In a surprise departure, Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell is stepping down as the president of Utah State University — after spending only a year and a half at the helm of the Logan school that continues to be dogged by allegations of a toxic culture within its football program and, more recently, concerns that prompted legislation about transgender students.
The sudden announcement came Thursday night with a brief statement from the Utah Board of Higher Education, which provided little information on the circumstances behind her resignation.
The message said Cantwell has accepted another job as the 12th president of Washington State University — becoming the first woman to lead the school in Pullman, Wash. And she will be starting work there in less than two months.
“While the details are still being finalized, we expect that she will wrap up her time at USU in the next couple of months and assume her new role on April 1, 2025,” the board’s statement noted.
The board, which oversees the hiring and firing of the state’s public university leaders, said it is “aware of and focused on the opportunities and needs at Utah State University.” The board soon will announce plans for the search for a new president, as well as an interim administrator.
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