It is amusing, although a little boring, to watch some of the more ardent posters here try their hardest to depict either the University of Utah or BYU as Podunk U., something not really worthy of note by the high and mighty of the world. Biased as I am, I see this attempt coming more from BYU partisans than by Utah boosters.

A couple of thoughts about that:

The University of Utah is a truly remarkable institution, one of which its alumni and supporters can rightfully be very, very proud. It is the first university founded in the West, at a time when its founders were still eating sego lily roots to survive. If it weren't for the early Mormon settlers, the U. wouldn't be anything close to what it is today, and might not even exist. Those who have a hang-up about the "Mormon" Church influence in Utah need to accept that reality. On the othern hand, those BYU boosters who think the U. is some kind of annoying distraction from the "real University of Utah" (BYU) simply don't know what they're talking about, or can't bring themselves to give credit where it is due, or suffer from some other reality-denying pathology.

That such an instition as the U. could arise in a sparsely-populated state, with a competitor (BYU) of equal size 40 miles away and draining away support because the other school is the official flagship university of the Church, is amazing. Think of other sparsely-populated states-- Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa. They have ONE major flagship university in the state, and that flagship gets the lion's share of the support of that state's people. Utah's situation is unique. This is not something to moan or whine about, it is simply a fact.

It is also a fact that the U. has done amazingly well under those circumstances. Yes, it is an irritant to many of the local culture (of which I am a loyal son), but when you think about it, there is no way of having a major university in Salt Lake City and avoiding such discomfort.

The "discomfort" is not necessarily a bad thing. In my case, as a kid growing up in Utah, the U. gave me my first chance to rub shoulders with those who were from other places, and whose ideas were in sharp conflict with my own. As as much anything else, I loved that-- the collision of ideas there, the "yeastiness" of the place, and the life-long friends I made.

Anyway, rather than go on and on (and I have already), let me just voice a hope that we can discuss something here other than the U's status as a fine state-supported university, one that is getting better and has a bright future. (I happen to think BYU's future is bright, too, but that future will be devoted to an entirely different mission than Utah's. There is room for both universities in the world, and the supporters of each need to get used to the idea that neither university is going to go away.)

Bottom line: Those who struggle so hard to establish that the U. of U. is something second-rate or mediocre are engaged in a foolish endeavor. Ignore them.

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