Where Are the Sunsets?

The University of Utah Campus at Sunset (Source Utah Football)

The University of Utah sits hundreds of feet high on mountain foothills, at the east end of a wide valley once filled with ancient Lake Bonneville.  Legend has it that presidents of the university have traditionally invited prime candidates for top positions to be interviewed in the Park (Administration) Building at dusk.  The views from the building looking down and west over the Great Salt Lake can be breathtaking at sunset. The reason for their timing is obvious. Who wouldn't want to work in a place of such obvious beauty?

Sunset over the Great Salt Lake from the University of Utah (Source UGS)

Recently, during a discussion about a search for a top university position, the question was posed, "What can we say about this job that will attract the best candidates and prompt their interest in pursuing it?"  My mind went immediately to the things I'd heard about Park Building interviews and sunsets over the lake.  And my thought was, "Where are the sunsets?"  What positive draws can I point to that would make a potential candidate want to take this job, to live here?

A few things came to mind. The purpose of this brief entry isn't to list them. Rather, I wanted to remind the reader that it's always good to be thinking of the sunsets you can point out to others when you're trying to reach common ground.