By the first week of the Fall Semester 2024, two generations of Dean Frankie Santos Laanan’s family will have followed him to campus—each one drawn by Laanan’s winning stories of the U student experience. Laanan’s grandsons, undergraduate brothers Elliot and Devin Rice, and Laanan’s nephew Roberto Laanan, a first-year doctoral candidate in the College of Education, chose to enroll at the U for similar reasons: The welcoming campus atmosphere made them feel optimistic about the kind of future they could create here.

“It’s a really incredible phenomenon to have my nephew and grandsons all studying at the U at the same time,” Dean Laanan says. “I have been telling all of them the story of the U in terms of academic reputation, the opportunity to study with scholars and leaders, and the benefits of studying in a state capital where our research affects policy and practice. We are truly at the center of teaching, research, and innovation.”

To his undergraduate grandsons, Dean Laanan also touted the U’s proximity to outdoor recreation across four distinct seasons and the vibrant downtown environment. After his new student orientation session in early August, Elliot confirmed that “anywhere you look on campus there’s beautiful scenery,” and said that he was surprised to find the campus wonderfully sprawling: “There’s so much to explore!”

Elliot joins his brother Devin at the U, a junior majoring in Computer Science. Devin transferred to the U after completing his freshman year at a small state school in Michigan. As Dean Laanan tells it, Devin spent his first year in college feeling like he had to “fend for himself.” The welcoming atmosphere at the U has made all the difference. “Despite the size of the U, faculty and support staff still were able to make me feel that my individual success mattered to them and that I wasn’t just a name in the system,” says Devin.

For both Elliot and Devin, becoming Utes is a return to their roots. The brothers were born in Ogden and moved away when Elliot was just six months old. “I originated in Utah; I feel like I already have a home here,” he says. And he appreciated the way his Orientation leaders encouraged him to create a “campus home” by attending student events.

Academically speaking, Elliot plans to minor in Business and major in English. As a short story writer, he is most looking forward to his “Introduction to Fantasy” class with Instructor Maria Alberto.

To his nephew Roberto, Dean Laanan further emphasized the U’s outstanding academics. “My message to Roberto was that we are peers with Penn, where he received his master’s degree. The U is part of the stratosphere of AAU institutions. He’s now going to study with scholars who are seminal, influencing the field in research and policy.” This fall, Roberto is set to work with Professor Verónica Valdez on the project Advancing Pathways toward Equity and eXcellence with Educators of Multilingual Learners (APEX).

Roberto recalls the moment he walked into the College of Education’s Education, Culture & Society department. “All the faculty were very personable and inviting. Seeing the enthusiasm of everyone my uncle introduced us to, and how genuinely excited they were to meet us, is a throwback to the kind of culture I come from. It’s a family-centric feel.

“It is also invigorating to be around blood family. Just to see impact Uncle Frankie is having here, to see successes in a relatively short amount of time, to see him take on new challenges is very positive and motivating to me.”

Dean Laanan and Roberto Laanan are not the only successful educators in the family. Roberto’s parents recently established a College of Education scholarship in honor of his late older sister, Tricia Laanan, a passionate elementary school teacher and administrator who battled ovarian cancer. The Tricia Laanan Adams memorial scholarship was awarded to its first recipient in May 2024 for the 2024-2025 academic year.

“My family is very grateful to the U for welcoming all of us. For myself and for my parents, this scholarship is an important vehicle through which to honor my sister. One of my sister’s dreams was to pursue a doctorate as well. A lot of what I’m doing is…a tribute to her. It’s a beautiful thing that we can all connect our lives back to the U.”