Encyclopedia
The
University of Utah is a
public university in
Salt Lake City, Utah. Originally established February 28, 1850 by
Latter-day Saint leader
Brigham Young; it was initially named "University of Deseret." The school closed two years later for financial reasons. It reopened as a commercial school in 1867 in the old Council House in what is now downtown Salt Lake City under the direction of David O. Calder, a prominent Salt Lake City businessman and associate of
Mormon leader
Brigham Young. The University was renamed
University of Utah in 1894 and classes were first held on the present campus approximately two miles directly east of downtown Salt Lake City in 1900. It currently enrolls 22,661 undergraduate and 6,531 graduate students and has 3,971 faculty members.
The state-owned University is referred to colloquially as "the U." The university has a ferocious athletic and cultural rivalry with its neighbor to the south,
Brigham Young University , which is owned by
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . The University of Utah is the flagship public research institution in the state of Utah, and is one of 10 institutions that make up the Utah System of Higher Education.
Of the more than 3,500 colleges and universities in the United States, the University of Utah is one of only 88 which are classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as Research I universities — those which offer a full range of undergraduate programs, are committed to graduate education, and give research high priority.
Campus History
Portions of the present campus are located on the grounds of the former Fort Douglas, previously Camp Douglas. Camp Douglas was established in 1862 in order to protect the Overland Trail and was garrisoned by the Third California Infantry of volunteers. Regular army troops replaced the volunteers in 1866 and in 1875 the camp was rebuilt with more substantial buildings and renamed Fort Douglas. The fort was a base for Indian campaigns during the 1870s, and was later used as an
internment camp during both the First and Second World Wars. The Fort was officially closed on October 26, 1991.
Programs
The university offers 76 undergraduate majors, over 55 minors and certificates and 96 major fields of studies at the graduate level. It draws its 28,000-plus student population from all 50 states and 111 foreign countries. The university, one of the state’s largest employers, has the only medical, social work, architecture and pharmacy schools in a multi-state area.
The university's School of Computing has made several important contributions to the field. The University of Utah was one of the original four network nodes of
ARPANET, the world's first electronic computer network. The first link was established on October 29, 1969 between nodes at
UCLA and at
Stanford Research Institute, in Menlo Park, CA. . By December 5, 1969,
UCSB and the University of Utah were linked and the initial 4-node network was complete.
The U's Center for High Performance Computing links the U to major aerospace industries, high-tech
manufacturers and research companies. The Department of Computer Science is ranked in the top 20 computer science research departments in the nation. The U was named one of five finalists in the science category of the 1998 Computerworld Smithsonian Awards.
Other accomplishments include the first method for representing surface textures in graphical images, the
Gouraud smooth shading model for computer graphics, invention of magnetic ink printing technology, the Johnson counter
logic circuit, development of the oldest algebraic mathematics package still in use, and the
Phong lighting model for shading with highlights. The school has pioneered work in asynchronous circuits, computer animation, computer art, digital music recording , graphical user interfaces, and stack machine architectures. Notable alumni include Henri Gouraud,
James Blinn,
Nolan Bushnell,
Ed Catmull, Jim Clark,
Alan Kay, Shane Robison and
John Warnock. Companies founded by faculty and alumni include
Adobe Systems,
Ashlar,
Atari, CAE Systems, Centillium Technology,
Cirrus Logic,
WordPerfect, Evans and Sutherland, Myricom, NeoMagic,
Netscape Communications Corporation,
Pixar, Pixal Plane, PlanetWeb, and
Silicon Graphics.
The University of Utah's School of Medicine is respected as one of the region's finest, with several notable achievements, and the University of Utah Hospitals & Clinics has consistently had some of its programs ranked by U.S. News & World Report. In 1970, the school established the first Cerebrovascular Disease Unit west of the
Mississippi River. In 1982, Barney Clark received the world's first permanently implanted artificial heart, the
Jarvik-7, during an operation performed by William C. Devries, M.D. Clark survived 112 days with the device. The campus houses both the Huntsman Cancer Institute , and the Moran Eye Center, an ophthalmic clinical care and research facility. Areas for which the school is often praised include
cardiology, geriatrics,
gynecology, rheumatology, pulmonology, oncology,
orthopedics, and
ophthalmology.
