|
With the departure of Chase Peterson as
President of the University in 1991, Arthur K. Smith, the first
president who was not a member of the LDS church, took the
helm. President
|
|
The new addition to the J. Willard
Marriott Library
|
Smith inherited an institution that had gained national
standing not only for the depth of its research programs--by
1998 the University ranked 41st nationally in income received
from patents and licenses--but for its commitment to providing
a quality education in all fields. The decade of the 1990s also
saw the University reach national standing in sports. The 1994
football season–the best in
school history– saw Utah finish the season with a
school-record 10 wins (10-2) and a No. 10 Associated Press
ranking. The Utes also ranked nationally in volleyball, and
skiing, and the women's gymnastics team continued their
dominance. But it was the men's basketball team, under coach
Rick Majerus, that provided the most thrilling highlights,
advancing to the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" several times during the
decade.
Also during the 1990s, the campus continued
to expand, with a virtual construction boom that included the
Hunstman Cancer Center, funded by the largest gift the
University has ever received; the 45,634-seat Rice-Eccles
|
|
Rice-Eccles Stadium
|
Stadium renovation; the Dumke Gymnastics Center; the
George S. Eccles Tennis Facility; the Dee Glen Smith Athletics
Center; the Language Communications Building; and new dance and
biology buildings. Existing buildings, such as Kingsbury Hall
and Gardner Hall, and the athletics auxiliary training
|
|
Rice-Eccles Stadium
|
room, were completely renovated, and a 200,000 square
foot addition to the J. Willard Marriott Library was finished
in 1996. In 1997, President Smith left the University of Utah,
and was replaced Jerilyn McIntyre as interim president. She in
turn was replaced at the end of the year by Bernard Machen.
|
|
campus computer lab
|
This is not to say that the University of Utah does not
face challenges; enrollment has wavered, with many students
choosing one of the community colleges that have been
established in the state, and obtaining sufficient funding from
the Utah legislature is still the same problem that it was back
during
|
|
the largest campus computer lab in
the Marriott Library
|
the days of John R. Park. The University still walks a
fine line between being on the cutting edge of the very latest
research, and providing a solid, grounded education that the
citizens of the state of Utah have come to expect from their
flagship school. Beyond the issues of education vs. research
and adequate funding, the world at large has created one of the
biggest challenges the University will face in the new
millennium. This got its start in 1995, when Salt Lake City was
awarded the Winter Olympics for 2002. The University was
selected as the site for the Olympic village, and Rice Stadium
for the the location of the opening and closing ceremonies.
Fort Douglas gave up more of its land for the construction of
the Olympic Village, which will become student housing after
the Olympics. The entire campus will be affected for the next
two years by this world-class event.
Yet the students--the real future of the
University of Utah--continue to come to classes; researchers
continue to make advances in technology and medicine; the
faculty continues to impart their knowledge and experience to
willing minds. Despite the many advances in science, tehnology,
and other fields, no one can yet predict the future, so it is
impossible to say what the next 150 years holds for the
University of Utah. But if the past is prologue, as the
philosophers say, then the city of Salt Lake, the state of
Utah, and indeed the world can continue to expect great things
to come out of the campus on the hill.
|
Presidents of the era
|
|
Bernard Machen
President, 1998-
|
|
