julie Bangerter Beck graduated from Dixie College. She also attended BYU and was a member of the Board of Trustees of Dixie State University. She served in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency and a leader in Primary, Young Women, Relief Society and Scouting.
Rich Christiansen was re-elected to serve a second term as chair of the Board of Trustees at Southern Utah University in 2021. He is a national best-selling author, a philanthropist and humanitarian with a special interest in projects where he can take an active role in the education of the next generation of leaders.
Hope Eccles is president of the Goldener Hirsch Inn, a luxury hotel in Deer Valley.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, she graduated from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah and received a master’s of Business Administration from Columbia University. She also holds an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from UofU.
Steve Starks is the CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies.
He is a graduate of Weber State University with a degree in Integrated Studies. Starks previously served as president of the Utah Jazz and Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment. Starks advises the governor on Olympic/Paralympic affairs and is the chair of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah.
“I am grateful to each of them for their willingness to take on this new responsibility,” Cox said. “I look forward to their wise management of Utah’s colleges and universities.”