“A PERPETUAL INCREASE IN KNOWLEDGE.”

This mandate, laid down 175 years ago by the General Assembly of the State of Deseret, has guided the University of Utah from its inception as the University of Deseret in 1850. Born in a fledgling territory, just three years after pioneers first surveyed the valley, it emerged as the region’s inaugural beacon of higher learning.

From these ambitious beginnings, the University of Utah has burgeoned into a crucible of innovation and a catalyst for change. As we mark this milestone, we look to a future ripe with possibility. Who will follow in the footsteps of Alan Ashton BA’66 PhD’70, Ray Noorda BS’49, and John Warnock BS’61 MS’64 PhD’69, whose computer software has empowered millions? Warnock stated, “I owe it all to the education I got at the University of Utah.” Or how will the next generation lead like Russell M. Nelson BA’45 MD’47—renowned heart surgeon and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? On donating his medical journals in 2023, Nelson reflected, “I am deeply grateful for the important role the University of Utah played in my education and surgical career.”

What groundbreaking discoveries await in our laboratories? Whose aspirations will be kindled in our lecture halls and clinics? As the University of Utah steps into its next chapter, it stands ready to shape the lives of Utahns and global citizens alike. This institution’s story, 175 years in the making, is still unfolding.

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