Michael K. Young was appointed president of the University of Utah in April 2004. Under his leadership, the U grew its reputation as a research and entrepreneurship hub and joined the national stage as a member of the PAC-12 athletic conference.

During Young’s tenure, the U became the nation’s top university in the number of spinoff companies generated from university research. Income to the U from tech ventures grew from $6.4 million to $10.2 million. The U was listed among the top 25 public U.S. research universities by the Center for Measuring University Performance and placed on other national and international rankings lists. Young oversaw the building of 1.9 million square feet of academic and research space. At the time of his departure, U of U Health Care ranked #1 in quality among academic medical centers and among “the finest health care systems in the U.S.” for the 17th year by U.S. News & World Report.

Prior to his appointment, Young served as dean of the George Washington University Law School and was a faculty member at Columbia University. During the administration of President George H.W. Bush, Young was ambassador for trade and environmental affairs, deputy undersecretary for economic and agricultural affairs, and deputy legal adviser to the U.S. Department of State. Young received a BA in political science and Japanese from Brigham Young University and a JD from Harvard Law School.