“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.
Hover mouse over timeline and swipe right and left to navigate. Click on entries and images for more information.
Go Utes! I love this timeline. I didn’t know the Watergate tapes guy went to the UofU. Well done!
You should do one of these for just sports. Like major games won, records of teams, that kind of thing. This is cool, too.
You asked who did you leave off the timeline? How about Henry Eyring?
The professor won 8 major awards including the Priestley medal and the Langmuir award. The “Eyring equation” is taught to every Chemist and Chemical Engineer to this day. Developer of the Transition State theory of chemical reactions he revolutionized the way in which chemical processes were developed and scaled up. Many Scientists (including myself) think he should have been awarded the Nobel Prize, but was passed over due to his religion.
He was also a remarkable educator and anyone lucky enough to have been one of his students would never forget him!
*Editor’s note: The Henry Eyring Building (HEB) is named after Henry Eyring, a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Metallurgy (1966-1981) and a former dean of the Graduate School (1946-1966). Dr. Eyring received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and taught in Wisconsin, Berlin, and Berkeley before making his way to Utah in 1946.