Huntsman Sr: U. owes Cancer Institute $54M

SALT LAKE CITY — Jon Huntsman Sr. took out a two-page ad in local papers Friday, claiming the University of Utah owes the Huntsman Cancer Institute $54 million and said instead of calling for audits, the people and Legislature of Utah should be saying, "Thank you, Mr. Huntsman" for the cancer institute.

Huntsman, 79, took out an ad in both the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune Friday to defend what the Huntsman family has done for the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Huntsman addressed the ad with KSL NewsRadio's Doug Wright late Friday morning, saying he wants to clear up confusion about the Huntsman Cancer Institute, its relationship with Utah's Legislature and the people of Utah.

"We report to the citizens of the state of Utah," he said.

Between the Huntsman family and donors, they've provided over 93 percent of all the money needed for buildings, doctors, and researchers, which has come out to "$2.483 billion over the years," Huntsman claimed.

He expressed frustration at some Utah lawmakers, particularly with Rep. Francis Gibson, R-Mapleton, who called for more information about the school's relationship with the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

"This is a very, very interesting misconception that (the people of Utah) have," Huntsman said. "Instead of calling for audits, they should be saying, 'Thank you, Mr. Huntsman. Thank you for putting a cancer center in our state.'"

He also said the cancer institute is "completely paid for" except for "7.34 percent" that the state has contributed, that he said came "mostly from tobacco tax money."

Huntsman also explained where he came up with the $54 million figure owed by the university to the institute that he said is based on a memorandum of understanding signed in 2014.

Huntsman said the family is in the middle of negotiations for a new memorandum of understanding and that the Huntsmans agreed to "pay a $116 million bond" in 2014, which will total "$178 million" by the time it's paid off. He said the family also agreed to pay the interest on the bond if the U. would agree to pay $13.4 million per year to help out with operations.

Huntsman claims the U. hasn't been holding up its end of the bargain. If the U. pays the $54 million owed, the Huntsman family will fundraise and donate another $120 million to the institute, he said.

Related:

Huntsman Sr. says U. Health Sciences Department in 'total disarray'

Jon Huntsman Sr. gave a radio interview Monday morning saying the leadership at the University of Utah Heath Sciences Department is in "total disarray" and that the Huntsman Cancer Institute will release financial records this week.

"We're doing all the financing," he said, adding that they won't stop funding the center "until we’ve defeated cancer and eradicated it from the face of the earth. We’re not going to get off track, we’re going to beat cancer."

Huntsman spoke with KSL NewsRadio earlier this week, saying the U.'s Health Sciences Department was "in total disarray."

The U. released a statement Friday morning about the new ad but has not commented yet on Huntsman's radio interview.

It said, "We don’t have a reaction or a comment to today’s ad. We’ve stated publicly that we are committed to resolving all issues related to HCI at the negotiation table.

"As President Pershing stated earlier this week, we will work with key stakeholders to strike a balance between HCI's autonomy as a self-directed research institute and its collaboration and integration with our entire University health system. We will continue to keep forefront in our mind our mission of caring for patients and seeking a cure for cancer, a vision we share with the Huntsman family."

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