JULY 2024–JUNE 2025
24 25 26
U Alumni
The Office of Alumni Relations, located in the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House at the heart of campus, provides opportunities for alumni to connect with one another; engage in activities that are fun, enriching, and benefit the U; and foster education and advance alumni careers.
Our mission is to foster and preserve lifelong relationships between the university and U alumni, U students, and the community, while aligning with the university’s strategic pillars: inspiring student success, innovating new discovery, and impacting the lives of every Utahn.
Introduction
This July marks the end of my first year as president of the U Alumni Board of Governors—and what a year it has been! From emceeing the Founders Day celebration to networking with students as an alumni mentor during Mentoring Month, I’ve seen firsthand the power of our U alumni community.
A huge shoutout to this year’s board—they showed up in big and small ways, participating in alumni events, connecting with students, and helping make this U Giving Day the university’s most successful yet!
It’s an exciting time to be an alum…the University of Utah’s 175th anniversary celebrations are in full swing, with more memorable events to come this fall. This milestone year also offers an opportunity to reflect on what makes our community so special.
I am proud to be a U alum and grateful to serve alongside such an incredible group of people. I hope you’ll take a moment to celebrate all we’ve accomplished and get excited for what’s ahead. I invite you to join an alumni chapter, volunteer to be a mentor, follow U Alumni on social media, come to our Homecoming week and networking events, and return to the U and be with us. There’s lots in store—and we’d love to see you there.
Jamie Sorenson BA’05 JD’08 President, Board of Governors
Homecoming
The University of Utah community came together to seize our moment during U Homecoming 2024! The U Alumni Scholarship 5K, a popular U Alumni staple event, kicked off the week with hundreds of runners, joggers, and walkers gathering near the Block U for the race through campus. The celebration continued with the Humanities Alumni Social, U Alumni Golf Tournament, and Homecoming Festival & Pep Rally before culminating with the U Alumni Homecoming Tailgate on Saturday, Sept. 28.
More than 1,500 alumni and fans flooded Smith’s Tailgate Lot during U Alumni’s biggest tailgate to date. Attendees included family of players, the newest class of Crimson Club Hall of Fame and their families, and former NBA and Utah player Andre L. Miller BS’98.
Reimagined Rivalry
The ongoing University of Utah and BYU rivalry looked a little different this year. The Rival Right initiative, sparked by the entry into the Big 12 Conference, saw both schools commit to treating each other with respect and good sportsmanship.
The two schools also reimagined their rivalry by working together to tackle hunger throughout the state of Utah with a food drive in November. The initiative ended with a Friendsgiving dinner hosted by the Student Alumni Board and attended by more than 200 students. Together, the schools raised $11,500 (or 36,000 meals).
Bringing the U to You
Throughout the past year, U Alumni committed to bringing the U to you across the country! The Bringing the U to You event series gathers our community together and reconnects alumni to the university through alumni panels, dean panels, guest speakers, and unique opportunities to engage with university leadership. So far, we’ve brought the U to the Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, New York, Orange County, Portland, Silicon Slopes, St. George, and Washington, D.C. And we’re just getting started—more destinations are coming soon!
STATISTICS SO FAR
The Connect Effect
Mentorship isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about small actions that make a big impact. Throughout January, U students and alumni came together to experience the Connect Effect and learn how simple and meaningful mentorship can be. From students sharing their definition of mentoring to connecting with alumni over mini-golf, Mentoring Month helped students to visualize their futures and life beyond graduation. The month wrapped up with Piecing It Together, a speed mentoring and networking event where students, alumni, and campus partners came together to make meaningful connections. Through quick but impactful conversations, students saw that mentorship isn’t just something structured—it’s about relationships, shared experiences, and support.
