Being president of a major public university is the most political nonpolitical office around.

The arts, quite simply, nourish the soul. They sustain, comfort, inspire. There is nothing like that exquisite moment when you first discover the beauty of connecting with others in celebration of larger ideals and shared wisdom.

Being president of a major public university is the most political nonpolitical office around.

I spent the first 18 years of my life in the pastoral town of Vernal, Utah, in the shadows of the Book Cliffs and the Uinta Mountains.

I often have said that to be a college president, you need a thick skin, a good sense of humor, and nerves like sewer pipes.

I am a bit odd. I am somewhat evangelical. But I am not crazy.

You can’t trust those damn Catholics.