Annual Report

Annual Report

Image descriptions: Left - Two UVU students looking at the Roots of Knowledge panorama in the Fulton Library. Right - UVU aviation program student operates an airplane on a tarmac. Image descriptions: Left - UVU men’s basketball team plays against another team in the UCCU Center basketball court. Middle - A dean places a graduation stole on a smiling UVU graduate, who is holding a diploma. Right - Close-up of large UVU sign with 80th-anniversary logo surrounded by balloons on campus.

From the President

Dear Friends,

It is a challenging time in higher education. The New York Times notes that enrollment in colleges and universities is down 9.4% or 1.4 million students since 2020. Further, The Hechinger Report says that the decline in college enrollment predates COVID — in fact, in 2020 there were already 2.5 million fewer students enrolled than in 2012. Demographics alone do not explain this. A general skepticism about the value of higher education has grown among the American public and dissuaded many from attending college.

Negative trends in college enrollment do not bode well for the American middle class and American society in general. Study after study shows that a post-secondary education correlates with higher earnings over a lifetime, along with better health, stronger civic participation, and greater participation in family life. Happily for Utah Valley University (UVU) and the state of Utah, UVU’s enrollment has grown in headcount and declined only slightly in full-time equivalent (FTE) students from 2020 to 2022. We have continued to keep education accessible, flexible, affordable, and relevant to the diverse needs of our 41,262 students. “Come as you are,” we tell all aspiring students, and then we make every effort to help them realize their educational aspirations.

In 2022, we celebrated our third consecutive record-breaking graduating class, with 11,064 graduates earning a total of 14,431 degrees and certificates. Our students are hard-working and resilient. Our faculty and staff are caring and supportive. These exceptional results are a miracle stemming from our collective efforts.

The past year was also our best one to date in fundraising, with $52 million raised. Every dollar helps provide new state-of-the-art facilities, access to technology and mixed-modality learning options, enhanced programming, stackable credentials, and scholarships to our students. In addition, UVU received over $17.8 million in grants for scholarships, student programs, and research, including a project with the Utah Department of Natural Resources to mitigate harmful algae blooms in Utah Lake and beyond. Students benefit greatly from doing research and participating in engaged learning activities. They gain technical and scientific skills, as well as collaboration, project management, communication, and other competencies that prepare them for active citizenship and the workforce.

UVU is an integrated teaching university and community college, originally founded in 1941 as a technical school. Today, it is one of the largest and most dynamic universities in Utah. For 80 years, UVU has encouraged all types of students to invest in themselves through higher education, and then leave ready to make a difference in the world. As an open-admissions institution, we believe that everyone deserves the transforming benefits of an affordable, high-quality education.

UVU’s greatest strength is our people — students, staff, and faculty who believe in our core values of exceptional care, exceptional accountability, and exceptional results. We care for one another. We learn from our mistakes. We try to improve every day. And we are driven by big ambitions!

September 2022 marks four years for me as president of UVU. I am in awe at everything this great university has accomplished in a short amount of time and even through a pandemic! I am grateful that Utah’s leaders and citizens value education. Many credit the poet W.B. Yeats with the quote, “Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire.” At UVU, we will continue to light the fire of curiosity, thinking, and learning, and in so doing prepare many thousands to live well and serve even better.

Thank you to each student, employee, faculty member, community partner, donor, government leader, supporter, and friend who has joined us in the journey that is UVU. Let us celebrate!

With warmest regards,

Astrid S. Tuminez signature

Astrid S. Tuminez
President, Utah Valley University


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President Tuminez smiles in dark green dress sitting with crossed legs on a green chair with gold pillow and throw in front of a green backdrop.
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For 80 years, UVU has encouraged all types of students to invest in themselves through higher education, and then leave ready to make a difference in the world.”