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UofU 2024 Faculty Retirement Brunch


The Offices for Faculty and the Senior Vice President's offices are hosting a Retirement Brunch on Tuesday, May 7th 2024 to honor and celebrate University faculty who retired between June 2023 and June 2024!

"You have all played a significant role in shaping the lives of our students and contributing to the growth and success of the University of Utah. Your commitment to excellence and dedication in your respective fields has not gone unnoticed. Your legacy will not be forgotten, as your contributions will continue to impact our university for many years to come." - Rob Scott Smith, Emcee for Retirement Brunch

Quick Stats

These numbers represent University of Utah faculty who retired between July 1st 2023 and July 1st 2024

11

Retirees with 40+ years at the U

95 

Retirees

55 years

Longest tenure at the U

Photo Highlights


To view all the photographs from this event click here

Words from our Retirees

We asked all the retirees who attended the luncheon to consider their answer for one or more of these three questions:

What is your favorite memory at the U?

What are you most proud of in your career?

What are you most looking forward to about retirement?

See some of their responses below:

Ann Engar

The Honors College

Ann Engar

The Honors College

What is your favorite memory at the U? 
"A wonderful retirement party put on by Honors and LEAP - 80 smiling faces showing "good vibes, warmth and love to a colleague who cherishes them and our time together."

What are you most proud of from your career?
"The achievements of my students - the advocates for the homeless and victims of domestic violence, the two young men brought as children to this country by "coyotes" but are among the 20 top Hispanic Young Lawyers"

What are you most looking forward to about retirement?
"Getting the chance to do all the things that have had to be set aside - more exercising, more playing the piano, more cleaning 40 years of accumulation."

Karen Curtin

Department of Internal Medicine

Karen Curtin

Department of Internal Medicine

What is your favorite memory at the U? 
"As a fairly newly minted PhD myself in the School of Medicine (in 2008), I was able to hood my son when he graduated from the School of Medicine with his MD in 2017."

What are you most proud of from your career?
"Menoting early career trainees, physicians, and scientists in publishing their first first-author publication."

What are you most looking forward to about retirement?
"Continuing to bicycle around the world on my non-ebikes, (pedal power!) Although an ebike is looming in my future at some point.."

Marci Butterfield

School of Accounting

Marci Butterfield

School of Accounting

What is your favorite memory at the U? 
"I love the energy I get when I step on campus - it is a fantastic feeling."

What are you most proud of from your career?
"I am most proud that I love mentoring and enjoying my students. They are my passion!"

What are you most looking forward to about retirement?
"TRAVEL and spending more time with my husband and family."

Nanci McLeskey

College of Nursing

Nanci McLeskey

College of Nursing

What is your favorite memory at the U? 
"Turning nursing students on to the richness, joy, and value in caring for older adults, especially those with dementia and those at end of life."

What are you most proud of from your career?
"Implementing an end-of-life nursing course (ELNEC), taken by all undergraduate nursing students, and creating and teaching GERON 5320 Death, Dying and Bereavement, a course available to all students across the university campus."

What are you most looking forward to about retirement?
"Spending more time with my husband, children, and grandchildren, and exploring the world through travel."
  • Name

