Dear Utah Athletics Family,

At the University of Utah Board of Trustees meeting today, President Taylor Randall announced an exciting vision for the future transformation of our campus, which you can view here. While this framework marks just the beginning of a lengthy collaborative process, I want to provide you with some context about the important role that athletics plays in this bold vision.

In alignment with campus leadership, we have placed a high priority on examining the future of our athletics facilities, those for competition and for training, to ensure that we will continue to be able to provide the best experience for our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans. The Jon M. Huntsman Center has been central in our discussions, as it has played a prominent role in our storied history as an athletics program, and it remains a vital facility in our present landscape.

We have evaluated the most strategic approach to the future of the Huntsman Center, and it is exciting now to see clarity within President Randall's comprehensive vision to create College Town Magic on our fantastic campus. This unprecedented project will positively impact future generations of U students, and today's announcement is simply the start of a process that will include an even brighter future for our athletics facilities as a key piece of this plan, including the relocation of the Huntsman Center.

I want to assure you that the process to identify the ideal location for a new arena will be very thorough, comprehensive and inclusive. We will have the opportunity to explore a completely reimagined in-venue experience to serve our athletics programs and our great fans who support our teams. This process will evolve over several years, and we will work closely with university leadership and campus planners, and seek significant input from fans, donors and the surrounding community.

I want to note that while the Huntsman Center will relocate, the neighboring Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Basketball Facility, as well as the recently expanded Dumke Gymnastics Facility, will remain in their current locations.

The Jon M. Huntsman Center will forever hold a special place in the history of Utah Athletics and in college sports, having hosted countless unforgettable NCAA postseason competitions across several sports. It will remain the home venue for our men's and women's basketball, volleyball and gymnastics programs until a new arena is built, and we will strive to provide the best in-venue experience possible while we celebrate more big moments in the years ahead, as our teams continue to chase championships.

We look forward to embarking on this journey and working collaboratively to design the bright future for the University of Utah that President Randall envisions—to become a top 10 public institution with unsurpassed societal impact.

Go Utes!

Mark Harlan
Director Athletics

Article Original Source: Utahutes.com