Taylor Randall: Spiritual Grit and the Initiating, Sustaining, and Clarifying Virtues

An address given by Taylor Randall, delivered on February 18, 2025, a the Conference Center Theater. President Randall was born in Berkeley, California, and raised in Salt Lake City. He did his undergraduate at the University of Utah and his graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania. President Randall joined the U in 1998 as a professor of accounting and led the nationally ranked David Eccles School of Business for 12 years before he was appointed the president in 2021. President Randall, the first alum in 50 years to hold this position, has an infectious energy and passion for his alma mater. He has set a bold goal for the University of Utah to become a top 10 public university with unsurpassed societal impact. He believes the U can revolutionize the student experience, change the world through research, and serve our state to improve the lives of all 3.5 million Utahns. Some of the highlights of his tenure thus far include repledging the U’s commitment to serve the state of Utah, opening centers for climate science and policy and financial technology (fintech) education and investment, building several new living-learning housing projects, announcing a hospital in West Valley, initiating a comprehensive strategic planning process, and launching a Responsible AI Initiative.