University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah)[12] is a publicresearch universityinSalt Lake City, Utah. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (/ˌdɛzəˈrɛt/ⓘ)[13] by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret,[1] making it Utah's oldest institution of higher education.[14] The university received its current name in 1892, four years before Utah attained statehood, and moved to its current location in 1900.[1] It is the flagship university of the Utah System of Higher Education.[15]
According to the National Science Foundation, the university received $670 million in research and development funding in 2022, ranking it 47th in the nation.[19] The university's health care system includes four hospitals, including the University of Utah Hospital and Huntsman Cancer Institute, along with twelve community clinics and specialty centers such as the Moran Eye Center. The university's athletic teams, the Utes, participate in NCAADivision I athletics (FBS for football) as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. On August 4, 2023, the university applied and was accepted to join the Big 12 Conference starting in 2024.
Soon after the Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake valley in 1847, Brigham Young began organizing a Board of Regents to establish a university.[38] The university was established on February 28, 1850, as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, and Orson Spencer was appointed as the first chancellor of the university. Early classes were held in private homes, or wherever space could be found. The university closed in 1853 due to a lack of funds and lack of feeder schools.
Following years of intermittent classes in the Salt Lake City Council House, the university began to be re-established in 1867 under the direction of David O. Calder, who was followed by John R. Park in 1869. The university moved out of the council house into the Union Academy building in 1876 and into Union Square in 1884. In 1892, the school's name was changed to the University of Utah, and John R. Park began arranging to obtain land belonging to the U.S. Army's Fort Douglas on the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley, where the university moved permanently in 1900. Additional Fort Douglas land has been granted to the university over the years, and the fort was officially closed on October 26, 1991.[39] Upon his death in 1900, Dr. John R. Park bequeathed his entire fortune to the university.[1][40]
The university grew rapidly in the early 20th century but was involved in an academic freedom controversy in 1915 when Joseph T. Kingsbury recommended that five faculty members be dismissed after a graduation speaker made a speech critical of Utah governor William Spry. One third of the faculty resigned in protest of these dismissals. Some[who?] felt that the dismissals were a result of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' influence on the university, while others[who?] felt that they reflected a more general pattern of repressing religious and political expression that might be deemed offensive. The controversy was largely resolved when Kingsbury resigned in 1916, but university operations were again interrupted by World War I, and later The Great Depression and World War II. Student enrollment dropped to a low of 3,418 during the last year of World War II, but A. Ray Olpin made substantial additions to campus following the war, and enrollment reached 12,000 by the time he retired in 1964. Growth continued in the following decades as the university developed into a research center for fields such as computer science and medicine.[1][42]
During the 2002 Winter Olympics, the university hosted the Olympic Village,[43] a housing complex for the Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.[44] Multiple large improvements were made to the university prior to the events, including extensive renovations to the Rice-Eccles Stadium,[44]alight rail line leading to downtown Salt Lake City,[45] a new student center known as the Heritage Center,[43] an array of new student housing,[46] and what is now a 180-room campus hotel and conference center.[47]
The University of Utah Asia Campus opened as an international branch campus in the Incheon Global Campus in Songdo, Incheon, South Korea in 2014. Three other European and American universities are also participating.[48] The Asia Campus was funded by the South Korean government.[49][50]
In 2015, the university helped open the Ensign College of Public Health in Kpong, Ghana.[51]
Most courses take place on the west side of campus, known as lower campus due to its lower elevation. Presidents Circle is a loop of buildings named after past university presidents with a courtyard in the center. Major libraries on lower campus include the J. Willard Marriott Library and the S.J. Quinney Law Library.[8] The primary student activity center is the A. Ray Olpin University Union, and campus fitness centers include the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Complex (HPER) and the Eccles Student Life Center.[8][53]
Lower campus is also home to most public venues, such as the Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Jon M. Huntsman Center, and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, a museum with rotating exhibitions and a permanent collection of American, European, African, and Asian art. Venues for performing arts include Kingsbury Hall, used for touring companies and concerts, Pioneer Memorial Theatre, used by the professional Pioneer Theatre Company, David P. Gardner Hall, used by the School of Music and for musical performances, and the Marriott Center for Dance. Red Butte Garden, with formal gardens and natural areas, as well as the new site of the Utah Museum of Natural History, is located on the far east side of campus.[54]
