Unquiet crisis: the University of Utah during the James Chipman Fletcher administration

James Chipman Fletcher took over the Presidency of the University of Utah in 1964 from A. Ray Olpin. Fletcher's selection as President was controversial, being opposed by a majority of faculty. Despite early opposition, Fletcher won many faculty to his side while alienating others with his administrative decisions. The arrival of the babyboom generation and the rapidly expanding student population stretched the University's resources, something Fletcher called the "Quiet Crisis." To solve this crisis, a massive building program went forward which constructed several permanent buildings including the Medical Center and the Marriott Library, two institutions which saw profound change during the Fletcher years. Fletcher also stressed research, and his administration would obtain a research park for the University. Fletcher's administration also saw the beginning of artificial organ development at the University and Utah's participation in the creation of ARPANET, the forerunner of today's internet. But Fletcher's term as President was anything but quiet. Pressures of expansion at the University combined with national and international problems were a constant source of unrest. While most students opted to avoid protest, about one in six students would actively participate. In the wake of the Kent State shootings, the University would experience a time of unrest and tension that had never been seen before. In 1971, a year after the unrest, Fletcher would leave to become head of NASA, but the shadow of his administration would play an important role in the years ahead. Drawing on a variety of materials from the University Archives, Special Collections at the Marriott Library, and newspapers from the time, this is a history of the University of Utah during the unquiet crisis of the Fletcher years. It seeks to explain some of the major events that happened and why. It concludes that while memory of the unquiet crisis has been lacking, it is a time period the University must not forget.