Faculty Convocation 2020
Reframing the
Future of Education


Astrid S. Tuminez
President
Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez was appointed the seventh president of Utah Valley University in 2018 and is the institution’s first female president. She brings to UVU a broad and rich experience in academia, philanthropy, technology, and business. Born in a farming village in the Philippines, Tuminez moved with her parents and six siblings to the slums of Iloilo City when she was two years old, her parents seeking better educational opportunities for their children.
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Tuminez attended Brigham Young University, where she graduated summa cum laude in 1986 with a BA in international relations and Russian literature. She earned a master’s degree from Harvard University in Soviet Studies (1988) and a Ph.D. from MIT in political science (1996). She is the author of Russian Nationalism Since 1856. Ideology and the Making of Foreign Policy (Rowman and Littlefield, 2000); Rising to the Top? A Report on Women and Leadership in Asia (2012); book chapters; numerous op-eds and essays; and articles in the SAIS Review, Brown Journal of World Affairs, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Journal of Cold War Studies, etc.
Before coming to UVU, President Tuminez served as regional director of corporate, external, and legal affairs for Microsoft in Southeast Asia. She is also the former vice dean of research and assistant dean of executive education at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. She and her husband, Jeffrey S. Tolk, have three children. In her spare time, she enjoys running, dancing, and martial arts.

F. Wayne Vaught
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Dr. Wayne Vaught joined UVU on June 1, 2019. Prior to joining us, Dr. Vaught had a 21-year career at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he served as a professor and then dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Vaught’s primary research is in biomedical ethics, with a focus on ethical issues in pediatrics. He has published several papers in leading ethics journals, including The Hastings Center Report, The Journal of Clinical Ethics and Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics. He is co-editor of Ethics Across the Professions, Oxford University Press.
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Provost Vaught is a native of Lexington, Kentucky. He and his wife, Eileen Amari-Vaught, have two daughters, Mia and Lauren. Wayne is also a basketball fan and has refereed at the high school and college levels. He loves living in Utah and enjoys, hiking, biking, camping, and all things outdoors.
2020 Faculty Convocation
"Reframing the Future of Education"
Thursday, August 20, 2020
Pre-Recorded Remarks
1:00-2:00 P.M. Workshops
Livestreaming via Microsoft Teams Channels
Workshop I: Prior Learning Assessment and its Impact on Curriculum
Susan Thackeray, Assistant Professor, Technology Management
Description
On November 15, 2019, the Utah Board of Regents adopted R472, Credit for Prior Learning, in response to 2019’s House Bill 45, Higher Education Credit Amendments. This workshop will share examples of prior learning assessment (PLA) and discuss the future of credit for prior learning at UVU.
Workshop II: The Future of Course Delivery: Face to Face, Online, and Livestreaming
Wendy Athens, Sr. Director of Teaching and Learning; David Connelly, Associate Provost of Academic Programs
Description
Most faculty have altered delivery of their courses this fall to face-to-face with live streaming, live streaming remote, online, or other. The question is, “What is the future of course delivery at UVU?” In this session, faculty experts in each of these modalities will position the relative merits and challenges of each, then share tips for greater effectiveness. The session will conclude with highlights of new features in Microsoft Teams that will improve live streaming sessions, including Canvas integration, large gallery (7x7), hand raising, custom backgrounds, and attendance downloads.
Faculty Experts:
F2F and live streaming: Joe Jensen and Ron Hammond
Live streaming remote: Roxanne Brinkerhoff and Phil Witt
Online: Jessi Hill and Jonathan Allred
Teams: Reed Warner, Jason Hill, and Sam Gedeborg
Workshop III: Creating a Safe Classroom During Face to Face and Livestreaming
Kathren Brown, Associate Provost of Academic Administration; Maren Turnidge, Director of Student Conduct/Conflict Resolution; Nizhone Meza, Manager of Academic Policy and Faculty Relations
Description
Many faculty members and students are concerned about classrooms and other campus spaces when teaching this coming year. Media reports of violence over masks have everyone on edge. This workshop will have tips for de-escalating tense situations with students and colleagues and guidance on how to handle tense situations in classrooms.