Courses are also held at off-campus centers located in St. George and Sandy.[60]
In July 2017, the Academic Senate bestowed the designation of tobacco-free campus on the university, but rules were not enforced until 2018. The rule prohibits students and faculty from "smoking or using chewing tobacco, electronic cigarettes and all other recreational nicotine-delivery products on any property owned, leased or controlled by the University of Utah."[61]
The University of Utah provides student housing in a 34-building housing complex on campus. The complex consists of nine housing areas: Chapel Glen, Gateway Heights, Sage Point, Officer's Circle, Benchmark Plaza, Shoreline Ridge, the Donna Garff Marriott Honors Residential Scholars Community (MHC for short), the Lassonde Studios, and Kahlert Village. The MHC is a dormitory strictly for honors students and was completed in fall 2012.[62] Built in 2016, the Lassonde Studios is part of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and houses 400 students; the studios also feature a "creative garage" with 3D printers and spaces for startups.[63] Kahlert Village, completed August 2020, houses 990 first-year students.[64][65]
In 2012, the university unveiled a new plan for a more conducive campus for bicyclists called the "Bicycle Master Plan" which aims to transform the campus into a safer and more accessible place for cycling and to promote bicycle ridership. The plan emphasizes both campus pathways and on-street facilities that connect the core campus area with surrounding neighborhoods. The Bicycle Master Plan gives guidelines for facilities and programs that are within the University's jurisdiction. It also provides recommendations for the University to work with external entities such as UDOT, UTA, and Salt Lake City to improve bicycling conditions in locations that are important to the campus environment, but which are not under the University's direct control.[69][70][71]
Sustainability efforts include a permanent sustainability office, a campus cogeneration plant, building upgrades and energy efficient building standards, behavior modification programs, purchasing local produce for campus dining, a farmers market, and student groups, as well as a branch of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective.[66] Sustainability and transportation are also a large part of the university's campus master plan.[72] The Sustainable Endowments Institute gave the university a "B+" in its College Sustainability Report Card 2011, with A's for climate change and energy, food and recycling, student involvement, and transportation.[73]
The expanded recycling program launched on July 1, 2007. Since its launch, the program has continued to grow and refine its procedures to better accommodate a growing campus' needs. Currently there are programs in place for paper, cardboard, aluminum, batteries, glass, printer cartridges, wooden pallets and plastics #1 and #2.[74][75]
The university is ranked 8th by the EPA for annual green power usage among universities, with 49% of its power coming from geothermal and solar sources.[76]
The university houses 10 solar array systems, including a 330-kilowatt system on the rooftop of the Natural History Museum of Utah and a 262-kilowatt system at the HPER East building. The combined arrays annually produce 1,096,340 kilowatt hours, and are supported by a student fee sustainability program established in 2008.[77][78]
On November 1, 2019, the university entered into a renewable energy partnership with Rocky Mountain Power and Cyrq Energy which allows the purchase of 20 megawatts of geothermal energy for 25 years. The contract offsets half of the electricity produced by the university and reduces the university's carbon emissions by 23%.[79]
The University of Utah is governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees, 8 of whom are appointed by the Governor of Utah with the consent of the Utah Senate. The President of the University of Utah Alumni Association serves as the 9th member, and the President of the Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU) serves as the 10th member. The 8 appointed members serve for four-year terms, four expiring on June 30 of each odd-numbered year. The two ex officio members serve for the terms of their respective offices.[80]
The University of Utah and the other public colleges and universities of the Utah System of Higher Education are governed by the Utah Board of Higher Education (previously the Utah State Board of Regents)[81] whose chief executive officer is the Commissioner of Higher Education.[82]
The chief executive officer of the University of Utah is the president, who reports to the Board of Higher Education and, with the approval of the trustees, submits budgets, tuition adjustments, and academic program plans, appoints faculty, and develops policy initiatives.[83][84]
Subject to the Board of Trustees, the university faculty have authority to legislate on matters of educational policy via the Academic Senate. The Senate is composed of 100 faculty members proportionally representing and elected by their respective colleges, 2 elected deans, and 18 students from the ASUU, one from each college and the ASUU president. The Senate also includes the University President, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, and all non-elected deans as ex officio members who may debate and present motions but do not vote. Much of the actual Senate work is carried out by 12 Senate-elected committees which work on the central academic issues of the institution. The committees report to the full Senate and the Senate often acts on their proposals as well as on issues brought to its attention by the administration.[85]
The University of Utah is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities since 1933.[95] The university organizes its 150 academic departments and programs into 17 colleges and schools.[96] The School for Cultural and Social Transformation is the university's newest college, with its first graduating class in 2018.[97]
