On January 7th, Weber State University inaugurated its 13th president, Brad L. Mortensen. Mortensen has been leading WSU for more than a year since he was selected by the USHE Board of Regents in December 2018 to fill the post.
President Mortensen used the inauguration to announce a new $10 million scholarship initiative called ‘CATapult. The initiative will help boost student recruitment, retention, and completion rates by helping students overcome financial obstacles that could otherwise derail them from graduating. The scholarship will be flexible enough for the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office to address students’ unique circumstances.
Mortensen joined WSU in 2004 and, before becoming the university’s president, he served as Vice President of University Advancement for 11 years. Active with several northern Utah organizations, he has chaired the Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Northern Utah. Utah Business Magazine recognized him as 2018 CXO of the Year. His prior professional endeavors include the Utah System of Higher Education, Utah Governor’s Office, Arizona legislature, and two policy fellowships. Mortensen earned a bachelor’s degree from Utah State University, a master’s degree from Syracuse University, and a doctoral degree from the University of Utah.
In the past year, two other USHE institutions inaugurated presidents. Bradley J. Cook was inaugurated as Snow College’s 17th president on November 7, 2019, and Astrid S. Tuminez was inaugurated on March 27, 2019 as the seventh president of Utah Valley University.
