The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the

flagship institution A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...

of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret () by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest institution of higher education. It received its current name in 1892, four years before Utah attained statehood, and moved to its current location in 1900. As of Fall 2019, there were 24,485 undergraduate students and 8,333 graduate students, for an enrollment total of 32,818, making it the second largest public university in the state after

Utah Valley University Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, associate degrees, and certificates. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July 2008. History ...

. Graduate studies include the

S.J. Quinney College of Law The S.J. Quinney College of Law is the professional graduate Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Utah. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, the school was established in 1913. It is a member of the Association of American ...

and the

School of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...

, Utah's first

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

. It is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and is

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper *The Classified, a 1980s American roc ...

among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". According to the National Science Foundation, the university received $552 million in research and development funding in 2018, ranking it 45th in the nation. In addition, the university's Honors College has been reviewed among 100 leading national Honors Colleges in the U.S. 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 John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah is an ophthalmology clinical care and research facility in the Mountain West. Physicians provide comprehensive care in all ophthalmic subspecialties. Moran supports 15 research laboratories t ...

. The university's athletic teams, the Utes, participate in NCAA Division I athletics ( FBS for football) as a member of the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

. Twenty-two

Rhodes Scholars The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, four Nobel Prize winners, three Turing Award winners, eight

MacArthur Fellows The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 ind ...

, various

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

winners, two astronauts,

Gates Cambridge Scholars The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation established the Gates Cambridge Scholarships in 2000 with a $210 million donation to support outstanding graduate students' study at the University of Cambridge. The scholarship is one of the most competitiv ...

, and Churchill Scholars have been affiliated with the university as students, researchers, or faculty members in its history.

History

Soon after the

Mormon pioneers The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

arrived in the Salt Lake valley in 1847, Brigham Young began organizing a Board of Regents to establish a university. 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 David Orson Calder (June 18, 1823 – July 3, 1884) was a prominent early pioneer settler in Utah. Biography A native of Thurso, Caithness, Scotland, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in 1840, and in 18 ...

, who was followed by

John R. Park John Rockey Park (May 7, 1833 – September 29, 1900) was a prominent educator in the Territory and State of Utah in the late 19th century, and in many ways was the intellectual father of the University of Utah. Educating "intelligent, industri ...

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

began arranging to obtain land belonging to the U.S. Army's Fort Douglas on the east bench of the

Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City; its total po ...

, 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. Upon his death in 1900, Dr. John R. Park bequeathed his entire fortune to the university. MountVanCott

The university grew rapidly in the early 20th century but was involved in an academic freedom controversy in 1915 when

Joseph T. Kingsbury Joseph Thomas Kingsbury (November 4, 1853 – April 10, 1937) was Acting President of the University of Deseret, now known as the University of Utah, from 1892 to 1894. In 1894 he was replaced by James E. Talmage, and then in 1897, was appointed P ...

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 felt that the dismissals were a result of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' influence on the university, while others 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 Albert Ray Olpin (June 1, 1898 – March 7, 1983) was president of the University of Utah from 1946 to 1964. During his presidency the university quadrupled in size and enrollment tripled from 4,000 to 12,000 students. To accommodate these new pup ...

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. During the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...

, the university hosted the Olympic Village, a housing complex for the Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Multiple large improvements were made to the university prior to the events, including extensive renovations to the Rice-Eccles Stadium, a light rail line leading to downtown Salt Lake City, a new student center known as the Heritage Center, an array of new student housing, and what is now a 180-room campus hotel and conference center. The University of Utah Asia Campus opened as an international branch campus in the Incheon Global Campus in Songdo,

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

, South Korea in 2014. Three other European and American universities are also participating. The Asia Campus was funded by the South Korean government. In 2015, the university helped open the Ensign College of Public Health in Kpong, Ghana. In 2019, the university was named a member of the Association of American Universities.

Campus

Campus takes up , including the Health Sciences complex, Research Park, and Fort Douglas. It is located on the east bench of the

, close to the Wasatch Range and approximately 2 miles east of

downtown Salt Lake City Downtown (also called City Center) is the oldest district in Salt Lake City, Utah. The grid from which the entire city is laid out originates at Temple Square, the location of the Salt Lake Temple. Location Downtown Salt Lake City is usually def ...

. Most courses take place on the west side of campus, known as lower campus due to its lower elevation.

Presidents Circle The University of Utah Circle, also known as Presidents Circle, is located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as a Historic districts ...

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 The J. Willard Marriott Library is the main academic library of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. The university library has had multiple homes since the first University of Utah librarian was appointed in 1850. The current building ...

and the S.J. Quinney Law Library. The primary student activity center is the

University Union, and campus fitness centers include the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Complex (HPER) and the Eccles Student Life Center. Kingsbury Hall

Lower campus is also home to most public venues, such as the Rice-Eccles Stadium, the

Jon M. Huntsman Center The Jon M. Huntsman Center is a 15,000-seat indoor arena in the western United States, on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. It is the home of the Utah Utes of the Pac-12 Conference, the primary venue for Utah Utes men's b ...

, and the

Utah Museum of Fine Arts The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) is the region's primary resource for culture and visual arts. It is located in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building in Salt Lake City, Utah on the University of Utah campus near Rice-Eccles Stadium. Works ...

