University of Utah

The University of Utah opened under the name "University of Deseret" in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 28, 1850, only to be closed two years later for financial reasons. It reopened as a business school in 1867 and became a full university once again in 1869. The University was renamed University of Utah in 1894 and classes were first held on the present campus in 1900.

The University is well known in the field of biology for its unique contributions to the study of genetics. This is in part due to the heavy emphasis placed on geneology by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is headquartered in Salt Lake City. Local members of the Church are a great asset to researchers who are able to use family records to trace genetic disorders through several generations.

The University suffered some embarrassment in 1989 as the result of Pons and Fleischmann's cold fusion announcement.

The school's sports teams are called the Utes. They participate in the NCAA's Division I and in the Mountain West Conference.