4 major ways University of Utah President Taylor Randall wants to transform campus in the next decade

Taylor Randall wants the University of Utah to be a destination.

When he pictures what campus could be, he sees it transforming from mostly commuters now to a future community. He envisions a shift from sprawling to accessible. Isolated to integrated. Generic to distinctive. Quiet to vibrant.

And on Tuesday, the president announced his plans for making that happen.

“This is going to be an ambitious undertaking,” Randall said.

After 14-months of study, he presented to the school’s board of trustees a bold framework meant to guide all campus planning to come over the next decade. It received unanimous approval, and the state’s flagship school will now move forward with studies and cost estimates.

In his vision, Randall has divided campus into what he sees as six different “districts”: research, academics, athletics, student living, cultural venues and health operations.

The plan for adapting and updating the U.’s physical spaces will include expanding student housing and adding more amenities — like restaurants and shops — on campus, plus making a massive move to consolidate sports venues. And it will involve a deep dive into transportation and parking.

The framework was drafted with the help of design firm Aretee Consulting and architects with NBBJ.

“The amount of time and thorough detail that we’ve gone through over the last months has been amazing,” said Bassam Salem, a member of the board of trustees.

Randall’s vision is designed to align with his larger goals, which include growing the student body and expanding research, which he outlined when he was inaugurated in 2021.

Here’s a breakdown of his latest plans:

1. Looking at new parking and transportation solutions

Even as the U. shifts away from being a commuter campus, there will still be people who drive in and leave each day.

That applies mostly to faculty and staff, but also community members who come for events, such as sports, graduations or concerts. That means the university will still need parking lots.

Currently, parking — or the lack of — is one of the biggest frustrations for those who visit the school. And it’s gotten worse recently as some lots have been eliminated to construct new buildings.

“We’ve got to think really carefully about transportation, parking,” Randall told the U.’s trustees Tuesday.

The U. has previously mentioned that it’s studying how it might use cameras to direct drivers to empty spaces — and help end the parking lot merry-go-round. Randall also wants to add more parking on campus with at least one new garage, instead of just expanding lots that take up more surface space.

On Tuesday, he spoke about commissioning a “rigorous parking study” to get those plans “moving at a considerable pace” as campus grows; the board of trustees is expected to review the initial strategy by June.

Randall noted, as well, that he’d like to look at new options for transportation. There is currently a TRAX line that runs through main campus and up to the University of Utah Hospital. The Utah Transit Authority recently announced, too, that it plans to add another line to connect through Research Park.

The school also runs its own bus system. Randall said his focus is on sustainability with transportation, which could include more environmentally-friendly options. He’d like to see more bike paths and less car travel overall.

2. Moving the Jon M. Huntsman Center and creating a new ‘athletics district’

The biggest change will be moving the Jon M. Huntsman Center, where Utah’s basketball, gymnastics and volleyball teams play. It’s also where convocation and commencement ceremonies are held.

The arena has been on campus for more than 50 years, originally opened in 1969. “It’s a historical building that all of us have benefitted from so much,” said U. Athletic Director Mark Harlan during the meeting Tuesday.

But it’s become dated, he added, and it’s “frankly not as accessible as it needs to be” under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. There’s also only one service elevator, he added, which makes maintenance work and receiving deliveries harder.

The next step is to study locations to relocate the arena, which will include surveying fans. Campus leaders are expected to present on possible locations and the cost of those by September. But it’ll still be years before any actual arena move begins.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for this athletic department to modernize and move forward in conjunction with this overall plan,” Harlan said.

Randall’s vision calls for an “athletics district,” which suggests a new arena might be built at the southwest end of campus, somewhere near Rice-Eccles Stadium.

In the past decade, the existing Huntsman Center has become surrounded by new dorms built on campus. And that’s made it somewhat out of place for that corner, which Randall would like to be focused on student housing.

3. Adding more student housing

Since he began his term as president, Randall has often said he wants more students to live on campus — to be immersed in their education and not commute in every day. In 2022, he set a goal to get 5,000 more in the dorms by 2027.

That would mean roughly 11,000 total students living in residence halls, which is about a third of the school’s undergraduate population.

The U. has expanded its dorms in recent years, including through unique private-public partnerships. But it has still had a hard time keeping up with the demand.

The university is looking to add even more residence halls now in an area of campus that Randall has dubbed the “college town magic district.”

Randall said Tuesday he’s focused on “building a community.” He wants there to be restaurants, a grocery store and retail shops in the area. And he intends for it to be open 24/7.

His vision has gotten a bit easier since the U. took control of about 50 acres that was previously occupied by the military at Fort Douglas in a major land swap announced last fall. The plan is to build more dorms in that corner of campus.

The U. also wants to be able to offer student housing as spaces where athletes can live when the Winter Olympics return to Salt Lake City in 2034. It’s not clear yet if that will help the U. secure outside funding as it builds out the dorms. But one of the members of the school’s board of trustees is also on the Olympic steering committee for the games here.

The university previously had athletes stay on campus during the 2002 games.

4. Building out more plazas and open spaces

The point of the framework, Randall said, is to make the U. a place people want to be.

In addition to parking and housing changes, he wants the campus to be aesthetically inviting — with spots for students, faculty, staff and community members to enjoy spending their time. That will come with the addition of new outdoor plazas and community spaces.

Initial concept renderings show a vibrant campus with people hanging out and studying. There are benches and artwork, patios and lots of plants.

Randall said he’s looking forward to what campus will look like when the picture in his head becomes reality. On Tuesday, he said: “Let’s roll up our sleeves and start executing now.”

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