, a museum with rotating exhibitions and a permanent collection of American, European, African, and Asian art. Venues for performing arts include

Kingsbury Hall Kingsbury Hall is a center for the performing arts located on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. History Kingsbury Hall was designed by Edward O. Anderson and Lorenzo Snow Young and built in 1930. It was named after Joseph ...

, used for touring companies and concerts, Pioneer Memorial Theatre, used by the professional

Pioneer Theatre Company The Pioneer Theatre Company (PTC) is one of four professional theatre companies in Utah, and the only fully professional theatre in Salt Lake City, contracting with union members belonging to Actors' Equity Association (AEA), Stage Directors an ...

, 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 The Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) is a museum located in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The museum shows exhibits of natural history subjects, with an emphasis on Utah and the Intermountain West. The mission of the museum is to il ...

, is located on the far east side of campus. Uofu marriottlibraryfront

The health sciences complex, at the northeast end of campus, includes the

University of Utah Medical Center The University of Utah Hospital is a research and teaching hospital on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. It serves as a major regional referral center for Utah and the surrounding states of Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Monta ...

Primary Children's Medical Center Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital (PCH) (formerly Primary Children's Medical Center) is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children's teaching hospital located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The hospital has 289 pediatric beds and is aff ...

, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, the

, and th
Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library
South of the health sciences complex, several university residence halls and apartments are clustered together near Fort Douglas and the Heritage Center, which serves as a student center and cafeteria for this area. In addition, there are 1,115 university apartments for students, staff, and faculty across three apartment complexes on campus. At the southeast end of campus is Research Park, which is home to research companies including

ARUP Laboratories Associated Regional and University Pathologists, Inc. (ARUP Laboratories) is a Salt Lake City, Utah-based nonprofit laboratory at University of Utah's Department of Pathology. It is located in the University of Utah Research Park and provides nat ...

, Evans & Sutherland,

Sarcos Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation (NASDAQ: STRC) is an American developer of robotics and microelectromechanical systems and related technologies. It was founded in the early 1980s when it was spun out from the University of Utah. The ...

, Biofire Diagnostics, and

Myriad Genetics Myriad Genetics, Inc. is an American genetic testing and precision medicine company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Myriad employs a number of proprietary technologies that permit doctors and patients to understand the genetic bas ...

. Courses are also held at off-campus centers located in

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

and

Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people *Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) * (Sandy) ...

. 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."

Student residences

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. 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. Kahlert Village, completed August 2020, houses 990 first-year students.

Transportation

UTA TRAX - From SLC to Sandy on South Temple street - February 2011

A number of campus shuttles, running on biodiesel and used vegetable oil, circle the campus on six different routes. The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) runs several buses through the university area as well as the

TRAX Trax may refer to: Music * ''Trax'' (album), the debut album from Japanese electronic music group Ravex *TRAX (band), a Korean rock band *Trax Records, first house music label owned by Larry Sherman in Chicago * Trax (sequencer), an old MIDI sequ ...

Red Line ( light rail), which runs to

South Jordan South Jordan is a city in south central Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, south of Salt Lake City. Part of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, the city lies in the Salt Lake Valley along the banks of the Jordan River between the Oquir ...

. Riders can travel downtown, to '' FrontRunner'' ( commuter rail), to West Valley, to the Salt Lake City International Airport, or to Draper by transferring to the TRAX Green or Blue lines. Students and staff can use their university IDs to ride UTA buses, TRAX, and ''FrontRunner''. In 2012, the university unveiled a new plan for a more conducive campus for bicyclers called the "Bicycle Master Plan" which aims to transform the campus into a safer and more accessible place for bicyclers and to promote the increase of 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.

Sustainability

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 The Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is a bicycle cooperative in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Bicycle Collective refurbish donated used bikes and sells them to community members or donates them to individuals in need. The Bicycle Collective also of ...

. Sustainability and transportation are also a large part of the university's campus master plan. 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. 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.

Renewable energy

The university is ranked 8th by the

EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

for annual

green power Green Power is a non-governmental organisation in Hong Kong founded in 1988, concerned with the city's environmental issues. Activities and works Environmental education Green Power established the first Green Schools Network in Hong Kong ...

usage among universities, with 49% of its power coming from geothermal and

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

sources. 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. On November 1, 2019, the university entered into a renewable energy partnership with

Rocky Mountain Power PacifiCorp is an electric power company in the western United States. PacifiCorp has two business units: # Pacific Power, a regulated electric utility with service territory throughout Oregon, northern California, and southeastern Washington. ...

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%.

Organization

The University of Utah is governed by a 10-member

Board of Trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

, 8 of whom are appointed by the Governor of Utah with the consent of the

Utah Senate The Utah State Senate is the upper house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The Utah Senate is composed of 29 elected members representing an equal number of senate districts. Each senate district is c ...

. 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 member An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

s serve for the terms of their respective offices. 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) whose chief executive officer is the Commissioner of Higher Education. 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. 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

s 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. As of 2014, the university's revenues totaled $3.6 billion, of which 44% comes from patient care, 19% from sales and services, 10% from grants and contracts, 8.2% from tuition and fees, 7.7% from state appropriations, 3.4% from auxiliary enterprises, and the rest from other revenues. Football income was $56 million in 2017-2018.

