Driving Force
Serving a Changing State
Utah’s evolving needs act as the driving force behind our strategy. In the coming years, Utah will see significant demographic and economic shifts that will have dramatic implications for our communities, state, and country. As Utah’s leading research institution and trusted health care provider, the University of Utah will play a pivotal role in guiding our state through these transformations.
How The State Is Changing
- Utah is one of the fastest growing states in the U.S. and is now considered mid-sized for the first time in its history.
- Utah’s robust economy, consistently ranked among the strongest in the nation, continues to grow.
- Utah is becoming more multicultural. Nearly one in four Utahns is a racial or ethnic minority, and this ratio is projected to rise to one in three within two decades.
- Utah residents are aging and birth rates are dropping. Utah’s over-65 population is projected to rise from one in 10 today to one in five by 2050.
How We Plan To Lead Through Change
GROW
Our student body to create more access while providing employers with a talented workforce.
ADAPT
Our teaching to ensure successful educational outcomes and effective learning for all students.
EXPAND
U of U Health systems and adapt to the complex needs of aging residents.
LEVERAGE
Our research capacities to address economic and societal challenges.
INNOVATE
Solutions and create models to transfer discoveries to the marketplace and the world.
Our Collaborative Approach
- We will help guide our state through the dynamic times ahead and approach this work with both optimism and determination.
- We seek to foster interdisciplinary collaborations to facilitate leading-edge discoveries and innovation.
- We plan to partner with the Utah System of Higher Education and other institutions to provide the state a diverse portfolio of higher education focused on meeting Utah’s evolving needs.
- We will work with local communities across the state, government agencies, and private-sector partners to galvanize resources to promote shared prosperity at home, nationally, and abroad.