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20 Moments of 2020

A look at 20 challenging, anxious, sometimes sad, historic and joyous moments of 2020.
Andrew Thompson Landerghini - University Marketing & Communications

For better or worse (probably worse), 2020 was a year to remember. Of course the COVID-19 pandemic and the George Floyd murder greatly impacted the University of Utah as it did the world, but living in the Salt Lake Valley meant there were additional squares one could add to their 2020 Bingo Card, such as a 5.7-magnitude earthquake—the largest ever recorded in the valley—or sustained hurricane-force winds that ripped out thousands of trees.

However, there were some shining moments for the University of Utah. The school was named one of the Top 40 public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Campus hosted the Vice Presidential Debate, seen by nearly 60 million people, the second-largest ever for a V.P. debate. It welcomed its largest incoming class of freshmen—4,484—and had its largest number of graduate students enrolled (8,404). And more than 10,000 degrees were awarded to the Class of 2020, a group of students who overcame unprecedented challenges in their final semester.

So without further adieu, we present 20 challenging, anxious, sometimes sad, historic and joyous moments of 2020…

WHITE COATS FOR BLACK LIVES

Images from the Vice Presidential Debate

#UTAHGRAD20 SHOUTOUTS

THE CLASS OF 2020

STUDENT VP DEBATE VOLUNTEERS

BLM RALLY ON THE PARK BUILDING STEPS

WORLD HEALTH DAY

The SEPTEMBER “HURRICANE”

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

UTAH SKI TEAM & GYMNASTICS SHORTENED CHAMPIONSHIP SEASONS

THE NOT-SO-BIG-BUT-SCARY ONE

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S DAY & LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ESTABLISHING THE GEORGE FLOYD MEMORIAL FUND

first COVID-19 vaccine delivery in Utah

COMET NEOWISE

TAN FRANCE VISIT (LAST PRE-PANDEMIC UNIVERSITY-WIDE EVENT)

U@HOME

TRIBUTE TO BOB GARFF

CAMPUS SKI DAY

WINTER DUSK ON MT. OLYMPUS

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