Academics and rankings

The University of Utah is a public flagship four-year research university accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities since 1933. The U organizes its 150 academic departments and programs into 17 colleges and schools. The School for Cultural and Social Transformation is the university's newest college, with its first graduating class in 2018. * College of Architecture and Planning *

David Eccles School of Business The David Eccles School of Business is located on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school was founded as the "School of Commerce & Finance" in 1917 and subsequently changed its name to "School of Business" in 1927, althou ...

* School for Cultural and Social Transformation * School of Dentistry * College of Education *

College of Engineering Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education (bachelor's and/or master's degree), and any advanced education and specializations that ...

College of Fine Arts The School of Fine Arts or College of Fine Arts is the official name or part of the name of several schools of fine arts, often as an academic part of a larger university. These include: The Americas North America *Alabama School of Fin ...

* College of Health * University of Utah Honors College *

College of Humanities A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a University system, constituent part of one. A college may be a academic degree, degree-awarding Tertiary education, tertiary educational institution, a part of a coll ...

* College of Mines and Earth Sciences *

College of Nursing Nurse education consists of the theoretical and practical training provided to nurses with the purpose to prepare them for their duties as nursing care professionals. This education is provided to student nurses by experienced nurses and other med ...

* College of Pharmacy *

College of Science A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering v ...

* College of Social and Behavioral Science * College of Social Work The University operates on a semester calendar with the rest of the Utah higher education system. 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.

Admissions and demographics

For the Class of 2023 (enrolling Fall 2019), Utah received 24,404 applications and accepted 15,159 (62%), with 4,249 enrolling. 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. The middle 50% ACT score range was 22-28 for math, 21-31 for English, and 22-29 for the composite. The average high school grade point average ( GPA) was 3.66. 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". In Fall 2015, the undergraduate and graduate student body was 31,551, with 23,794 undergraduate students and 7,757 graduate students; 73% of students were full-time, 56% were male and 44% female, and 82% were Utah residents. The undergraduate student body was 69% white, 11% Hispanic, 6% non-resident alien, 5% Asian, 4% two or more races, 1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 1% black, and 1% Native American. Ethnicity or citizenship was unknown for 2%.

Notable programs

Ballet

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. The Department was founded by

William F. Christensen Willam Farr Christensen (August 27, 1902 – October 14, 2001)Was born Christian William Christensen, until his mother changed his name to William Farr Christensen, to include her maiden name. As a professional dancer in San Francisco, Christensen ...

in 1951, who also founded the San Francisco Ballet and Ballet West companies.

Biology

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. The university is home to the Genetic Science Learning Center, a resource which educates the public about genetics through its website.

Computer Science

Merrill Engineering Building, University of Utah

The University of Utah was one of the original four nodes of ARPANET, the world's first packet-switched network and embryo of the current worldwide Internet. The School of Computing produced many of the early pioneers in computer science and

graphics Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture ...

, including Turing Award winner Alan Kay, Pixar founder Ed Catmull,

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...

founder Nolan Bushnell, and

Adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

founder John Warnock. Notable innovations of computer science faculty and alumni include the first method for representing surface textures in graphical images, the Gouraud shading model, magnetic ink printing technology, the Johnson counter logic circuit, the oldest algebraic mathematics package still in use (

REDUCE Reduction, reduced, or reduce may refer to: Science and technology Chemistry * Reduction (chemistry), part of a reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction in which atoms have their oxidation state changed. ** Organic redox reaction, a redox react ...

), the Phong reflection model, the Phong shading method, and the rendering equation. Through the movement of Utah graduates and faculty, research at the University spread outward to laboratories like Xerox Parc,

JPL The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...

, and the

New York Institute of Technology The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a private research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long Island, and one in Manhattan. Additionally, it has a cybersecu ...

. Present graphics research is focused on biomedical applications for visualization, scientific computing, and

image analysis Image analysis or imagery analysis is the extraction of meaningful information from images; mainly from digital images by means of digital image processing techniques. Image analysis tasks can be as simple as reading bar coded tags or as sophi ...

at the

Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute The Scientific Computing and Imaging (SCI) Institute is a permanent research institute at the University of Utah that focuses on the development of new scientific computing and visualization techniques, tools, and systems with primary application ...

Dentistry

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. The new school has received funding for a new structure and has started as a debt-free program. 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.

Law

The

, founded in 1913, was the only

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

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.

Medicine

The University of Utah ( University of Utah Hospital) has the only accredited allopathic

in the State of Utah. The medical school has made several notable contributions to medicine, such as establishing the first Cerebrovascular Disease Unit west of the Mississippi River in 1970 and administering the world's first permanent artificial heart, the

Jarvik-7 An artificial heart is a device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in the case that a heart transplant (from a deceased human or, experi ...

, to Barney Clark in 1982.

Pharmacology

The University of Utah College of Pharmacy is 4th in the nation for NIH research grants. 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.

Political Science

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, and is home to the

Hinckley Institute of Politics The Hinckley Institute of Politics is a nonpartisan institute located on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. Its purpose is "to engage students in transformative experiences and provide political thought leadership" through inv ...

, which places more than 350 students every year in local, state, national, and global internships.

Turkish Studies Program and Armenian genocide denial

The university's Turkish Studies Program, funded by Turkish Coalition of America and headed by

M. Hakan Yavuz M. Hakan Yavuz (born 24 April 1964) is a Turkish political scientist and historian, a scholar of contemporary Islamic and Turkish studies. Early life and education Yavuz was born in Bayburt, Turkey in 1964. Kazım Yavuz, his father, was a politi ...

