The Future Is Bright Utah Red

Fall semester is one of my favorite times of year—campus is buzzing with students, energy, and new possibilities. But this year feels bigger. We just welcomed our largest incoming class ever for the sixth year in a row. It reminds me that welcoming students is just one part of the story. The other part is the university we’re building for them.

This year, that work has been front and center as Impact 2030—our ambitious five-year strategic plan to inspire students, accelerate discovery, and serve communities—has come alive. You can see it in West Valley City, where we broke ground on the Eccles Health Campus and Eccles Hospital to bring care closer to communities. You can feel it in the new L.S. Skaggs Applied Science Building, where students now have the lab space to match their curiosity. You can sense it in our strengthened commitment to mental health with the new Kem and Carolyn Gardner Mental Health Crisis Care Center. And you can find it in our partnerships with tech firms such as NVIDIA and HPE to invest in artificial intelligence solutions, including AI training for students and workers and AI tools for understanding cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases.

Perhaps nothing shows our impact more than the HIV breakthrough from U researcher Wes Sundquist and colleagues, a discovery with the potential to save millions. We’re transforming lives not only here at home, but across the globe.

This summer, I traveled from Logan to St. George on my second University of Utah road trip to celebrate 175 years of the U and strengthen our community partnerships. As I met with business leaders, community members, and my fellow alumni, I saw how deeply the university shapes our state’s success—and how you're a vital part of our growing impact.

As we wrap up our 175th anniversary celebrations this fall, I’m incredibly proud of our legacy. But I’m even more energized by what lies ahead. The U has never been more essential to our society—and our future has never looked brighter.