Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Chairs

The University of Utah and the Huntsman Family Foundation announced, on June 19, the creation of twelve presidential faculty chairs in health sciences. The Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Chairs provide sweeping support to academic researchers, educators, and clinicians spanning a wide array of fields. The presidential chairs are named for the late businessman, philanthropist, and founder of the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

“The Huntsman Family’s commitment to the University of Utah is profound, and these chairs are yet another testament to their dedication to advancing health research, education, and compassionate care,” said U President Ruth V. Watkins. “They are particularly notable for the breadth of fields and subjects they support. In addition to the honor they confer, faculty across our health campus will have significant additional resources to pursue new research, extend care, and educate the next generation of health care providers. This is a powerful addition to the Huntsman’s legacy and marks a new chapter in our continued relationship with the family. On behalf of the faculty and the entire university community, we are incredibly grateful for these generous awards. Theirs is a gift not just to faculty, but to patients, their families and caregivers, as well as our community, region, and nation.”

“Our family’s existing and steadfast commitment to cancer is well known and with that commitment is a vision to advance a broad array of health and medical research and clinical work at the University of Utah,” said Karen H. Huntsman, Chairwoman of the Huntsman Family Foundation.

Watkins announced that, in consultation with senior administration and the Huntsman family, she had appointed six faculty members as the inaugural chairholders, with six more to be named next year. The appointments began July 1, and will end June 30, 2023, with the possibility of a one-time additional five-year renewal option.

The faculty members selected have demonstrated excellence in research, clinical care, and career progression in health sciences. They reflect diverse academic disciplines, with appointments in dentistry, psychiatry, population health sciences, biomedical informatics, pulmonary medicine, and obstetrics gynecology.

Art Museum Reimagined

Visitors to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts at the University of Utah were wowed by revamped galleries and thoughtfully reimagined public spaces when the museum reopened this fall after a temporary closure for replacement of the museum’s vapor barrier, essential for protecting the building that protects the art. The 19-month project, the first major […]

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Nature All Around Us—A Wild Idea

Last fall, the Natural History Museum of Utah announced a wild idea—an ambitious initiative called Nature All Around Us to encourage Utah residents to explore and record the nature in their own neighborhoods. As part of the project, the museum will develop an in-house special exhibition and a variety of citizen science programs across the […]

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Gary and Ann Crocker Science Center Opens

With much fanfare, University of Utah President Ruth V. Watkins, former U President David W. Pershing, and College of Science Dean Henry S. White hosted on April 20 the long-awaited ribbon-cutting celebration to mark the dedication of the spectacular new Gary and Ann Crocker Science Center. Located within the George Thomas Building on Presidents Circle, […]

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Opening of Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House

In the words of University of Utah President Ruth V. Watkins, less than three weeks after officially taking office: “What a fantastic way to start a presidency!” Thanks to a $4 million lead gift from the Spencer F. and Cleone P. Eccles Family and the added generosity of many alumni and friends, President Watkins joined […]

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Opening the Door to Higher Ed: One Refugee at a Time

When Roger and Sara Boyer became aware of the number of highly motivated, qualified, and capable refugees in Utah who had been turned down in their efforts to gain admission to college, they wanted to help. Of the state’s approximately 60,000 refugees, those who want to attend college have the same set of challenges experienced […]

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Childhood Friendship Results in Social Work Scholarship

The two 15-year-olds stand on the grounds of their new school staring at the camera, anxious as they contemplate what awaits them at Culver Military Academy. It is their first day at the college prep school in Indiana. They have just donned their uniforms and have yet to learn how to properly stand at attention. […]

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Yanik Scholarship Supports Sigma Nu Students

It was Christmas Eve in the mid-1960s. Winter quarter at the U had ended two weeks earlier and U alum Boyce Yanik and his Sigma Nu fraternity brothers had celebrated the holidays with their Christmas formal and a Sub for Santa Party for a family of 12 children, organized by The Salt Lake Tribune for those […]

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Achieving the American Dream

Do you have an idea that could reinvigorate your community’s shrinking middle class? University of Utah President Ruth V. Watkins, on May 24, announced a new statewide, presidential initiative called The American Dream Ideas Challenge, that will find, fund, and develop ideas to ensure a vibrant middle class in Utah. The university was selected by […]

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