, has been criticized for promoting Armenian genocide denial. Nevertheless, the university had established itself as a "denialist beachhead" prior to the creation of the Turkish Studies Program. The University of Utah Press has published several books denying the Armenian genocide, beginning with Guenter Lewy's '' The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey''. The book's publication by the University of Utah Press was arranged by Yavuz himself. Professor

Keith David Watenpaugh Keith David Watenpaugh (born October 8, 1966) is an American academic. He is Professor of Human Rights Studies at the University of California, Davis. A leading American historian of the contemporary Middle East, human rights, and modern humanitari ...

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." In 2020, regarding "a student complaint nd messages of concern from the Armenian communitta bout 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".

Athletics

The university has 9 men's and 11 women's varsity teams. 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. The school's sports teams are called the

Ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute (band), an Australian jazz group * Ute (given name) * ''Ute'' (sponge), a sponge genus * Ute (vehicle), an Australian and New Zealand term for certain utility vehicles * Ute, Iowa, a city in Monona County along ...

s, though some teams have an additional nickname, such as "Runnin' Utes" for the men's basketball team. The university participates in the NCAA's Division I ( FBS for football) as part of the

. When they were in the same conference, there was a fierce

BYU–Utah rivalry The Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars and the University of Utah (Utah) Utes have a longstanding intercollegiate rivalry. The annual college football game is frequently referred to as the Holy War. In the 1890s, when BYU was still known a ...

, and the Utah–BYU football game, traditionally the season finale, has been called the "Holy War" by national broadcasting commentators. The university fight song is "Utah Man", commonly played at athletic games and other university events. 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" In 2002, the university was one of 20 schools to make the '' U.S. News & World Report'' College Sports Honor Roll. In 2005, Utah became the first school to produce No. 1 overall draft picks in both the NFL draft and NBA draft for the same year.

Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football at Utah, where he received first-team All-American honors and won the 20 ...

was picked first overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held April 23–24, 2005 NFL seaso ...

, and Andrew Bogut was picked first overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the

2005 NBA Draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players f ...

. The university has won thirteen NCAA Skiing Championships, most recently in 2022, as well as the 1977

AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...

National Women's Skiing Championship.

Men's basketball

The men's basketball team won the NCAA title in

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

and the NIT crown in 1947. 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 The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

Championships in 1949 and 1951.

Wat Misaka Wataru Misaka (December 21, 1923 – November 20, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. A point guard of Japanese descent, he broke a color barrier in professional basketball by being the first non-white player and the first ...

, the first person of Asian descent to play in the NBA, also played for Utah during this era. Utah basketball rose again to national prominence when head coach Rick Majerus took his team, including guard Andre Miller, combo forward

Hanno Möttölä Hanno Aleksanteri Möttölä (born 9 September 1976) is a Finnish former professional basketball player. Möttölä played for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA), at the power forward position, where he became the first ...

, and post player

Michael Doleac Michael Scott Doleac (born June 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. Doleac was selected 12th overall in the 1998 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon in 1 ...

, to the NCAA Final Four in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

. After eliminating North Carolina to advance to the final round, Utah lost the championship game to Kentucky, 78–69.

Football

In 2004–2005, the football team, coached by Urban Meyer and quarterbacked by

, along with defensive great Eric Weddle, went 11–0 during the regular season and defeated Pittsburgh 35–7 in the

2005 Fiesta Bowl The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a BCS ...

, becoming the first team from a conference without an automatic

Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of American college football, including ...

(BCS) bid to go to a BCS bowl game. The team ended its perfect 12–0 season ranked 4th in AP polling. 2008–2009 was another undefeated year for the football team, coached by

Kyle Whittingham Kyle David Whittingham (born November 21, 1959) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at the University of Utah, a position he has held since 2005, and is the all-time leader in wins at Utah. Prior to bec ...

, as they finished the season 13–0 and defeated Alabama 31–17 in the

2009 Sugar Bowl The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The game was played on ...

. 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). The Utah Utes moved to the Pac-12 Conference for the start of the 2011–2012 football season. They are in the South Division with University of Colorado, University of Arizona,

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

, UCLA and University of Southern California. Their first game in the Pac-12 was at

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

on September 10, 2011, and resulted in a 23–14 Utah loss.

Gymnastics

The women's gymnastics team, coached by

Megan Marsden Megan Marsden (born Megan McCunniff; June 6, 1962) is an American gymnastics coach and former collegiate gymnast. Marsden has had a career at the University of Utah and the Utah Red Rocks team that has amassed over thirty years; both as a student ...

, has won ten national championships, including the 1981

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.

Marching band

The university marching band, known as the " Pride of Utah", perform at all home football games, as well as some away games and bowl games. They performed at the 2005 BCS Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the 2009 BCS Allstate Sugar Bowl, and the Inaugural Parade of President Barack Obama. The band began as a military band in the 1940s. In 1948, university president

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. The band was revived in 1976 after a fund raising effort under the direction of Gregg I. Hanson. As of 2011, the band is under the direction of Dr. Brian Sproul.

Student life

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. The university is located in a large

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

, but 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. The current student activity center, the

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. ASUU holds

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

and general elections each year for student representatives, typically with 10–15% of the student population voting. Due to 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 Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

. 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. The University of Utah has a

dry campus "Dry campus" is the term used for the banning of alcohol at colleges and universities, regardless of the owner's age or intention to consume it elsewhere. The policy has received media attention in the United States, although dry campuses and deba ...

