I actually met Butchart back in the 60s when I worked near Flagstaff (Sunset Crater-Wupatki Nat'l Mons). He was a bit of an irascible character, but he knew the Grand Canyon backwards and forwards, more so that most, if not all, of the staff there.

But to get back on topic, when I think of "western schools," I think of departments that are strong in geology and allied fields, anthropology, plant sciences, and the like, but typically not math.

But then, what do I know about math and academic departments that teach it? I can remember breathing a big sigh of relief when I read the university catalogs and realized that no math was required.....

It would be interesting to know what schools west of the 100th meridian do have strong math departments - anybody outside Cal Tech?