Utah State University - Buzzer Yearbook (Logan, UT)

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5 o story with on angle usu president Stanford cozier Utah State University President Stanford Cozier sot in his office choir, quite relaxed, honds dosped behind his head, ond nodded toward o pointing hanging on his office ujoII. Twain Tippetts (director of USU's Rrt Gallery) tells me that's one of the world's greotest works of art. Rs for os composition ond balance ore concerned, it's supposed to be o masterpiece. soid Cozier The pointing. Afterglow. by Francis DeCrdley. is o still life of pineapples ond ortichokes clustered around o whole oil lomp. The piece foirly bristles with shorp edges ond severe angles. I believe Twain when he tells me it's great, but thot one over there's my 22

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Ion Smith protest 21

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favorite. Cozier exploins. looking over his shoulder to onother pointing. That one belongs to me—not the university.” The second pointing is certomly different from the first. It's on abstract UJestern scene, more o suggestion of landscope forms thon on actual land-scope. It is o visto of vast proportion, composed of indistinct eorth farms uuith promise of indefinite distance. There ore no horsh edges. Cozier's preference for the latter pointing is highly indicative of his character, of his personality, perhaps of his private philosophy. On first meeting him. most people ore mstontly aware of the lock of harshness. There ore no abrubt angles in his speech or monnensms; just o suggestion of calmness, of capability to function os husband. os father, os Utoh Stote University president. Virtually everyone fomilior uuith Cozier, personally ond professionally, echoes •hese observations, ond insist that it would be difficult to find o better administrator. And Cozier is certainly sold on his job. He is undeniably proud of USU, ond doesn't hesitate to explain why. Sometimes I wonder if we realize what on excellent university we hove here in Logon? he asked almost to himself. He refuses to toke much of the credit for the quality of the education offered ot Utoh Stote. heopmg praise rather on the faculty. USU is special in regords to the dedicotion of the personnel. UJe wont to hold on to them, ond reword them whenever possible. The university continues to function well despite major budget cutbacks, ond the foremost reoson is the obility of our talented staff. Cozier soys that being o university president is much more thon o job. It's o lifestyle more thon on occupation. he soid. Vou con never toke off the officialdom. Vou just con't escape it. There ore very few really private moments you hove. The president of o university constontly represents thot university. Sometimes you just show the :iag; other times there is more substantive representation. Cozier ond his wife. Shirley, were oble to visit Curope for almost o month lost summer, but the president soys it wos his first vocation in 10 years. He insists thot his wife is practically o full partner in his presidency ot USU. I con’t conceive of o (university) president doing his job without o wife. I'm sure some hove, but from my standpoint. I simply couldn't do it, Cozier soid. Shirley Cozier ogrees wholeheartedly. The solory Ston receives is my salary too. Mrs. Cozier soys. A president's wife simply con't ignore the the consistent demands of her husbond's position. I told the Board of Regents when they hired my husband thot they were getting two far the price of one. A president's spouse has been referred to os o 'diplomat without o portfolio, ond I con see why. I know thot I con do much to faster good relations between town ond gown.” she soid. Cozier hos hod o kind of double life in his professional life on o university campus. His experience in the classroom os o history professor before being promoted to on administrative position hos given him on overall perspective on university life. Cozier isn't o highly visible person ot Utoh Stote. ot leost not to the overage student. Cozier's duties frequently toke him from compus. ond ploce him in mony meetings thot determine the future of the university. Just o few of his responsibilities ore membership on the Institutional Council, regular meetings with the Boord of Regents to thrash out financial ond procedural problems ond presiding ot the Faculty Senate. His is o high-pressure job thot deals with oil the complicated ond often dull problems thot must be resolved if USU is to continue in its mission of education. Cozier hos o rare tolent for functioning in pressure situations, ond yet never showing ony reaction to the pressure, never having ony apparent backlash to the demands of his position. He just operates from day to doy calmly. with professionalism ond toct. He never exhibits ony shorp edges. Perhaps that's why he prefers his UJestern abstract to the keen angles ond points of Afterglow. Ill