The Bastian family just donated $41.25 million to the university for the Bastian Agricultural Center. This is the single largest gift in the history of the university. This follows on the heels of the Space Dynamics Lab grant. The university is making huge strides in its national profile. It's a great time to be an Aggie.

This is awesome and really helps keep the momentum going on donations. Some other significant donations over the last 15 years:

2021 - $300 by NVAggie
2019 - $1.44 million endowed athletic scholarship from Richard and Moonyeen Anderson
2017 - $25 million from the Charles Koch Foundation
2017 - $25 million from the Huntsman Foundation
2012 - $10 million from the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation
2012 - $4.5 million from an anonymous donor to the athletic department
2010 - $30 million value with the gift of the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter in Park City
2007 - $25 million from Jon M. Huntsman Sr.

I am sure there a others, but these were the ones I easily found.

I gave $300 to the MOF last month. That should probably be on there as well.

NVAggie wrote: ↑

January 13th, 2022, 9:01 am

I gave $300 to the MOF last month. That should probably be on there as well.

Sorry I missed it, that was a complete oversight. Don't worry, I fixed it.

bwcrc wrote: ↑

January 13th, 2022, 7:33 am

This is awesome and really helps keep the momentum going on donations. Some other significant donations over the last 15 years:

2021 - $300 by NVAggie
2019 - $1.44 million endowed athletic scholarship from Richard and Moonyeen Anderson
2017 - $25 million from the Charles Koch Foundation
2017 - $25 million from the Huntsman Foundation
2012 - $10 million from the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation
2012 - $4.5 million from an anonymous donor to the athletic department
2010 - $30 million value with the gift of the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter in Park City
2007 - $25 million from Jon M. Huntsman Sr.

I am sure there a others, but these were the ones I easily found.

I would like this post many more times if I were allowed.

That $4.5 million anonymous donation... that was... you guessed it...



not me ;-)

Any idea who this Bastian family is and where their wealth came from? Google want helpful to me last night

trevordude wrote: ↑

January 13th, 2022, 3:41 pm

Any idea who this Bastian family is and where their wealth came from? Google want helpful to me last night

The University press release says that the Bastian family has been ranching in the Salt Lake Valley for more than 75 years. But I wonder if "the Bastian family" really means Bruce Bastian. Bruce Bastian was the co-founder of WordPerfect with Alan Ashton. They each owned 49.5% of the company. At one point his net worth was estimated at $840 million. He's been quietly doing philanthropy in Utah, and elsewhere. He has four sons. He's known to be intensely private. I emphasize, I don't know if this is the case. I'm just speculating. I don't think even the richest ranching families have the cash to drop a $41.25 million donation.

LKGates wrote:

trevordude wrote: ↑

January 13th, 2022, 3:41 pm

Any idea who this Bastian family is and where their wealth came from? Google want helpful to me last night

The University press release says that the Bastian family has been ranching in the Salt Lake Valley for more than 75 years. But I wonder if "the Bastian family" really means Bruce Bastian. Bruce Bastian was the co-founder of WordPerfect with Alan Ashton. They each owned 49.5% of the company. At one point his net worth was estimated at $840 million. He's been quietly doing philanthropy in Utah, and elsewhere. He has four sons. He's known to be intensely private. I emphasize, I don't know if this is the case. I'm just speculating. I don't think even the richest ranching families have the cash to drop a $41.25 million donation.

Not even the Dutton’s have that kind of scratch.


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Can someone explain this to me? It sounds like this will be the equivalent of the American west heritage center in Salt Lake County. I mean that is cool and all but how does it actually benefit USU other than give the university something to manage 100 miles from campus?

I feel like 40 million would have benefited the ag school better by starting a vet school.... though I get that the school doesn't always get to control where donations go.

Seems like a 40 million dollar gift that does not increase research output or benefit students on campus. But good for the 4H programs I guess...

What am I missing here?

Utah State is our land grant University. They're required to serve the whole state. They already have land and facilities basically everywhere in Utah.

LarryTheAggie wrote: ↑

January 13th, 2022, 11:08 pm

Can someone explain this to me? It sounds like this will be the equivalent of the American west heritage center in Salt Lake County. I mean that is cool and all but how does it actually benefit USU other than give the university something to manage 100 miles from campus?

I feel like 40 million would have benefited the ag school better by starting a vet school.... though I get that the school doesn't always get to control where donations go.

Seems like a 40 million dollar gift that does not increase research output or benefit students on campus. But good for the 4H programs I guess...

What am I missing here?

One advantage is it gives USU a big flag to plant and continually wave in the SLC valley. Most everyone recognizes USU needs to do a better job along the Wasatch Front and facilities like this certainly help.

ViAggie wrote: ↑

January 13th, 2022, 3:09 pm

That $4.5 million anonymous donation... that was... you guessed it...



not me ;-)

AKAggie!!

aggies22 wrote: ↑

January 14th, 2022, 7:46 am

ViAggie wrote: ↑

January 13th, 2022, 3:09 pm

That $4.5 million anonymous donation... that was... you guessed it...



not me ;-)

AKAggie!!

Maybe in reindeer hotdogs.

Is this donation in relation to the Olympia Hills project I wonder?
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2019/06/22/ ... er-behind/

slcagg wrote:

aggies22 wrote: ↑

January 14th, 2022, 7:46 am

ViAggie wrote: ↑

January 13th, 2022, 3:09 pm

That $4.5 million anonymous donation... that was... you guessed it...



not me ;-)

AKAggie!!

