David Law Named Associate Vice President for USU Uintah Basin

VERNAL, Utah — After serving as interim associate vice president since December 2023, David Law has officially been named associate vice president for the Utah State University Uintah Basin region. Law has been a member of the USU Uintah Basin faculty since 2001 and has served in multiple leadership capacities in his time at USU. The new title and position became official on May 1.

“I was thrilled that Dave accepted this assignment and that the campuses in Roosevelt and Vernal can continue to thrive and grow,” said James Y. Taylor, vice president for Statewide Campuses in a statement. “Under Dr. Law, the Uintah Basin campuses will continue to be led by a seasoned leader with academic roots and community connections. Because of the outstanding faculty, committed student services, and staff and community support, the Uintah Basin continues to lead in Utah State’s Statewide Campus system and innovation continues to influence the student experience across the state and our institution.”

Law joined Utah State as an assistant professor in August 2001, after working as a part-time faculty member at Brigham Young University (BYU), beginning in 1997. He was promoted to associate professor and received tenure in 2007 and was promoted to full professor in 2019. Law is in the department of human development and family studies in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services.

“I am both excited and humbled by this opportunity to serve in this leadership role,” said Law. “Over the past eight years, Dr. Taylor has helped prepare me for this opportunity as he has mentored me in my leadership skills and style. I will continue to build on the three core priorities that make USU Uintah Basin such a special place. First, I want each student to feel like they belong at the university and to receive personalized developmental support. Second, I want USU Uintah Basin to contribute to faculty and staff’s well-being. Lastly, I want our faculty and staff working together with community members and community partners to address and resolve issues that better all of our lives.”

Law has been in various leadership roles since 2013. He first served as an associate dean and also served as the director of students from 2015-17. Prior to becoming interim associate vice president, Law was the associate director for USU Uintah Basin, having served in the position from July 2016-December 2023.

Law earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from USU (1988), a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Stout (1991), and a doctorate in marriage and family therapy from BYU (1997).

Law has published in the fields of marriage and family therapy, family life education, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and mentoring in academia. He has served as guest editor of the online journal Family Science Review. His most recent scholarship was co-editing the book Making Connections: A Handbook for Effective Formal Mentoring Programs in Academia. He has received awards for mentoring undergraduate students and was recently recognized as the 2021 Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services Undergraduate Faculty Mentor of the Year.

For the past six years, Law has overseen the design, implementation and evaluation of Faculty-to-Student Mentoring Programs for the Uintah Basin campus and the Statewide Campuses system.

Operating campuses in Vernal and Roosevelt for more than 50 years, Utah State University Uintah Basin gives students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university, all in the backdrop of the outdoor oasis that is the Uinta Mountains and Ashley National Forest. With degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees and more than 125 programs available, as well as access to the renowned Bingham Research Center, USU Uintah Basin offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at uintahbasin.usu.edu.