As autumn descends, I’m filled with a sense of excitement and anticipation for the changes and growth happening at the University of Utah. This fall marks the fifth consecutive year of welcoming our largest class yet, with more than 5,600 first-year students. The energy of our now 35,000+ student body is palpable and will only grow as we get closer to our enrollment goal of 40,000.
Discoveries at the U are also breaking records. For the tenth year in a row, research funding has grown, totaling $768 million in fiscal year 2023—the most we’ve ever received! Our students, faculty, staff, and donors are working together to bring solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges. And, we’re one step closer to our goal of $1 billion in research support.
The physical footprint of the U also expanded this fall with the opening of the Herriman Campus, a partnership with Salt Lake Community College. Students can earn an associate degree by taking SLCC courses and then seamlessly transfer to the U to finish a bachelor’s degree, all at the Herriman location. We’re eager to pave new educational pathways for even more Utahns.
And last but not least, 2022-23 was one for the history books for Utah Athletics. In total, we celebrated seven conference championships, six combined individual and team national championships, and six national top-16 finishes. (Check out the quiz in this issue to test what you remember about the record-breaking ’22-23 year.) I want to thank our Pac-12 peers for an exciting 11 years of competition and for their collegiality on and off the field. Our athletes will finish the season strong while also looking ahead to the exciting prospects of the Big 12 Conference next fall, where new rivalries will be sparked and old ones rekindled.
Indeed, it’s a season of growth and change at the U. The stories in this issue of Utah Magazine share even more examples of our institution’s ambitious ascent as we fortify our national reputation and strive to be a top 10 public university with unsurpassed societal impact.
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