Maybe in reindeer hotdogs.

I wish the gifts I gave were 6.5” long!


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LarryTheAggie wrote: ↑

January 13th, 2022, 11:08 pm

Can someone explain this to me? It sounds like this will be the equivalent of the American west heritage center in Salt Lake County. I mean that is cool and all but how does it actually benefit USU other than give the university something to manage 100 miles from campus?

I feel like 40 million would have benefited the ag school better by starting a vet school.... though I get that the school doesn't always get to control where donations go.

Seems like a 40 million dollar gift that does not increase research output or benefit students on campus. But good for the 4H programs I guess...

What am I missing here?

https://www.usu.edu/today/story/?story= ... ake-county

I used to work for USU in this department. This goes back to the Morrill Act of 1863 signed by President Lincoln where land grant universities were established in each state. The purpose was and still is to research agriculture and provide education for the masses. Until that point Universities were a product of the elite.

The Hatch Act of 1887 required Ag Experiment Stations be established at each of these and around the states, and in the early 20th Century the 1914 Smith Lever Act was passed so that research done at Universities would be made available to the public in each of the counties across the United States. Dissemination of the information done on campuses needed to provided to food producers across the country.

They found many of the farmers were not as receptive to new ideas, so they began to teach kids and had success there.

This center is one of 3-4 that USU owns or partners with to bring research based information to the public. The Swaner Ecocenter in Park City, the Utah Botanical Center in Kaysville, and a partnership between USU and Thanksgiving Point also have similar missions.

The overall mission of Extension has grown over the past century to include more programs dealing with finance, horticulture, economic development, and numerous other topics for the community. The family invloved wants to help educate and preserve that in Salt Lake County. This video explains why they made their gift also. Schools and others will be able to visit to bridge the rural vs urban lifestyles as a part of USU's community outreach.

Also the gift is not solely money, part of this is appraised value of the land, so that is why it all can't simply be for on campus programs.

Additionally, a story about the early traveling 19th Century Ag Professors. They would go out to farms and ranches across their states to teach farmers about some of the research they did. Results were mixed because even in those days the older generation didn't always want to hear new ideas.

One of the ways that they made a breakthrough was finding children to teach instead, since they had a much more open mind to such things. There is a documented story of a young man that grew a type of hybrid corn given to him by professors along with some lessons on growing it. In 1912, he grew 209 bushels on an acre when the average for the time was 45 bushels. A lot more people began to pay attention after his success.

During the late 1800's, researchers at public universities saw that adults in the farming communities did not readily accept the new agricultural discoveries being developed on university campuses - practices like using hybrid seed corn, milk sanitation and better home canning procedures. However, the researchers found that young people were open to new thinking and would "experiment" with new ideas and share their experiences and successes with their parents. In this way, rural youth programs became an innovative way to introduce new agriculture technology to their communities

Marius Malmgren of Hickory, Virginia, a member of a corn club, is shown with his 1912 yield - 209 bushels of corn on one acre when national corn yields averaged only 45 bushels per acre.

https://4-hhistorypreservation.com/History/Hist_Nat/

You’d think there might be some synergy between the Bastians and the push for a new vet school. Maybe the “Bastian School of Veterinary Medicine.”

CaptainChaos wrote: ↑

January 14th, 2022, 8:19 am

Is this donation in relation to the Olympia Hills project I wonder?
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2019/06/22/ ... er-behind/

Yes. It is open space within the development where farming can continue.

LarryTheAggie wrote:Can someone explain this to me? It sounds like this will be the equivalent of the American west heritage center in Salt Lake County. I mean that is cool and all but how does it actually benefit USU other than give the university something to manage 100 miles from campus?

I feel like 40 million would have benefited the ag school better by starting a vet school.... though I get that the school doesn't always get to control where donations go.

Seems like a 40 million dollar gift that does not increase research output or benefit students on campus. But good for the 4H programs I guess...

What am I missing here?

Is there cash flow? If so then in the long run this will help the school over a 50-100 year period

LKGates wrote:

trevordude wrote: ↑

January 13th, 2022, 3:41 pm

Any idea who this Bastian family is and where their wealth came from? Google want helpful to me last night

The University press release says that the Bastian family has been ranching in the Salt Lake Valley for more than 75 years. But I wonder if "the Bastian family" really means Bruce Bastian. Bruce Bastian was the co-founder of WordPerfect with Alan Ashton. They each owned 49.5% of the company. At one point his net worth was estimated at $840 million. He's been quietly doing philanthropy in Utah, and elsewhere. He has four sons. He's known to be intensely private. I emphasize, I don't know if this is the case. I'm just speculating. I don't think even the richest ranching families have the cash to drop a $41.25 million donation.

They are distant relatives, this is NOT the WordPerfect Bastain.


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LoveMyAggies wrote: ↑

January 16th, 2022, 2:15 pm

LarryTheAggie wrote:Can someone explain this to me? It sounds like this will be the equivalent of the American west heritage center in Salt Lake County. I mean that is cool and all but how does it actually benefit USU other than give the university something to manage 100 miles from campus?

I feel like 40 million would have benefited the ag school better by starting a vet school.... though I get that the school doesn't always get to control where donations go.

Seems like a 40 million dollar gift that does not increase research output or benefit students on campus. But good for the 4H programs I guess...

What am I missing here?

Is there cash flow? If so then in the long run this will help the school over a 50-100 year period

The $40 million is not all cash in this case, it is mostly the property asset donated to USU. One of the articles said it appraised for over $30 million.