On Feb. 28, 2025, the University of Utah celebrated its 175th anniversary. Founded in the year 1850, the U was the first state university west of the Missouri River.
The U was originally called the University of Deseret. Classes were held in homes, tuition was only $8 per quarter and it hosted a mere 25 students. The U was one of the first western universities to admit women. In 1884, the U settled into its permanent home in the east benches of Salt Lake Valley. In 1892, it was officially renamed the University of Utah.
Today, the U is home to about 35,000 students and over 255,000 alumni. With this monumental anniversary, the U officially began its 175 Years of Existence campaign. It’s marked with the tagline, “175 years and still climbing.”
The University is hosting a number of events in lieu of celebrating its 175th birthday. To kickstart the celebration, the annual Founder’s Day Dinner.
Founder’s Day Dinner
Alumni gathered at the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House in various shades of red last week to celebrate the university that is home to so many.
“Fundamentally, our job here is a human endeavor, whether it’s discovery that makes us better, we’re training individuals that will change our society and change the lives of families and politics or whatever the subject happens to be,” said U President Taylor Randall at the dinner.
The dinner honored university alumni and presented awards to a select few individuals for their devotion and commitment to the U. These annual alumni awards, along with honorary degrees, are the highest honors the U gives.
This year’s recipients included John Ashton, Reverend France Davis, Lisa Eccles, Cece Foxley and John and Marcia Price.
“It is just an amazing evening. I always love this event because we get to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of so many alumni and their contributions to this university,” Randall said.
Ongoing Celebrations
Kris Bosman, Chief Alumni Relations Officer at the U, explained that the 175 years celebration will span through the fall.
“We are planning on this year stretching out between Founder’s Day and Homecoming, which is Oct. 25, with being mindful of the many different groups of people and audiences that we want to engage, from students all the way to just the general community and the general state at large,” Bosman said.
Future events hosted by the U to celebrate include REDtalks in April, where U staff members will present their research. The anniversary celebration will stem into Giving Day 2025, too. The U will also host bus tours with university leadership, and the festivities will end with homecoming. The planning for this campaign has been in the works since August.
And on top of that, there is exclusive 175 year merchandisein the campus book store for purchase.
“When I look at the university and how many lives it has affected in a really positive way, and over the course of that year, it’s very humbling that we’re involved with such a wonderful, incredible institution,” Bosman said. “It just shows we’re not done yet, like this is only the beginning of the positive trajectory of the University of Utah.”