"Half the deans at the school wanted the job," recalls Machen. "The president wanted to do a search. He wanted someone who didn't want it. The criterion that I met was that I absolutely did not want it. I had my dream job. I'm a dentist. I was dean of the best dental school in the country."

He agreed to take a three-month leave of absence to fill in as provost while the school continued its search. The plan unraveled when the school president was fired. The search for a provost gave way to a search for a president.

As Machen recalls, "The regents said, 'Sorry, but you're it.' You can't hire a provost before you hire a president. They were right in that the university was in big trouble. I could have walked, but it would have been disloyal. So I ended up being the provost because I didn't want to be provost."

By the time the school was ready to hire another man for the job, two years had passed and Machen "realized I was through with dentistry at that point. I had been out of it for two years." He resigned himself to finishing his career in administration but not in the detail-oriented, hands-on provost position.

Machen became a hot commodity. Georgia, Alabama-Birmingham and Utah courted the dentist for their presidencies, and Machen "parachuted" into the president's job at Utah, where he has done things his way, take it or leave it. If he brings a certain swagger to the job and steps on a few toes to get what he wants — and he does both — it's because he risks nothing.

"This is not a stepping stone to get somewhere," he says. "I'm past my career path. I'm only doing this because I like what I'm doing and because I can change people's lives. I can make things happen that most university people can't make happen."

Making things happen

Machen made this happen: One of his pet causes is diversity, and this fall 20 young Salt Lake Valley Hispanics will receive full-ride four-year scholarships to the U. The university raised $2 million for Machen's project.

"I've committed to raise money for 20 more each year, so I will have a class every year," says Machen, who will have the 20 newcomers to his house for dinner this month.

Machen also made this happen: The University of Utah has a high percentage of married undergraduates, but a big shortage of day-care facilities. Machen has fostered creation of a day-care facility in the biology department called "Biokids."

"Everyone thought I was crazy but my wife," he says. "We must be the only university in the country that has day care in the university. This fall we're going to do another one."