By Elizabeth Lord ’04, Art Director

Look at that sweet face — is there anything quite as charming as the countenance of a well-fed, happy cow? No matter how the rest of the workday might go, any day requiring me to sift through contented cow photos is a pretty good one.

This year marks my 20th working as a graphic designer at USU, and my sixth year in the role of art director for Utah State magazine. This issue, with a feature on Aggie Ice Cream, hits home personally. The first half of my USU career was spent growing roots in ag, working for the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, and USU Extension. I’ve taken that drive to the south end of Cache Valley many times, exploring USU’s farms and arenas for photoshoots, events, and private tours — and yes, seeing our award-winning, beautiful lady bovines up close and personal.

Twenty years, plus my time as a student, has built up lots of good USU nostalgia in the memory banks. I hope this issue zings inside of you a lightning bolt of recollections from your own time at USU — possibly connected to walking the long, bustling halls of the student center, eagerly stepping into the class of a beloved professor, or eating a sweet scoop of Aggie Ice Cream. Also within these pages are new additions to USU’s history of doing good, sharing a taste of the paths that future Aggies may soon discover for themselves.

You also might notice a huge shakeup with the cover, and I hope the change doesn’t scare you! USU keeps making new inroads in research, teaching, and the broader community, becoming a global player in shaping our understanding of the world around us. We wanted that level of impact to be reflected on the cover — a bolder masthead, and an asymmetrical design that is clean, versatile, and functional, allowing the subjects on our cover to shine. 

The impact of print is visceral. The rustle of paper, the smell of ink, fiddling through pages to land on that one story that catches your eye. For Aggies, at least, the death of print is greatly exaggerated. We kept getting feedback that you love the print issues, and because of that response, we’re proud to share that we are returning the magazine back to three print issues a year. You have that kind of impact. Thank you for valuing your alumni magazine, sharing your thoughts with us, and placing your trust in our team to visually bring the stories of USU to life.

This issue was especially sweet for me, and not just because of the ice cream. Working on it brought a smile to my face and I hope, my fellow alumni, that reading it brings one to yours.