2020 Year in Review

In an unprecedented year, your support and commitment to Utah Valley University (UVU), have made a dramatic difference in the lives of students, faculty, and our campus community. When you support UVU, you become part of a thriving institution where we, together, create an immediate and enduring impact. The stories of our students are strengthened by your philanthropy and clearly demonstrate the talent and resiliency of what it means to be a student at UVU.

By choosing to donate to UVU, you are investing in tomorrow. Your gift provides scholarships, advances programs, and funds building projects, which are all pivotal to the success of our students. This support is crucial, especially now in this economic climate when so many of our students are depending on scholarships and programs being funded to attain a UVU degree. Your gift ensures that quality education is inclusive, accessible, flexible, and affordable.

Thank you for all you do to support Utah Valley University. Your generosity and commitment guarantee a promising future not just for current students, but for generations. As we have noted recently, "Education Does Not Stop." Looking ahead, as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, we are dedicated to investing your gift in ways that will make the greatest impact on our students, the community, region, and world.

Best,

Scott Cooksey, CFRE
CEO, UVU Foundation
Vice President
UVU Institutional Advancement

• dōTERRA embraces Utah Valley University with the second-largest donation in school's history
• Construction of I-15 pedestrian bridge begins
• Utah Valley University breaks ground on new Scott C. Keller Business Building
• New mental health clinic at UVU provides treatment, learning opportunities
• UVU celebrates Women's History Month in March
• UVU provides assistance to students in crisis through the newly established Student Emergency Fund
• UVU receives national recognition as First-Gen Forward Advisory Institution
• UVU names as one of the top three universities in the nation for best return on investment
• President's Drive-In Scholarship Ball raises more than $500,000 for presidential scholars
• Utah Valley University awarded $1.9 million grant to create an educational program for those with intellectual disabilities

Your commitment to Utah Valley University makes a meaningful difference in our community, state, and world. Thanks to your generous gift, UVU is able to provide the services, scholarships, and support that our students need to graduate and lead lives of purpose.

What Gabby Mackay remembers most about her early childhood is the feeling of being alone. Her biological parents were addicted to drugs, and Gabby was neglected and abused. "Even when people tried to help, there wasn't much they could do," she says.

She is now a mother, wife and a sophomore at Utah Valley University (UVU), where she is pursuing her passion to help other children living in abusive situations. She is studying criminal justice and plans to pursue a career as a victim's advocate. "I want to make sure kids know there is someone who can actually help."

Gabby recieved a scholarship through UVU's Women's Success Center, which will allow her to graduate debt-free. She carries a full course load while being a full-time mom - something that's made possible by the support she recieves from the Women's Success Center. "If I need childcare or guidance, they are there for me," she says. "They believe in me and my plans for the future. The scholarship makes me feel like donors believe in me too. That has helped me believe in myself."

 

"The UVU Women's Success Center believes in me and my plans for the future. The scholarship makes me feel like donors believe in me too. That has helped me believe in myself.

- Gabby Mackay

• Exceptional Care: We work on your behalf to ensure you are informed, connected, and engaged with UVU. The team will provide updates on the impact of your gift, answer your questions, and extend invitations to special donor events, clubs, and trips.
• Exceptional Accountability: You can expect timely and accurate reports about your donation.
• Exceptional Results: We share your passion for enhancing higher education, student success, and progress in the community. You transform students' lives - we are here to showcase the tremendous difference you are making EVERY day.

The Mission of Annual Giving

Utah Valley University (UVU) Annual Giving creates ways for donors to engage with and support the university and its students. Opportunities to contribute include scholarships, programs, centers, initiatives, and clubs.

The Annual Giving team includes incredible students who reach out to donors, informing them of events and activities happening at UVU. These students offer support and resources that facilitate and enhance the culture or philanthropy across campus and in the community.

Janette Hales Beckham describes her passion for Utah Valley University (UVU) as a love affair. "I suppose most everyone who knows me, knows about by enthusiasm for UVU," she says. Beckham, a long-time donor to the university, has spent her life helping others and the community. Professionally, she served in the Utah State Legislature, was the General President of Young Women for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), and worked on the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees for the LDS Church Education System. Below she shares her "WHY," for supporting UVU.

What inspired you to start working with Utah Valley University (UVU)?

I was a community-involved homemaker until my husband died suddenly in 1988. I was 54 and my youngest daughter was leaving on a mission. Everything I had been doing ended abruptly.

That year, I ran for the Utah State Legislature and served for two years alongside Kerry Romesburg, who was the new president of Utah Valley Community College (UVCC). The two of us were asked to co-chair a clean air coalition for Utah County. While working on that initiative, he opened my eyes to the needs of UVCC.

That's when my passion for the school began. Growing up in Utah Valley, I knew how important it was for the area to have access to higher education, and I was enthusiastic about its inclusive mission.

What is your greatest accomplishment in your work with UVU?

In 2002, I was asked by the governor to be on the Board of Trustees for Utah Valley State College (UVSC). Seeking university status was a top priority. I worked mainly with UVSC President Bill Sederberg who said, "If it's the right thing to do, we will do it the right way." I understood how important this was for the community, and I was well-aquainted politically. I am grateful that I was part of that process.

What about UVU inspires you the most?

I'm enthusiastic about ALL of it. I am totally inspired by the leadership abilities of President Astrid Tuminez. Each time I visit the campus, I am impressed with the friendly and helpful environment. Every time I step into a building on campus, I hear someone say, "May I help you." I cherish my Honorary Doctorate as a symbol of my love affair with UVU.

"When I enrolled at UVU, I became a better version of myself. I started working toward my degree while in high school, nearly 20 years ago. But I stopped school when I married. I was just 19 years old. My then-husband and I started a family right away. I now have five beautiful children, ranging in age from 4 to 17 years old. Even though I loved being a stay-at-home mom, I always wanted to finish my education - I just wasn't sure when the time would be right. Then, I went through a painful divorce. I realized I had spent my entire married life building my husband's resume and not my own. I knew it was time to get my own college degree. I would not be able to pursue my education without a scholarship through the Women's Success Center. It is the generosity of beautiful people like you who elevate our world."

- Elizabeth Powell, '22
Web Development and Design

The UVU Women's Success Center, founded in 2011, seeks to help students graduate by providing personalized support and removing barriers that prevent individuals involved with the Women's Success Center from finishing degrees. The programs include:

• Scholarships: On average, students who hold Women's Success Center scholarships remain in school at rates 17% higher than their peers.
• Women Lead: A class designed to prepare individuals to serve in leadership roles in every aspect of their lives.
• Wee Care Center: Offering affordable, accessible, quality on-campus child care specifically for parent-students at UVU.

37% of students are first-generation

The I Am First program at UVU helps students achieve their goal of being the first in their family to graduate with a bachelor's degree.

The No. 1 reason first-generation students leave college is due to financial difficulties. Scholarships and specialized resources are critical to help these students reach graduation.

• More than 75% come from households with a combined income of $50,000 or less
• 27% come from households with a combined income of $20,000 or less

Utah Valley University offers solutions to significantly increase graduation rates for the first-generation population. Support such as faculty and peer mentorship, engagement activities, and networking opportunities have played a crucial role for these students.

"I joined the I Am First program in 2017, and my college experience has been incredible thanks to the support I've received. After I graduate and become a teacher, my goal is to help students achieve their own dreams."

- Crystal Sedano, '21, elementary education

For more information about this report please contact:

Justin Jones
Sr. Director - Donor Relations & Annual Giving
801.863.4764
justin.jones@uvu.edu