Founders Day
Six distinguished alums were honored on Thursday, February 27, at the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House for their outstanding professional achievements, public service, and commitment to the U. Congratulations to John Ashton BS’66 JD’69, Rev. France Davis MA’78, Lisa Eccles BA’86, Cecelia Foxley MA’65 PhD’68, and Ambassador John Price BS’56 & Marcia Price BA’57. These annual distinguished alumni awards, along with honorary degrees, are the highest honors awarded by the University of Utah.
Giving Day
It was an extraordinary Giving Day 2025 at the U, thanks to the support of generous alumni, students, faculty, and friends, who came together to support more than 100 causes. Together, we raised more than more than 2.1 million dollars, making this year’s event our largest Giving Day ever. We invested in the U’s future by providing students with new opportunities, funding innovative research and outreach programs, supporting arts and entertainment on campus, and participating in the success of our athletics teams.
This year, 84 donors gave to support U Alumni Scholarships. The U Alumni Board of Governors generously provided a match during U Giving Day, doubling our impact to $20,583!
Graduation Season
Congrats to the Class of 2024—8,652 students graduated and 9,266 degrees were awarded! U Alumni led the charge during a whirlwind grad season—offering photos, memories, and a path to becoming an engaged alum. New grads could:
• Get free professional photos in front of the Block U
• Attend an open house Grad Finale where they were introduced to life as a U alum
• Take pics with friends in a photobooth while lining up before Commencement To top it off, U Alumni also ran a social media giveaway and awarded ten grads $100 Campus Store gift cards!
Day of Service
On May 17, 2025, U Alumni hosted the inaugural Day of Service event in celebration of the University of Utah’s 175th anniversary. Eight U Alumni Chapters from all over the country participated in the event— with more than 75 people supporting causes that are important to their regional areas. From New Horizons in Los Angeles to the NYC Volunteer Cleanup Program in New York City, chapter members partnered with nonprofits and other organizations to make their communities a better place.
175 So Far...
Our beloved University of Utah is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year! From February through October 2025, the university is commemorating 175 years of reaching new heights with a series of special events. U Alumni helped kick off the celebrations with Founders Day in February, followed by April’s REDTalks—where, similar to TED Talks, U faculty members shared their ideas, experiences, and insights on a wide range of topics. The festivities continued in June with President Taylor Randall’s 175th Anniversary Tour, a roadshow throughout the state of Utah where he and other university leadership visited with alumni and shared important university updates. The momentum will continue through a packed Homecoming week, culminating in the Homecoming game vs. Colorado on October 25 in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House
Since its dedication in 2018, the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House has been home to the Office of Alumni Relations at the University of Utah.
The Eccles Alumni House is also a favorite venue for conferences, workshops, social gatherings, meetings, retreats, weddings, and other events.
Budget
Board of Governors
Revenue Expenses
Jamie Sorenson BA’05 President (2024-2026)
Amy Frampton BA’94 President-elect (2024-2026)
Jason Barlow BA’05
Jake Bowman BS’10 MBA MHA’12
Martha Bradley BFA’74 PhD’87
Jennifer Brown BA’89
Diane Feinauer BS’05 Marcia Foote BA’87
Walter Franco BA’11
Mike Hale BS’12 MBA’21 MBC’22
Chrissey Hayes BS’08
Deneé Hayes BS’02
Randy Jensen BS’87 MD’91
Steve Johnson BS’90
Justice BS’91
Karrington BA’03 MBA’15 Noman Khan BS’15 BA’15 MS’18 MBA’20 Mo Laguan BA’16 BA’16 MPA’21
Jeffrey Gelder Lewis BA’97
Suzy Matheson BS’11
Kevin Mukai BS’91
Jacob Parkin BS’21 MS’22
Pamela Portocarrero BA’14
Jessica Smith BS’92 MS’96 PhD’13
Eddy Thompson BA’94
Jamie Thorup BA’04
Heidi Woodbury BA’89 VP, Institutional Advancement
Will Berard President, Student Alumni Board
Paige Moon ASUU VP, University Relations
Zach Jackson President, MUSS Board