USU was awarded the $253,000 Rural Utility Services (RUS) grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) department of Rural Development. The RUS grant provides USU the necessary funding to install important education technology to 11 rural Utah communities, including Blanding, Montezuma Creek, Bicknell, and more.

The equipment being installed allows students to take classes via broadcast from USU in Logan and other Regional Campuses and Centers throughout Utah. One of the updates is the installation of a lower-cost, all-in-one conferencing system allowing a single student in a remote location to participate in a class, rather than a single student sitting in a large classroom.

The grant will cover the new technology installation and replacement of outdated equipment. This will assist USU in meeting its land-grant mission to provide higher education throughout the state, regardless of location.