, meaning that alcohol is banned on campus. In 2004, Utah became the first state with a law expressly permitting

concealed weapons Concealed carry, or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon (usually a sidearm such as a handgun), either in proximity to or on one's person or in public places in a manner that hides or conceals the weapon's pr ...

on public university campuses. The University of Utah tried to uphold its gun ban but the Utah Supreme Court rejected the ban in 2006.

Media

The university has several public broadcasting affiliations, many of which utilize the

Eccles Broadcast Center The Dolores Doré Eccles Broadcast Center (often shortened to Eccles Broadcast Center) is headquarters of three broadcast stations and a statewide educational consortium. The center houses KUED, KUER, KUEN and the Utah Education Network. The fa ...

. These stations include PBS Utah (formerly branded as KUED channel 7), a PBS member station and producer of local documentaries;

KUEN KUEN, virtual channel 9 ( UHF digital channel 36), is an educational independent television station serving Salt Lake City, Utah, United States that is licensed to Ogden. The station is owned by the Utah State Board of Regents, and is operated ...

channel 9, an educational station for teachers and students from the

Utah Education Network The Utah Education Network (UEN) is a broadband and digital broadcast network serving public education, higher education, applied technology campuses, libraries, and public charter schools throughout the state of Utah. The Network facilitates inte ...

; KUER 90.1 FM, a public radio affiliate of National Public Radio, American Public Media, and

Public Radio International Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States. PRI was one of the main providers of programm ...

; and

K-UTE K-UTE Radio is a college radio station broadcasting via the internet to the campus of the University of Utah and around the world. The station primarily plays music from independent artists and several student produced shows, which range from talk ...

1620. ''NewsBreak'' is the student-run television newscast on campus. During 2011, the program celebrated its 40th anniversary. Broadcasts air every Thursday night at 10 pm during the fall and spring semesters on

. ''The Daily Utah Chronicle'', also referred to as the ''Chrony'', has been the university's independent, student-run paper since 1890. It publishes daily on school days during fall and spring semesters and weekly during summer semester. The paper typically runs between eight and twelve pages, with longer editions for weekend game guides. The paper converted to a

broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper format), ta ...

format in 2003 when the

Newspaper Agency Corporation The Newspaper Agency Corporation Inc. (or NAC or NACorp) is a printing, delivery, and advertising company. It is jointly owned by the ''Deseret Morning News'' and ''The Salt Lake Tribune'', the two major daily newspapers in Salt Lake City, Utah. In ...

began printing it. The

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

selected the newspaper as one of three finalists for best all-around daily student newspaper in the nation in both 2007 and 2008. 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 ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'' earned him the Don Baker Investigative Reporting Award from the Utah Chapter of the

. The University of Utah Press, the oldest press in Utah and now part of the

, publishes books on topics including the outdoors, anthropology and archaeology, linguistics,

creative nonfiction Creative nonfiction (also known as literary nonfiction or narrative nonfiction or literary journalism or verfabula) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contra ...

, Mesoamerica, Native American studies, and Utah, Mormon, and Western history. The Wallace Stegner Prize in American Environmental or Western History is presented annually by the press. Its Utah Series in Middle East Studies has been criticized for "specializing" in "methodologically flawed accounts" of the Armenian genocide that seek to reject the term genocide as being applicable to the event, and includes works by Guenter Lewy, Justin McCarthy, and Yücel Güçlü. The university is also home to a national literary journal, ''

Quarterly West ''Quarterly West'' is an American literary magazine based at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Stories that have appeared in ''Quarterly West'' have been shortlisted for the Pushcart Prize, The Best American Short Stories and the O. Henr ...

''.

Notable alumni and faculty

Notable alumni include politicians Rocky Anderson, Bob Bennett,

Marsha K. Caddle Marsha K. Caddle is a politician and economist from Barbados, who is a House of Assembly of Barbados, Member of Parliament and the Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology. She was formerly Minister of Economic Affairs and Investm ...

, Merrill Cook, E. Jake Garn,

Jon Huntsman, Jr. Jon Meade Huntsman Jr. (born March 26, 1960) is an American businessman, diplomat and politician who served as the 16th Governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the Ambassador of the United States t ...

Karen Morgan Karen W. Morgan (born May 2, 1952) is a Democratic politician from Utah. She was a member of the Utah State Senate representing the 8th District (portions of Salt Lake County)map from 2009 through 2013 and served as Minority Whip. Earlier (1 ...

, Frank E. Moss,

Joshua Rush Joshua Rush (born December 14, 2001) When the Image is zoomed, for the DOB it shows December 14, 2001. is an American actor and activist. He is known for playing Cyrus Goodman on the Disney Channel drama series ''Andi Mack'' (2017–2019), who i ...

, and

Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August 3 ...

; recent LDS Church presidents

Gordon B. Hinckley Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...

Thomas S. Monson Thomas Spencer Monson (August 21, 1927 – January 2, 2018) was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As president, he was considered by adherents of the rel ...

, and

Russell M. Nelson Russell Marion Nelson Sr. (born September 9, 1924) is an American religious leader and retired surgeon who is the 17th and current president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Nelson was a member of the LDS Church ...