Also of note at the University is its
economics department. The University of Utah's Political Science department hosts one of nation's leading schools of politics and government. Aside from regular course work, the college provides its students the opportunity to volunteer as interns in state and federal government offices. The college is often visited by local and national leaders.
The University is well known in the field of
biology for its unique contributions to the study of genetics. This is due in part to long-term genealogy efforts of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which is headquartered about four miles from the University. Those who keep genealogic records are an asset to researchers who are able to use family records to trace genetic disorders through several generations. Additionally, the relative homogeneity of Utah's population makes it an ideal laboratory for studies of population genetics. The population tends to volunteer for genetic testing in high numbers. The University is home to the Genetic Science Learning Center, a unique resource which educates the public about genetics through its website. In addition, University of Utah faculty member Mario Capecchi has made significant contributions to the field by developing a gene knockout technique that functions even in higher organisms.
In 1989, the university was the focus of a short-lived but nonetheless intense "development" in the scientific community when its then-chair of
chemistry and visiting professor Martin Fleischmann purportedly discovered a chemical reaction process to be known as "
cold fusion". The theory has since been discredited by the nuclear physics academic community.
Olympics
In 2002, the University hosted the Olympic Village as well as
Winter Olympic events, including the opening and closing ceremonies. Prior to the events, the University received a facelift that included extensive renovations to
Rice-Eccles Stadium, a
light rail track leading to downtown Salt Lake City and an array of new student housing and a 134 room campus hotel and conference center at nearby Fort Douglas.
Athletics
The school's sports teams are called the
Utes. There are many "nicknames" for the teams too, as, for instance, the basketball team known as the "Runnin' Utes"; in former days, the football team was known as "Runnin' Redskins", and the gymnastics team is known as "the Red Rocks". Utah participates in the
NCAA's Division I as part of the
Mountain West Conference. The focus each football season is to beat their
chief rival, the
BYU Cougars, in the last game of the regular season in a contest which for one week seems to divide the entire state. This traditional season finale has been called a "holy war" and is
one of the fierciest, most bitter rivalries in all college football.
In 2002, U.S.News & World Report named Utah to its Honor Roll of College Sports: one of only 20 schools in the whole nation to receive such mention.
The men's basketball team won the
NCAA title in 1944 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 Championships in 1949 and 1951. Wat Misaka, 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 under the leadership of head coach Rick Majerus, who with the versatile playing of guard Andre Miller, combo forward Hanno Möttölä and post player Michael Doleac, took Utah to the NCAA Final Four in 1998. Then, after eliminating
North Carolina to advance to the final round, Utah lost the championship game to
Kentucky, 78-69.
The women's gymnastic team, the Red Rocks, has won the National Gymnastics Championship title 10 times, more than any other university. In 2006, they finished 2nd. In the years when Utah does not place first, they are almost always #2 or #3. The 10-time national champion Utah gymnastics team has qualified for a record 31st-consecutive national championship. Utah is the only program to qualify for all 25 NCAA Championships. The Utes won the 2006 women's gymnastics attendance title, averaging 12,747 spectators to their six regular season home meets. It marked the second-highest attendance average in Utah and NCAA gymnastics history. Utah has won 22 of the last 25 gymnastics attendance titles. This is also one of the highest attendance averages for any women's college sport in the nation.
Utah is home to 11 crowned NCAA National Skiing Championship teams, 64 individual NCAA titles, 21 Olympic athletes and 294 All-Americans ... a display of one of the most successful skiing programs within the college racing circuit.
Of more recent note was the 2004-2005 Utah football team. Coached by
Urban Meyer and quarterbacked by
Alex Smith, the Utes went 11-0 during the regular season and became the first team from a non-BCS league to go to a BCS Bowl Game, finishing the regular season #6 in the BCS rankings. The Utes defeated
Pittsburgh 35 - 7 in the
Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 2005 and ended its perfect 12-0 season ranked fourth in AP polling. Because they do not play in a BCS conference, they were denied an opportunity to play for the NCAA championship, despite their perfect record. Since the creation of the BCS and the National Championship Game, they are the third undefeated team to be denied a chance to play for the title, joining
Tulane in 1998 and
Marshall in 1999. Complicating the issue in 2005 was the fact that
Auburn and
Boise State also finished the season undefeated, the first time that five Division I-A teams finished the regular season without a loss.
