Glen Laird Taggart was born on January 16, 1914 in Lewiston Utah, a small town north of Logan Utah, to James and Valeria Ann Laird Taggart. He received his education from USU and the University of Wisconsin. He was married in 1940, to Phyllis Paulsen.



Before becoming USU’s eleventh president, Taggart served in various positions involved in international education and agricultural development. He was the Chief of the Technical Collaboration Division of the Department of Foreign Agricultural Service, then in 1956 he became the first Dean of International Studies Program at Michigan State University (MSU), and in 1964-1966 when he served as the President of the University of Nigeria.



Taggart was inaugurated as the eleventh president in 1968 and served in this position until 1979. Under Taggart’s administration, USU implemented a decentralized budget that allowed departments to manage their own finances and seek external funding. Additionally, the faculty code, tenure, promotions, student protests, and the Extension Service all received attention from Taggart during his presidency.



After his time at USU, Taggart was involved with the Department of State in International Development until about 1982. Then until 1992 he was a senior program consultant for W.K. Kellogg foundation and helped establish the Agricultural College of the Humid Tropics (Escuela de Agricultural de la Region Tropical Humeda or EARTH) that opened in Costa Rica in the fall of 1990. Taggart also served as a Member of the Utah Board of Regents of Higher Ed.



Taggart passed on August 10, 1997 in Logan Utah.