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University of Utah inaugurates Ruth Watkins, its first female president, Friday

The University of Utah will inaugurate the first female president in its 168-year history today — and she’ll join a historic roster in the state’s history as well, with five of the colleges in Utah now being led by women.

Ruth Watkins will take the reins of the state’s flagship institution with a formal ceremony Thursday at 3 p.m. at Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, Salt Lake City.

Watkins, who started in the post in April, will continue to oversee a sprawling campus of more than 33,000 students and 23,700 employees, with a top-tier medical complex, a competitive business school and a renowned natural history museum.