Voices of U of U Health
What a Growing Campus Means for U of U Health
By Jeff Labrum, CPA, Chief Operating Officer
People are often surprised when I tell them that at the University of Utah’s main campus in Salt Lake City, we manage more than 1,500 acres. And with the addition of the Fort Douglas property, we’ll grow that footprint even more.
It’s a remarkable responsibility—and not just in terms of geography. Stewardship, to me, is about people. It means asking: How do we use our space to better serve our patients and broader community; our staff, clinicians, and care givers; our growing student body; and our faculty and researchers?
These questions are at the core of the university’s Campus Physical Development Framework. Approved by the Board of Trustees in March 2025, the framework is meant to guide the future of campus development. It aligns with the ambitious growth goals set by the university’s Impact 2030 strategic plan in the areas of student success, research and innovation, and service and health care to our community.
Campus Community Feedback is Shaping a New Framework
Many members of our campus community participated in our 14-month engagement process where we gathered input from faculty, staff, students, patients, visitors, and the broader community. This feedback is invaluable. It identified the pain points—from parking and traffic frustrations to campus circulation and accessibility concerns. This feedback has helped to shape a new framework for the future.
The framework breaks campus into six districts—academic, health, cultural, athletics, research park, and what we’re calling the College Town Magic district. This last district centers on student housing and amenities, but its ripple effects benefit the entire campus.
When more students live on campus, we see increased opportunities for a walkable environment and a reduction in cars and traffic on campus. It also creates opportunities for new food, retail, and gathering spaces that are accessible to all—patients, visitors, and staff included.
For our health care community, access and experience are critical. That’s why the framework explores ways to reduce congestion around the hospital and address parking solutions for patients and staff. One idea being studied is a shuttle-supported employee parking hub. The plan also supports expanded rail service to campus, improved bike and pedestrian routes, and more outdoor spaces for gathering, reflection, and everyday use by patients, providers, students, and visitors alike.
Research is a vital part of our mission, and the framework reflects that. It calls for more efficient use of our current lab and research spaces, new facilities where needed, and an expansion of Research Park as a walkable, mixed-use innovation district. These improvements will better support translational science, team-based collaboration, and the kind of discovery that directly improves care for our patients and communities.
A Long-Term Vision
This framework for the future is much more than a list of construction projects. It’s a long-term vision for how we grow with intention. Some ideas are already in motion, while others will take shape over time as we learn and hear from our campus community.
Some changes will be sparked by big moments—like the 2034 Olympics—and others by the everyday needs of our patients, teams, and students. What matters most is that we keep people at the center of it all. I’m grateful for the essential role our campus community has played in shaping this work. And I look forward to building the future of this campus together.
