So I hear U president Michael Young will be interviewed this Sunday morning on KTVX Channel 4 by Chris Vanocur on his show “On the Record.” I have to admit, I’m kind of blown away by that.  I always thought of university presidents as the types who stay snug in their corner office, steering the ship behind a bulletproof windshield and only crack the door open a wee bit when someone bangs on it. With past (and most likely future) budget cuts to deal with, justifying administrator salaries and packing heat on campus, there is a lot for Vanocur to poke at. And we’re talking about a guy who isn’t known for pulling punches.

The fact that President Young is willing to get out there and sell the U is kind of admirable actually. I do know that the U as a whole is a pretty unique place – a research university that does more than teach and hand out diplomas, but creates and commercializes medical, scientific and engineering technology that brings money into the institution (and state) and simultaneously gives students a unique hands-on approach to learning that traditional schools can’t provide. Plus I’ve noticed the U is taking that approach across the globe in a lot of pretty impressive ways. So I really hope the conversation is a good one and that the president will talk about the value of such an institution for Utah. If nothing more, maybe it will clear my misconceptions on what a university president actually does. I’ll tune in and find out…