; historian and Pulitzer Prize for History laureate

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (born July 11, 1938) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian specializing in early America and the history of women, and a professor at Harvard University. Her approach to history has been described as a tribute to ...

; authors Orson Scott Card,

Stephen Covey Stephen Richards Covey (October 24, 1932 – July 16, 2012) was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker. His most popular book is '' of Highly Effective People''. His other books include '' First Things First'', ''Pr ...

, Shannon Hale,

Everett Errol Murdock Everett may refer to: Places Canada * Everett, Ontario, a community in Adjala–Tosorontio, Simcoe County * Everett Mountains, a range on southern Baffin Island in Nunavut United States * Everett, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County, Massach ...

Terry Tempest Williams Terry Tempest Williams (born 8 September 1955), is an American writer, educator, conservationist, and activist. Williams' writing is rooted in the American West and has been significantly influenced by the arid landscape of Utah. Her work foc ...

, and Wallace Stegner; R Adams Cowley,

William DeVries William Castle DeVries (born December 19, 1943) is an American cardiothoracic surgeon, mainly known for the first transplant of a TAH (total artificial heart) using the Jarvik-7 model. Early years and Medical School William DeVries was born ...

, and

Robert Jarvik Robert Koffler Jarvik (born May 11, 1946) is an American scientist, researcher and entrepreneur known for his role in developing the Jarvik-7 artificial heart. Early life Robert Jarvik was born in Midland, Michigan, to Norman Eugene Jarvik and Ed ...

in medicine; historian Richard Foltz; educators

Gordon Gee Elwood Gordon Gee (born February 2, 1944), known as E. Gordon Gee, is an American academic. As of 2020, he was serving his second term as President of West Virginia University; his first term was from 1981 to 1985. Gee has held more university pr ...

, Jonathan Westover, and

Ann Weaver Hart Ann Weaver Hart (born 1948) is the 21st, first female chief executive and former president of the University of Arizona. She is the first woman to hold the position, which she assumed on November 30, 2012. Previously, Hart was the ninth presiden ...

; reporter Martha Raddatz;, writer and canoeist Neal Moore and speed reading innovator Evelyn Nielsen Wood. Notable science and engineering alumni include Jim Blinn;

Mark W. Fuller Mark W. Fuller is president and CEO of WET, a fountain and water feature design firm in Los Angeles, California. The experiential water features designed by his company can be found at landmarks around the world. Early life and education Fulle ...

, CEO of WET Design;

Andrea Russell Andrea Russell is an American chemist who is a professor at the University of Southampton. She is vice president of the International Society of Electrochemistry. Her research considers the use of spectroscopy to better understand the interface ...

, Vice President of the International Society of Electrochemistry;

Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...

, founder of Silicon Graphics, Netscape Communications Corporation, myCFO, and

Healtheon Healtheon was a dot-com company founded by James H. Clark and Pavan Nigam. The company's mission was to "use the power of computing and the Internet to revolutionize the healthcare industry, stripping away its inefficiencies and inequities and str ...

;

Gretchen W. McClain Gretchen W. McClain is an American business executive. She currently serves on the board of directors for Booz Allen Hamilton and Ametek. She served as the president and chief executive officer of Xylem Inc. (), and as the former chief director o ...

, former NASA Deputy Associate Administrator of Human Space Exploration and Chief Director of the International Space Station; Henri Gouraud;

John C. Cook John Calhoun Cook (December 26, 1846 – June 7, 1920) was a 19th-century American politician, lawyer and judge from Iowa. He was twice elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 6th congressional district, each time under unus ...

who played a crucial role in establishing the field of ground-penetrating radar; Ralph Hartley; rocket scientist

Joseph Majdalani Joseph Majdalani is an Lebanese-American professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He began his career at Marquette University, before serving as both the Jack D. Whitfield Professor of High Speed Flows and Arnold Chair of Excellence at t ...

; Alan Kay; Simon Ramo; and John Warnock, co-founder of

Adobe Systems Adobe Inc. ( ), originally called Adobe Systems Incorporated, is an American multinational computer software company incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in San Jose, California. It has historically specialized in software for the crea ...

. Notable entrepreneur and business leader alumni include Alan Ashton, co-founder of WordPerfect and

Thanksgiving Point Thanksgiving Point is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit indoor and outdoor farm, garden, and museum complex in Lehi, Utah, United States. Its five main attractions include Ashton Gardens, Butterfly Biosphere, Farm Country, Museum of Ancient Life, and Museum ...

; Freestyle Skiër

Tom Wallisch Tom Wallisch ( ; born July 22, 1987 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a professional freeskier. Early life and education Wallisch began skiing in 1990 and competing in the sport in 2009. After graduating from high school, Wallisch moved to Sal ...

; Nolan Bushnell, founder of

and

Chuck E. Cheese Chuck E. Cheese (formerly known as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre, Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza and simply Chuck E. Cheese's) is an American family entertainment center and pizza restaurant chain founded in 1977 by Atari's co-founder Nolan Bu ...

; Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar;

J. Willard Marriott John Willard Marriott, Sr. (September 17, 1900 – August 13, 1985) was an American entrepreneur and businessman. He was the founder of the Marriott Corporation (which became Marriott International in 1993), the parent company of the world's l ...

, founder of

Marriott International Marriott International, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging including hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. T ...

