Our MissionMulticultural Student Services promotes and sustains an inclusive campus community. We validate, celebrate, and advance intercultural enrichment and diversity at Utah Valley University. We cultivate and develop relationships that are conducive to student success, academic growth, persistence and completion of academic programs by underrepresented populations. Through campus and community partnerships our initiatives strengthen student involvement, advocate accountability, and foster leadership in a global society.GoalsThe primary goals of the Multicultural Center are to recruit, retain, support, and graduate ethnic and all other underrepresented student minority populations. Through active partnerships and programs with the university, Utah, western states, the nation and other countries, we also strive to include and enrich all UVU students, faculty, staff, and the community.Recruiting, Retaining, Supporting and Graduating Multicultural StudentsMulticultural Student Services offers 40 half tuition Scholarships to incoming freshmen students and 35 half tuition scholarships to continuing students who qualify by earning a 2.0 or higher GPA, and are Utah Residents. The selection criteria include a focus on overall scholarship, extra-curricular participation, and financial need and leadership responsibilities. The Multicultural Center also offers individual mentoring, academic tracking and retention initiatives, in-state and out-of-state recruiting, numerous academic and cultural programs, leadership opportunities and university-wide, community and out-of-state programs for students designed to increase retention and graduation success.
Extracurricular Involvement/Connection to UVUThrough involvement in our Multicultural Clubs, Annual Ethnic Conferences, symposiums, panel discussions, workshops, and other UVU activities, students feel a sense of campus "ownership" and continue to enroll. We endeavor to create an atmosphere of warmth and a "home away from home" to create a sense of belonging and acceptance. Involvement also provides an avenue to make friends, find role models, and become acquainted with other students on campus. Mentoring programs with administration and faculty will be piloted to strengthen retention and graduation.Resources to Promote Academic SuccessAcademic advising, tutoring, counseling, and performance evaluations are offered. Additionally, all staff members advise students of scholarships available for ethnic students. We offer academic and personal improvement workshops each semester and encourage our students to attend other similar UVU workshops. We offer access to peer, staff and faculty mentors, UVU resources and tutors along with ongoing encouragement and a sincere interest in our students' academic success.Open House InvitationsAll new students are encouraged to attend an Open House each semester to become familiar with the Multicultural Center and the resources available to them. Attendees meet other students, gain information about ethnic clubs, have a place to study, use computers, access UVU resources, and begin to bond with UVU, making it more likely they will stay.Academic WorkshopsWe will provide academic workshops, during Fall and Spring semesters. Workshops are academically focused and enhance social skills and personal development. Topics such as time management, text anxiety prevention, career planning, and stress management will be highlighted to help our students better strategize their career goals. The department's objective is to build confidence and skills so that students feel comfortable and competent in a college setting.Enrich UVU Students and the CommunityThe Multicultural Center hosts several annual events such as conferences, charity concerts, and various Cultural Envoy performances that help us to serve the community as well as educate students and the community about diverse cultures in our area. Polynesian Cultural Envoys perform at the annual Thanksgiving Point Luau and all Envoy groups perform state-wide and as far away as the Caribbean, with all proceeds going to assist students with tuition and book fees. There is a Grande Luau in September, a Latino Performance in October, a Native Pow Wow and a Ms. United Nations Pageant in November, a Christmas Special in December, a High School Conference in January, a Martin Luther King celebration in February, an International Fashion show and Cultural Envoy performance in March. Please refer to the current Calendar of Events for exact dates. |
Your HOME away from HOME
"You can educate your mind, but if you don't educate the heart you haven't educated the person."
-Author Unknown 
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