Strategic Engagement Council
Mission
The Strategic Engagement Council facilitates coordination and cooperation between university units and key community partners. It serves as the primary strategic body in response to the needs and potential resources of local businesses, civic, and governmental organizations. The council is comprised of university leaders responsible for university-wide academic and community engagement activities.
Vision
The Strategic Engagement Council seeks to build strong and lasting partnerships with community organizations and programs. In the effort to create increased engaged learning opportunities for our students, the university will develop customized and mutually beneficial collaborations with corporations, non-profit, and governmental organizations.
Civic Engagement Strategy
Public Service Academy (PSA)
The public sector corollary of Project ACT, the Public Service Academy engages students from all disciplines in impactful client projects with local nonprofit and government partners. At the close of the Spring 2013 Semester, PSA has completed 25 student-run projects with 10 clients, engaging students and faculty from 7 separate academic departments.
Social Innovation Incubator (SCI)
The Social Innovation Incubator offers training and incentives to nonprofit and for-profit social entrepreneurs as well as established nonprofit organizations. SCI is designed to bolster social value, efficient use of resources, and contribute to long-term sustainability and capacity. To-date, over 50 nonprofit organizations have benefited from these services.
Social Summit
This annual summit is designed to weld for-profit, nonprofit, government, K-12, and higher education talent and resources into a united effort to address a pressing social issue facing our service region. The Social Summit will largely serve to broaden the impact of the University Project by drawing in a network of interested community partners.
Civic Forum
A vital part of the Civic Engagement Strategy will be to promote Utah Valley University
as a forum for community development, civil dialogue, and problem solving. Recognizing
the vital role of the university in the civic well-being of our region, UVU convenes
conferences, symposia, dialogues, and lectures to enhance public understanding and
leverage the resources of the university toward the common good.
Civic Visits
Starting in 2011, UVU’s President’s Cabinet has convened breakfast meetings with
business and civic leaders from each of our a Utah County communities. These meetings
have been designed to gather input, share ideas, and identify ways to more effectively
partner and collaborate with our regional stakeholders.
University Project
The University Project is designed to marshal the resources of the university to identify and solve a specific
issue in our region that requires the expertise of UVU faculty, staff, students, industry
partners, and community volunteers. The university works with faculty, staff, advisory
boards, and community leaders to identify an issue that requires 1) interdisciplinary
expertise and 2) cooperation between students, faculty, staff, and community organizations. In
August, 2012, UVU launched a University Project to advance literacy and numeracy among
elementary schools in our service region.
2012 University Project
Utah students must make significant strides in both numeracy and literacy if they
are to compete in the global marketplace and rise to the demands of democracy in the
21st century.
UVU is committed to raising literacy and numeracy rates in the formative K-3 grades. In partnership with the United Way of Utah County, the university is providing service learning grants, volunteer opportunities, and collaborative research projects to assist educators and parents.
