William J. Kerr

The Board of Trustees elected William Jasper Kerr as USU’s fourth president on June 11, 1900. William and his wife, Leonora, moved into the President’s Home the following fall. Kerr had an encompassing vision for the Utah Agricultural College, expanding the curriculum well beyond the confines of domestic and mechanical arts. During his seven-years as president, the engineering program developed, as well as additional coursework in the arts and humanities. Kerr implemented procedures for the tenure and advancement of teachers to the various ranks of professor, and organized academic departments into five schools. Student clubs and activities also proliferated during Kerr’s presidency. The student newspaper Student Life, predecessor to the Utah Statesman, began its uninterrupted publication in November 1902. He oversaw the completion of Old Main in 1902 and established intercollegiate athletic competition, hiring the first football coach in 1901.