Stan L. Albrecht
Stan L. Albrecht (born July 13, 1942) is an American educator and university administrator who served as the 15th president of Utah State University (USU) from 2005 to 2016.
He grew up on a farm near Fremont in Wayne County, Utah. He started college at Southern Utah State College, then transferred to Brigham Young University, where he changed majors a few times before settling on sociology. He earned a BA from BYU and an MA and PhD in sociology from Washington State University.
Albrecht began teaching at USU in 1970. He spent more than twenty years at Brigham Young University as a professor, department head, dean, academic vice president, and associate provost. He also worked as associate director of the epidemiological research center at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He returned to Utah State as Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences from 1998 to 2001, then became provost of the university.
He was named USU president on February 1, 2005, amid a period of tragedy following a van accident that killed eight students and a faculty member returning from an agricultural research trip. During his presidency, he focused on expanding USU’s statewide campus system, boosting enrollment, and improving facilities. He helped establish the Energy Dynamics Lab and added a new college. He launched a $400 million fundraising campaign in 2007; the initial goal was reached within a year, the goal was doubled, and the campaign ran through 2012.
Albrecht retired in 2016 and was succeeded by Noelle E. Cockett, the university’s first female president, who began in January 2017. In retirement, he has taken on roles such as serving on the Executive Advisory Board for Rocky Vista University’s new Medical School of Osteopathy (2017). He was once a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but later left the church.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:12 (CET).