In 2005, Utah became the first school to produce #1 overall draft picks in both the
NFL and NBA Drafts for the same year. Alex Smith was picked first overall by the
San Francisco 49ers in April, 2005, followed by Andrew Bogut, who was taken first overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the
Milwaukee Bucks.
Broadcasting
The University of Utah has several public broadcasting affiliations. They include:
- KUED, TV Channel 7 , the state's main PBS member station and producer of local documentaries;
- KUER-FM, FM 90.1, an NPR member station.
- KUEN, TV Channel 9 , a resource for teachers and lifelong learners is operated from the U. campus by the Utah Education Network, a statewide partnership of public and higher education.
- K-UTE, Student campus radio
The Daily Utah Chronicle
The Daily Utah Chronicle is the U's independent, student-run paper, which has published regularly since 1890. It publishes daily on most school days during fall and spring semesters, and tri-weekly during summer semester. "The Chrony" typically runs about eight pages, with longer editions for weekend game-guide editions. The paper is a broadsheet and usually features full-color printing on the front by arrangement to use Newspaper Agency Corporation printing facilities, a deal brokered by
The Salt Lake Tribune and intended to inspire journalism mentoring.
The Daily Utah Chronicle was recently selected as the top newspaper in its region by the Society of Professional Journalists.
Alumni of the Chronicle staff have gone on to work in all forms of media at all levels both regionally and nationally.
The Pride of Utah
The University of Utah Marching Band began in the 1940s as a military band that performed for university events and ceremonies. In 1948, University President A. Ray Olpin recruited Ron Gregory from Ohio State University to form a marching band fashioned after the great collegiate bands of the Midwest.
But in the turbulent '60s, support for the band dwindled and in 1969, the Associated Students for the University of Utah discontinued its funding.
The band was revived in 1976 after a fund raising effort. Since then, the "Pride of Utah" Marching Utes have performed at all home football and basketball games, along with home gymnastics meets. They've also performed at numerous NFL and college bowl games.
Famous alumni
...
Pixar Animation Studios is an award-winning American [i] computer animation [i] studio ...
- Tom Chambers - former NBA all-star
- Dave Checketts - American businessman, founder Sports Capital Partners
- James H. Clark - Founder, Silicon Graphics
- Stephen R. Covey - Business author, consultant
- Andre Dyson - NFL pro-bowl defensive back
- Kevin Dyson - former NFL wide receiver
- Luther Elliss - former NFL all-pro defensive lineman
- Arnie Ferrin - former NBA player, four-time all-american
- E. Jake Garn - former U.S. Senator, R-UT, and Astronaut
- Gordon B. Hinckley - President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- Joseph Kearns - Radio, Film and Television Actor
- Harold B. Lee - former President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- J. Willard Marriott - Founder, Marriott International
- David O. McKay - former President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- Sterling M. McMurrin - former E.E. Erickson Professor of Philosophy and U of Utah administrator, U.S. Commissioner of Education, Mormon philosopher
- Andre Miller - NBA player, all-american
- Frank Moss, former U.S. Senator, D-UT
- David Neeleman - JetBlue founder and CEO
- George Ouzounian - The Best Page in the Universe founder
- Cecil O. Samuelson - President, Brigham Young University; Latter-day Saint General Authority
- Chris Shelton - MLB baseball player
- Alex Smith - San Francisco 49ers Quarterback, 1st overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
- George Albert Smith - former President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- Steve Smith - Carolina Panthers pro-bowl wide receiver
- David N. Sundwall - Executive Director, Utah Department of Health and former Assistant Surgeon General
- Jordan Gross - Carolina Panthers offensive lineman
- Wallace Stegner - American novelist
- LeConte Stewart - American artist primarily known for his landscapes of rural Utah, later became head of the Art Department at the University of Utah from 1938 to 1956
- Bob Trumpy - former NFL tight end/Sports Analyst
- Keith Van Horn - NBA player
- John Warnock - Co-founder of Adobe Systems
- Terry Tempest Williams - Author, environmentalist
- Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala - former NFL Running Back
Notes- Andrew Bogut - Milwaukee Bucks forward, 1st overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft left early for the NBA and did not graduate.
- Ted Bundy - Notorious serial killer briefly attended Utah's law school prior to his arrest and conviction for kidnapping in 1975.
- Karl Rove - Chief political strategist and adviser to George W. Bush
...
attended the University of Utah but never graduated.
References
External links
UofU's Academic Programs
Additional UofU Resources