; Robert A. "Bob" McDonald, CEO of Procter & Gamble; David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue; and

Telle Whitney Telle Whitney is the former CEO and President of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. A computer scientist by training, she cofounded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing with Anita Borg in 1994 and joined the Anita B ...

, CEO and President of the

Anita Borg Institute AnitaB.org (formerly Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, and Institute for Women in Technology) is a global nonprofit organization based in Belmont, California. Founded by computer scientists Anita Borg and Telle Whitney, the institute' ...

In athletics, notable alumni include baseball player Chris Shelton; basketball players Andrew Bogut,

Kyle Kuzma Kyle Alexander Kuzma (born July 24, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Utah Utes and was named first-team all-confere ...

, Andre Miller, and Keith Van Horn; football players Paul Kruger,

Star Lotulelei Starlite Lotulelei Jr. ( ; born December 20, 1989) is a Tongan professional American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college foo ...

Jamal Anderson Jamal Sharif Anderson (born September 30, 1972) is a former American football running back of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played high school football at El ...

Kevin Dyson Kevin Tyree Dyson (born June 23, 1975) is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers 16th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah. Dyson is best ...

, Eric Weddle,

, and

Steve Smith Sr. Stevonne Latrall Smith Sr. (born May 12, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for sixteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Carolina Panthers, also playing for the Ba ...

; hall of fame karate grandmaster

Dan Hausel Dan Hausel (born 1949 in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.) a polymath of martial arts, geology, writing, astronomy, art, and public speaking. Hall-of-Fame 10th degree black belt grandmaster of Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo, mineral exploration geolo ...

; and football coach LaVell Edwards. Notable members of the athletics faculty include

Sharrieff Shah Sharrieff Shah Sr. is an American football coach and former player as well as lawyer and NFLPA certified agent. He is currently the special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach at the University of Utah. College football career Coming out of ...

, coach of the University of Utah football team and husband to

Jen Shah Jennifer Shah (née Lui; born October 4, 1973) is an American television personality and convicted felon. She is a former cast member of the reality television series ''The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City''. Shah pleaded guilty to a criminal co ...

, cast member of

the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City ''The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City'' (abbreviated ''RHOSLC'') is an American reality television series that premiered on November 11, 2020, on Bravo. Developed as the tenth installment of ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has aired three ...

. Mykayla Skinner 2020 Olympic Gymnast and Vault Silver Medalist. Notable alumni also includes serial killer Ted Bundy, who briefly attended the College of Law before dropping out. Drag Queen Denali Foxx graduated from the University of Utah. Notable faculty in science and engineering include

David Evans David, Dave, or Dai Evans may refer to: Academics * Sir David Emrys Evans (1891–1966), Welsh classicist and university principal * David Evans (microbiologist) (1909–1984), British microbiologist * David Stanley Evans (1916–2004), British a ...

and

Ivan Sutherland Ivan Edward Sutherland (born May 16, 1938) is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer, widely regarded as a pioneer of computer graphics. His early work in computer graphics as well as his teaching with David C. Evans in that subje ...

, founders of

Evans and Sutherland Evans & Sutherland is a pioneering American computer firm in the computer graphics field. Its current products are used in digital projection environments like planetariums. Its simulation business, which it sold to Rockwell Collins, sold products ...

; Bui Tuong Phong, pioneer of computer graphics; Henry Eyring, known for studying chemical reaction rates; Stephen Jacobsen, founder of

;

Jindřich Kopeček Jindřich Henry Kopeček was born in Strakonice, Czech Republic, as the son of Jan and Herta Zita (Krombholz) Kopeček. He is distinguished professor of pharmaceutical chemistry and distinguished professor of biomedical engineering at the Univer ...

and

Sung Wan Kim Sung Wan Kim (August 21, 1940 – February 24, 2020) was a South Korean-American academic who worked as a distinguished professor of pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Utah. He is the founder and co-director of the Un ...

, pioneers of polymeric drug delivery and gene delivery;

Suhas Patil Suhas S. Patil (born 1944) is an Indian-American entrepreneur, academic, and venture capitalist. He founded Cirrus Logic, a fabless semiconductor company. Patil's work has covered computer architecture, parallel processing computers, very-larg ...

, founder of

Cirrus Logic Cirrus Logic Inc. is an American fabless semiconductor supplier that specializes in analog, mixed-signal, and audio DSP integrated circuits (ICs). Since 1998, the company's headquarters have been in Austin, Texas. The company's audio processo ...

;

Stanley Pons Bobby Stanley Pons (born August 23, 1943) is an American electrochemist known for his work with Martin Fleischmann on cold fusion in the 1980s and 1990s. Early life Pons was born in Valdese, North Carolina. He attended Valdese High School, then ...

, who claimed to have discovered " cold fusion" in 1989; Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, later co-winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Thomas Stockham, founder of

Soundstream Soundstream Inc. was the first United States audiophile digital audio recording company, providing commercial services for recording and computer-based editing.Robert Easton, ''Soundstream, the first Digital Studio'', Recording Engineer/Producer, ...

; and

David W. Grainger David William Grainger is a distinguished professor and chair of the department of biomedical engineering and distinguished professor of pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Utah. His research focuses on biomaterials, ...

, Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, winner of the “Excellence in Pharmaceutics” Award, and alumnus. In medicine, notable faculty include Mario Capecchi, the co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine;

Willem Johan Kolff Willem Johan "Pim" Kolff (February 14, 1911 – February 11, 2009) was a pioneer of hemodialysis, artificial heart, as well as in the entire field of artificial organs. Willem was a member of the Kolff family, an old Dutch patrician fami ...