2:00-3:00 P.M. Workshops
Livestreaming via Microsoft Teams Channels
Q & A with President Tuminez
2020 UVU Faculty Convocation
Planning Committee Members
Kat Brown, Associate Provost, Academic Administration
Matt Draper, Behavioral Science
Elena Garcia, Literacies and Composition
Julie Hayden, Academic Affairs
Dianne McAdams-Jones, Nursing
John Rees, Art and Design
Eric Russell, Emergency Services
Sowmya Selvarajan, Engineering Design Technology
Special thank you to John Rees for providing the imagery
New Faculty 2020
(as of July 15, 2020)
College of Engineering and Technology
- Aldous, Peter, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, Ph.D.
- Ballard, Matthew, Assistant Professor, Engineering, Ph.D.
- Jaafar, Israd, Assistant Professor, Engineering, Ph.D.
- Lotfy, Mohamed, Associate Professor, Information Systems and Technology, Ph.D.
- Mackenzie, Jenny, Assistant Professor, Digital Media, Ph.D.
- Manahiloh, Kalehiwot, Assistant Professor, Engineering, Ph.D.
- Mortensen, Gregory, Lecturer, Computer Science, BS
- Nardin, Mark, Assistant Professor, Engineering, Ph.D.
- Sajal, Sayeed, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, Ph.D.
- Shaaban, Khaled, Associate Professor, Engineering, Ph.D.
- Stone, Brett, Lecturer, Engineering, Ph.D.
College of Health and Public Service
- McEntire, David, Professor, Emergency Services, Ph.D.
- Silcox, Fiona, Assistant Professor, Aviation Science, MAS
College of Humanities and Social Services
- Flanagan, Suzan, Assistant Professor, English and Literature, Ph.D.
- Grecu, Natalie, Assistant Professor, Communication, Ph.D.
- Lambert, Kristin, Assistant Professor, Behavioral Science, MSW
- Luszeck, Amanda, Assistant Professor, English and Literature, Ph.D.
- Oldroyd, Kristina, Assistant Professor, Behavioral Science, Ph.D.
- Platt, Jason, Lecturer, Behavioral Science, Ph.D.
- Robbins, John, Assistant Professor, Behavioral Science, Ph.D.
- Sapienza, Zachary, Lecturer, Communication, MS
- Story Chavez, Megan, Lecturer, Behavioral Science, Ph.D.
College of Science
- Bhatt, Harish, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Ph.D.
- Hintz, Maureen, Lecturer, Physics, MS
- Hurdle, Zachariah, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Ph.D.
- Rotter, Michael, Assistant Professor, Biology, Ph.D.
- Wyatt, Brittney, Assistant Professor, Biology, Ph.D.
School of the Arts
- August, Matt, Assistant Professor, Theatrical Arts, MFA
- Baker, David, Assistant Professor, Music, MM
- Gerke, Brian, Assistant Professor, Dance, MFA
- Heaton, Julie, Assistant Professor, Theatrical Arts, MFA
- Jones, Shane, Assistant Professor, Music, DMA
- Sharpe, D. Marshall, Lecturer, Art and Design, MFA
- Tutwiler, Amber, Lecturer, Art and Design, MFA
- Zubal, Stefan, Assistant Professor, Dance, MFA
University College
- Hixson-Bowles, Kelsey, Assistant Professor, Literacies and Composition, Ph.D.
- Marotta, Catherine, Assistant Professor, Literacies and Composition, Ph.D.
Woodbury School of Business
- Alvarado-Karste, Diego, Assistant Professor, Marketing, MBA
- Kertamus, Layne, Professional in Residence, Finance and Economics, MA
- Stubbs, Kyle, Assistant Professor, Accounting, Ph.D.
- Williams, Jeffrey, Assistant Professor, Accounting, Ph.D.