As the University of Utah rises in stature as a model public university, its dedication to serving the state is unwavering. In U President Ruth Watkins’ words, the U is not just the University of Utah, but the University for Utah—providing Utahns with educational excellence, world-class research and medical care, community engagement, economic expansion and unparalleled cultural amenities.

Watch the president’s message and read the transcript below.

President Ruth Watkins: There is only one Utah. No other place has quite the same majesty. There is only one Delicate Arch, one Wasatch Mountain Range, one Bonneville Salt Flats.

It is a place that thrives on hard work, innovation and people coming together. Especially now, as we welcome a more vibrant diversity.

For more than 165 years, one institution has been inseparably connected to Utah. It has educated its youth, cared for and healed its people, blazed trails of discovery, reached out to its communities, been a cultural beacon and an engine for its economy. You see, more than just being the University of Utah, it has always been the University for Utah.

We are for scientific research that addresses our greatest challenges, here and beyond. We are for providing the best patient care and the eradication of cancer from the face of the earth. We are for community engagement that lifts us both. We are for expressions of art in all their forms that reflect our shared humanity.

And as Utah’s flagship institution we are for innovative higher education. We are for undergraduate and graduate degrees to fill the high-demand jobs that require critical thinking—computer science, engineering, health care, business, social sciences and communications—more than any other institution in Utah.

Because, we are for a vibrant Utah, for a healthy Utah, for a life-fulfilling Utah. And as we imagine new heights for ourselves, we can see Utah rising with us.