; and

. Biologist Ralph Vary Chamberlin, founding dean of the Medical School, professor, and later historian of the University, was also an alumnus. File:MarioCapecchiFotoThalerTamas.JPG, Mario Capecchi, Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics and Biology, co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine File:VES Awards 89 cropped.jpg, Ed Catmull, B.S. 1969, Ph.D. 1974, co-founder of Pixar, president of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios File:John Warnock 2008.jpg, John Warnock, B.S. 1961, M.S. 1964, Ph.D. 1969, co-founder of

Inc. File:James H. Clark.jpg, James H. Clark, Ph.D. 1974, founder of

Netscape Netscape Communications Corporation (originally Mosaic Communications Corporation) was an American independent computer services company with headquarters in Mountain View, California and then Dulles, Virginia. Its Netscape web browser was onc ...

, Silicon Graphics, myCFO,

, co-author of the Catmull-Clark algorithm File:Nolan Bushnell 2013.jpg, Nolan Bushnell, B.S. 1968, founder of Chuck E. Cheese's, co-founder of

File:J Willard Marriott.jpg,

, A.B. 1926, founder of

File:Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (32803708014).jpg,

, B.A. 1960, received the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1991 File:Jake Garn.jpg, Jake Garn, B.S. 1955, U.S. Senator and Space Shuttle astronaut File:Alan Kay (3097597186).jpg, Alan Kay, M.S. 1968, Ph.D. 1969, father of Object-Oriented Programming, 2003 Turing Award and 2004 Kyoto Prize winner File:William DeVries (cropped).jpg,

, B.S. 1966, M.D. 1970, performed the first transplant of a Total Artificial Heart using the Jarvik-7 model File:Robert A. McDonald Official Portrait.jpg,

Robert A. McDonald Robert Alan McDonald (born June 20, 1953) served as the eighth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He is the retired chairman, president, and CEO of Procter & Gamble. In 2014 he became Secretary of Veterans Affairs.Procter & Gamble, 8th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs File:Hartley ralph-vinton-lyon-001.jpg, Ralph Hartley, A.B. 1909, invented the Hartley oscillator and the

Hartley transform In mathematics, the Hartley transform (HT) is an integral transform closely related to the Fourier transform (FT), but which transforms real-valued functions to real-valued functions. It was proposed as an alternative to the Fourier transform by Ra ...

, recipient of the

IEEE Medal of Honor The IEEE Medal of Honor is the highest recognition of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). It has been awarded since 1917, when its first recipient was Major Edwin H. Armstrong. It is given for an exceptional contribution ...

File:Ivan Sutherland at CHM.jpg,

, past Professor of Computer Science from 1968-1974, winner of the Turing Award in 1988, Kyoto Prize in 2012, co-founder of

File:Tom stockham.jpg, Thomas Stockham, past Professor of Electrical Engineering from 1968-1975, 1983-1994, father of digital recording, founder of

, won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, Grammy Award, Academy Award, served as a Nixon White House tapes investigator File:Stephen Covey 2010.jpg,

, B.S. 1952, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People File:Russell M. Nelson.png,

, B.A. 1945, M.D. 1947, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, past President of the

Society for Vascular Surgery The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) is the major national academic society for vascular surgery in the United States. Its mission includes education, research, career development and advocacy. The SVS is the national advocate for more than 6,00 ...

, past Director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery File:Edwards2010.jpg, LaVell Edwards, M.S. 1960, former head football coach of Brigham Young University File:Gordon Gee.jpg,

E. Gordon Gee Elwood Gordon Gee (born February 2, 1944), known as E. Gordon Gee, is an American academic. As of 2020, he was serving his second term as Chancellor (education), President of West Virginia University; his first term was from 1981 to 1985. Gee has ...

, B.A. 1968, past president of universities including Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Brown and University of Colorado File:Martha Raddatz.png, Martha Raddatz, non-graduate alumna, ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent, recipient of 4

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

File:Ambassador Jon Huntsman.jpg,

, non-graduate alumnus,

U.S. Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the President of the United States, president to serve as the country's diplomat, diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as Ambassador-at-large, ...

to China, Russia and Singapore, 16th Governor of Utah File:Karl Rove.jpg,

, non-graduate alumnus, Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff in the George W. Bush administration File:Neeleman.jpg, David Neeleman, non-graduate alumnus, founder of JetBlue Airways,

Azul Brazilian Airlines Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S/A (''Azul Brazilian Airlines''; or simply Azul) is a Brazilian carrier based in Barueri, a suburb of São Paulo. The company's business model is to stimulate demand by providing frequent and affordable air serv ...

, co-founder of

WestJet Airlines WestJet Airlines Ltd. is a Canadian airline headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, near Calgary International Airport. It is the second-largest Canadian airline, behind Air Canada, operating an average of 777 flights and carrying more than 66,130 ...

Notes

References

External links

*
The University of Utah Athletics website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Utah, University Of University of Utah Utah, University of Flagship universities in the United States Economy of Salt Lake City Education in Salt Lake City Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Buildings and structures in Salt Lake City Universities and colleges in Salt Lake County, Utah Tourist attractions in Salt Lake City 1850 establishments in Utah Territory