The University operates on a semester calendar with the rest of the Utah higher education system.[98] Undergraduate tuition and fees for 2015–2016 were $8,240 for Utah residents (about 325% the cost of tuition and fees in 2000, $2,534 for 13 credit hours per semester, 2 semesters), and $26,180 for non-residents per 12-credit-hour semester.[99]
For the Class of 2023 (enrolling Fall 2019), Utah received 24,404 applications and accepted 15,159 (62%), with 4,249 enrolling.[101] The middle 50% range of SAT scores for enrolling freshmen was 572.5-680 for evidence-based reading and writing, 570-700 for math, and 1150-1370 for the composite.[101] The middle 50% ACT score range was 22-28 for math, 21-31 for English, and 22-29 for the composite.[101] The average high school grade point average (GPA) was 3.66.[101]
The university uses a holistic admissions process and weighs ACT/SAT standardized test scores, GPA, grade trend, rigorous AP/IB/Honors classes taken in high school, academic achievements, along with other "personal achievements and characteristics".[102]
The Department of Ballet offers the top ranked ballet and ballroom dance program in the United States and is one of the oldest and most reputable university ballet departments in the country.[103] The Department was founded by William F. Christensen in 1951, who also founded the San Francisco Ballet and Ballet Westcompanies.[104]
The university has made unique contributions to the study of genetics due in part to long-term genealogy efforts of the LDS Church, which has allowed researchers to trace genetic disorders through several generations. The relative homogeneity of Utah's population also makes it an ideal laboratory for studies of population genetics.[105] The university is home to the Genetic Science Learning Center, a resource which educates the public about genetics through its website.[106]
In March 2012, the university received unanimous approval from the board of trustees to create a new academic college, the School of Dentistry, which is the university's first new college in sixty years.[112] The new school has received funding for a new structure and has started as a debt-free program.[112] The new school enrolled its first students for the fall semester of 2013 and averages the same cost as the university's medical school tuition.[113]
The S.J. Quinney College of Law, founded in 1913,[114] was the only law school in Utah until the 1970s. The law school was ranked the #37 best law school in the country in the 2023 U.S. News "Best Law Schools" rankings.[115]
The University of Utah College of Pharmacy is ranked 15th in the nation for NIH research grants as of 2023,[117] and its PharmD program is ranked 14th in the nation.[118] The department of Pharmacology and Toxicology within the School of Pharmacy is world-renowned for research in epilepsy treatment with their Anticonvulsant Drug Development (ADD) program.[119]
The university is host to the Neal A. Maxwell Lecture Series in Political Theory and Contemporary Politics, a forum for political theorists to share their newest theoretical work,[120] and is home to the Hinckley Institute of Politics, which places more than 350 students every year in local, state, national, and global internships.[121]
Turkish Studies Program and Armenian genocide denial[edit]
Professor Keith David Watenpaugh charges the program with "promoting the falsification of history through its grants and political advocacy... the University of Utah has provided an institutional home to genocide denial."[128] In 2020, regarding "a student complaint and messages of concern from the Armenian community about the content of an article written by and assigned in a class taught by Hakan Yavuz," the university made a statement, according to which: "The United States, the state of Utah and the University of Utah (as a state entity), recognize the historical events of 1915 as the Armenian genocide".[129]
The university has 9 men's and 11 women's varsity teams.[130] Athletic teams include men's baseball, basketball, football, golf, hockey, lacrosse, skiing, swimming/diving, and tennis and women's basketball, cross country, gymnastics, skiing, soccer, softball, swimming/diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.[131] The school's sports teams are called the Utes, though some teams have an additional nickname, such as "Runnin' Utes" for the men's basketball team.[132] The university participates in the NCAA's Division I (FBS for football) as part of the Pac-12 Conference.[133] When they were in the same conference, there was a fierce BYU–Utah rivalry, and the Utah–BYU football game, traditionally the season finale, has been called the "Holy War" by national broadcasting commentators.[134] The university fight songis"Utah Man", commonly played at athletic games and other university events.[11] In 1996, Swoop was introduced as the new mascot of the University of Utah. Because of relationships with the local Ute Indians, Utah adopted a new mascot. While still known as the Utes, Utah is now represented by the Red-tailed Hawk known for the use of his tail feathers in Ute head-dresses, and said he "Reflects the soaring spirit of our state and school"[135]
The men's basketball team won the NCAA title in 1944[142] and the NIT crown in 1947.[143]Arnie Ferrin, the only four-time All-American in Utah basketball history, played for both the 1944 and 1947 teams. He also went on to help the Minneapolis Lakers win NBA Championships in 1949 and 1951.[144]Wat Misaka, the first person of Asian descent to play in the NBA, also played for Utah during this era.[145]