    Department Name

    Years of Service

    Zeinab Afify Department of Pediatrics 20 years, 7 months
    Timothy Ameel Department of Mechanical Engineering 27 years, 3 months
    You Han Bae College of Pharmacy 33 years, 11 months
    Michael Bastiani School of Biological Sciences 36 years
    Michael Behrens Anesthesiology Department 24 years, 10 months
    Susan Benedict Department of Pediatrics 20 years, 3 months
    Gunseli Berik Department of Economics 29 years
    Martha Bradley School of Architecture 29 years, 6 months
    Janice Bradley Department of Educational Leadership & Policy 3 years, 6 months
    Paul Bray Department of Internal Medicine 7 years, 2 months
    Bruce Bray Department of Internal Medicine 41 years
    Kelly Bricker Department of Parks, Recreation, & Tourism 16 years
    Diana Brixner College of Pharmacy 22 years, 1 month
    Kathleen Brown Department of Educational Psychology 29 years, 10 months
    Karen Buchi Department of Pediatrics 34 years, 11 months
    Marci Butterfield School of Accounting 20 years, 1 month
    Dana Carroll Department of Biochemistry 48 years, 4 months
    Elizabeth Cashdan Department of Anthropology 35 years
    Marjorie Chan Department of Geology & Geophysics 41 years, 11 months
    Karen Curtin Division of Epidemiology 14 years, 4 months
    Laura Czajkowski Department of Psychiatry 35 years
    Ann Darling Department of Communication 31 years, 2 months
    J. Michael Dean Department of Pediatrics 37 years
    Mark Christopher Ely School of Music 34 years, 11 months
    Ann Engar The Honors College 21 years, 4 months
    Robert Farney Department of Internal Medicine 44 years, 10 months
    Donald Feener School of Biological Sciences 33 years, 8 months
    Peter Flynn Department of Chemistry 21 years, 7 months
    Robert Fujinami Department of Pathology 32 years, 10 months
    Eduard Gappmaier Department of Physical Therapy & Athletic Training 30 years, 10 months
    Jerry Gardner Department of Theatre 25 years, 10 months
    Joan Gregory Eccles Health Science Library 34 years, 6 months
    Abbie Griffin Department of Marketing 17 years, 11 months
    Xiao He Department of Pathology 17 years, 9 months
    Robert Hitchcock Department of Biomedical Engineering 20 years, 10 months
    Vladimir Hlady Department of Biomedical Engineering 34 years, 9 months
    Howard Horwitz Department of English 33 years, 9 months
    John Hurdle Department of Biomedical Informatics 26 years, 11 months
    Xan Johnson Department of Theatre 41 years
    James Keener Department of Mathematics 45 years, 6 months
    Tek Kilgore College of Nursing 27 years, 8 months
    Paul Larsen Department of Film & Media Arts 30 years
    Jennifer Leiser Family & Preventive Medicine (Family Medicine) 25 years, 8 months
    Nancy Lombardo Eccles Health Science Library 28 years, 2 months
    Bob Lutz Department of Finance 26 years, 11 months
    Suzanne Mansour Department of Human Genetics 31 years, 5 months
    Nanci McLeskey College of Nursing 17 years, 5 months
    Julie Metos Department of Nutrition & Integrative Physiology 29 years, 9 months
    Rebecka Meyers Department of Pediatrics 29 years, 3 months
    Jan Miller Department of Metallurgical Engineering 55 years
    Susan Naidu Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders 19 years, 7 months
    Lance Olsen Department of English 16 years
    Anne Osborn Radiology and Imaging Scienecs 49 years, 5 months
    Bhupendra Patel Department of Ophalmology & Visual Sciences 23 years
    Kathy Pedersen Family & Preventive Medicine (Family Medicine) 12 years, 6 months
    David Perrin Department of Physical Therapy & Athletic Training 9 years, 11 months
    Paula Peterson Department of Pediatrics 42 years, 11 months
    Pam Phares College of Nursing 11 years, 10 months
    G Powell School of Dentistry 39 years, 4 months
    Mary Price Department of Occupational & Recreational Therapies 19 years
    Theodore Pysher Department of Pathology 38 years, 6 months
    Larry Reimer Department of Pathology 39 years, 7 months
    Glenn E. Richardson Department of Health and Kinesiology 38 years, 10 months
    Alan Rogers Department of Anthropology 35 years
    Edward Ruddell Department of Parks, Recreation, & Tourism 34 years, 11 months
    Bill Salter Department of Radiation Oncology 17 years, 11 months
    Susan Sample Department of Internal Medicine 8 years, 4 months
    Wayne Samuelson Department of Internal Medicine 28 years, 2 months
    Osman Sanyer Family & Preventive Medicine (Family Medicine) 36 years, 6 months
    Debra Scammon Department of Marketing 48 years
    Brent Schneider School of Dance 25 years, 9 months
    Jeff Schunk Department of Pediatrics 34 years, 9 months
    Jon Seger School of Biological Sciences 37 years
    Dennis Shrieve Department of Radiation Oncology 22 years, 11 months
    Barbara Smith Department of Theatre 22 years, 11 months
    John Smith Orthopaedic Surgery Operations 32 years, 2 months
    Yda Smith Department of Occupational & Recreational Therapies 24 years, 10 months
    Brian Snapp Department of Art & Art History 23 years, 10 months
    Armando Solorzano Department of Family & Consumer Studies 31 years, 11 months
    John Speed Physical Medicine and Rehabilition 35 years, 6 months
    Julie Steele Department of Pediatrics 25 years
    Carol Sweeney Division of Epidemiology 20 years, 4 months
    Liz Tashjian Department of Finance 37 years, 11 months
    Carl Thummel Department of Human Genetics 37 years
    Gillian Tufts College of Nursing 29 years, 4 months
    Julie Wambaugh Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders 27 years, 11 months
    John Ward Department of Internal Medicine 41 years, 4 months
    David J. Warren Department of Biomedical Engineering 13 years, 2 months
    Jost Wendt Department of Chemical Engineering 20 years, 9 months
    Ross Whitaker School of Computing 24 years
    Dennis Winge Department of Internal Medicine 45 years, 2 months
    Cheryl Wright Department of Family & Consumer Studies 39 years, 11 months
    Anne Yeagle Department of Economics 23 years
    Holly Zhou Department of Pathology 24 years, 9 months
    Edward Zipser Department of Atmospheric Sciences 24 years, 9 months

Click HERE to view photos and data from the 2023 Faculty Retirement Bash celebrating faculty who retired between July 2019 and July 2023.