Utah State University Advances Campus Safety and Security Initiatives
State education board approves new campus security, emergency response and threat assessment standards for Utah State University.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- October 12, 2026
Utah State University is evaluating and implementing a comprehensive suite of campus safety recommendations, according to a campuswide update sent to university employees by President Brad L. Mortensen.
The security guidelines, recently approved by the Utah Board of Higher Education and developed by its Campus Safety Task Force, establish unified standards for behavioral threat assessment, emergency preparedness and response, campus event oversight, facility security, staff training and emergency communications across state institutions.
In preparation for the upcoming legislative session, state education leaders also approved systemwide budget requests prioritizing campus safety, cybersecurity infrastructure, employee compensation and technical capacity.
Mortensen noted that several of the newly approved safety measures align with protocols the institution established earlier this year. Among those measures is the implementation of a centralized scheduling system for campus events, designed to provide security personnel and administrators with greater visibility to conduct operational and safety reviews prior to gatherings.
Administrators are currently reviewing the complete set of task force recommendations to determine additional security enhancements across university facilities and statewide campus locations in the coming months.
Alongside safety updates, the state board approved a revised institutional mission statement for the university and prioritized targeted funding requests for space research and environmental stewardship initiatives. The university is also conducting leadership searches for key administrative roles, including an executive director of Civil Rights and Title IX.