In 2004–2005, the football team, coached by Urban Meyer and quarterbacked by Alex Smith, along with defensive great Eric Weddle, went 11–0 during the regular season and defeated Pittsburgh 35–7 in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, becoming the first team from a conference without an automatic Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bid to go to a BCS bowl game.[147] The team ended its perfect 12–0 season ranked 4th in AP polling.[148]
2008–2009 was another undefeated year for the football team, coached by Kyle Whittingham, as they finished the season 13–0 and defeated Alabama 31–17 in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. Utah finished the season 2nd in AP polling, their highest rank ever. At the end of the season, the Utes were the only unbeaten team in the country, with the nation's longest active streak of bowl victories (8).[149]
The women's gymnastics team, coached by Tom Farden (Head Coach) and Carly Dockendorf (Associate Head Coach),[150] has won ten national championships, including the 1981 AIAW championship, and placed 2nd nationally eight times. As of 2013, it has qualified for the NCAA championship every year since 1976, the only program to do so. The program has averaged over 11,000 fans per meet 1992–2010 and has been the NCAA gymnastics season attendance champions 16 of these 19 years. In 2010, there was an average of 14,213 fans per meet, the largest crowd being 15,030.[151][152]
The band began as a military band in the 1940s. In 1948, university president A. Ray Olpin recruited Ron Gregory from Ohio State University to form a collegiate marching band. Support for the band dwindled in the 60s, and ASUU (the Associated Students of the University of Utah) discontinued its funding in 1969.[11] The band was revived in 1976 after a fund raising effort[11] under the direction of Gregg I. Hanson.[154] As of 2011, the band is under the direction of Dr. Brian Sproul.[155]
Close to 50% of freshmen live on campus, but most students choose to live elsewhere after their first year, with 13% of all undergraduates living on campus.[156] The university is located in a large metropolitan area. Many students live in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the university. An additional 1,115 family apartments are available to students, staff, and faculty. One of the university's primary four goals for long-term campus growth is to increase student engagement through the addition of on-campus housing, intramural fields, athletic centers, and a new student activity center.[157]
The current student activity center, the A. Ray Olpin University Union, is a common gathering place for university-wide events such as Crimson Nights, roughly monthly student activity nights; PlazaFest, a fair for campus groups at the start of the school year; and the Grand Kerfuffle, a concert at the end of the school year. The building includes a cafeteria, computer lab, recreational facilities, and a ballroom for special events. The Union also houses the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center, CESA (Center for Ethnic Student Affairs) which provides an inclusive space for students and houses various advising programs of the Office of Equity and Diversity, the Union Programming Council which is in charge of promoting student life on campus through events like Crimson Nights, and ASUU (the Associated Students of the University of Utah), which is responsible for appropriating funds to student groups and organizations on campus.[158] ASUU holds primary and general elections each year for student representatives, typically with 10–15% of the student population voting.[159]
Because of the large number of LDS Church members at the university, there is an LDS Institute of Religion building near main campus, as well as several LDS student groups and 46 campus wards.[160] Approximately 650 students are part of 6 sororities and 8 fraternities at the university, most of which have chapter houses on "Greek Row" just off campus.[161][162]
The University of Utah has a dry campus, meaning that alcohol is banned on campus.[163] In 2004, Utah became the first state with a law expressly permitting concealed weapons on public university campuses.[164] The University of Utah tried to uphold its gun ban but the Utah Supreme Court rejected the ban in 2006.[165]
NewsBreak is the student-run television newscast on campus.[168] During 2011, the program celebrated its 40th anniversary.[169] Broadcasts air every Thursday night at 10 pm during the fall and spring semesters on KUEN.
The Daily Utah Chronicle, also referred to as the Chrony,[170] has been the university's independent, student-run paper since 1890.[171] It publishes daily on school days during fall and spring semesters and weekly during summer semester.[172] The paper typically runs between eight and twelve pages, with longer editions for weekend game guides. The paper converted to a broadsheet format in 2003 when the Newspaper Agency Corporation began printing it.[170] The Society of Professional Journalists selected the newspaper as one of three finalists for best all-around daily student newspaper in the nation in both 2007 and 2008.[173][174] Staff from the Chronicle feed into Utah journalism circles, some of them rising to considerable prominence, such as former editor Matt Canham, whose work with The Salt Lake Tribune earned him the Don Baker Investigative Reporting Award from the Utah Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.[175]
^"Executive Summary (23 MB)"(PDF). Campus Master Plan. University of Utah. 2008. pp. X. Archived from the original(PDF) on June 9, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
^Andrews, Emerson (January 11, 2017). "Recycle Glass on Campus". U Sustainability. University of Utah Office of Sustainability. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
^Shneiderman, Ben (2016). The New ABCs of Research: Achieving Breakthrough Collaborations. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 320. ISBN978-0-19-875883-9.