Athletics, academics make University of Utah a perfect fit for the Pac-10

The University of Utah's recent invitation to join the Pacific-10 Conference recognizes the school's impressive athletics achievements and makes the Utes a perfect fit for inclusion in this elite conference.

The move to the Pac-10 means added respect and a larger audience both on and off the field. This storied "conference of champions" garners national television audiences each week, which will help the Utes' increase their institutional profile throughout the country.

I agree with U. President Michael K. Young when he said, "This will be tremendous both academically and athletically for the university."

As the chairman of the State Board of Regents, I am especially excited about what this means for the academic side of the university and all of the Utah System of Higher Education. Many students at the state's two-year colleges transfer to the U. to complete their bachelor's degrees, while many of the U.'s graduate students come from Utah's other institutions.

Rubbing shoulders with some of the world's best academic institutions — such as Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley — will highlight the U.'s academic accomplishments.

This partnership would not have formed if not for the U.'s excellence in its classrooms and laboratories, where the university also holds its own when compared with other Pac-10 schools.

The University of Utah ranks among the top public research universities in the nation, with particular distinction in medicine, genetics and engineering. According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities, the U. ranks 47th nationally and 80th in the world for academic excellence.

Going forward, recruitment of top students and faculty to the university also will benefit. The added prestige means that the University of Utah will be able to not only attract top players to compete in athletic contests, but also the world's brightest faculty and researchers, which is a major component of the state's flagship institution.

More than 90 companies have been founded on technology developed at the university in the last four years. These companies have raised $173 million in seed and venture capital and have created more than 300 Utah jobs.

Translating so many research projects into businesses has earned the U. the distinction of being ranked as one of the top institutions in the country by the Association of University Technology Managers for creating new startups from research-based inventions.