UVU believes that every person who steps through our doors deserves the life-changing benefits of higher education. We are dedicated to providing our students with high-quality, affordable, and flexible learning experiences that help them reach their potential and achieve their life and career goals. No matter their backgrounds or aspirations, everyone has a place at UVU.
The Women’s Success Center celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Since the center opened, it has launched several programs to help fulfill its mission of supporting women as they work toward their degrees. The center offers scholarships, affordable childcare services, a workshop to support women facing major life transitions, and more, with ambitious plans for the future.
In August 2021, the UVU Board of Trustees formally approved the Research Institute at the Women’s Success Center. In partnership with the Division of Academic Affairs, the Research Institute is designed to help women faculty, staff, students, and community members conduct and present research and recruit and retain more women as UVU faculty, students, staff, and advocates.
This year’s Women’s Success Center Scholarship Luncheon was held at the dōTERRA headquarters, following last year’s online event. The event raised a total of $517,125, which will fund student scholarships that enable women to complete their education and better their lives.
Learn & Work in Utah continued in fall 2021 with 10 short-term programs taught at UVU. Through this program, almost 1,000 Utah workers have reskilled and upskilled.
Faculty Spotlight:
Dr. Cherilyn Worthen
UVU Associate Professor Awarded Endowed Faculty Fellowship
The Research Institute awarded its first-ever Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill Endowed Faculty Fellowship to Dr. Cherilyn Worthen, an associate professor of choral music education at UVU. As the conductor of the Women’s Chorus, Worthen created a student experience centered on original work by female composers and poets to honor historical female role models.
Student Spotlight: Alondra Sanchez
Finding Her Place as a First-Generation Student
Alondra Sanchez is majoring in American Sign Language (ASL) and deaf studies education with a minor in psychology and an emphasis in autism studies. She is also a first-generation student.
“My mom is originally from Nicaragua, and my father is from Mexico,” Alondra said. “My mother was working on her college degree when she decided to move to the United States, while my father did not graduate high school. Thus, I am a first-generation student, and that is a significant part of my identity.”
Alondra entered UVU at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, making the first-generation college experience even more challenging. However, she found UVU staff to be helpful and supportive despite the circumstances. With support, she stepped out of her comfort zone and eventually became a senator for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at UVU. Today, she feels that she has grown exponentially.
“My advice to other students is to go after opportunities that interest you, even if you feel unsure,” Alondra said. “If you feel underqualified, if you’re a part of a minority, know that there is a place for you here at UVU.”
UVU continued to offer free COVID-19 testing and vaccination in fall 2021 to all students, faculty, staff, and their immediate families. This was part of the university’s ongoing effort to ensure a healthy, safe, and successful return to campus.
“Our students come from many different walks of life and situations. The more we can meet them with technology and make the experience more intuitive, the more successful they can be.”
— Christina Baum
UVU Vice President of Digital Transformation and
Chief Information Officer
UVU is focused on using digital transformation and technology to help students
succeed by reducing barriers and building richer learning experiences.
In September 2021, the university launched the brand-new UVU Student App, which gives students quick and easy access to important student information. Students can register for classes, make payments, work with advisors, view their student email, and more, all within the app.
UVU is dedicated to ensuring students have flexible access to education through high-quality online course instruction. Since July 2021, 1,291 UVU faculty members have expanded their teaching credentials by becoming certified in online course instruction through the Online Teaching Academy.
94
New online courses
1,291
More faculty members certified in online teaching
2
New online programs: the Information Systems and Technology Associate of Science program and the Network Administration Certificate
We value diverse perspectives and strive to provide support for every single student through affordable, accessible, and high-quality education.
UVU hosted Philonise Floyd — brother of George Floyd Jr., who was murdered by Minneapolis police officers in 2020 — as keynote speaker for the 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration week. Student leaders from the Black Student Union and Multicultural Student Council also created an art exhibit with the theme “Strength to Love.”
For the second consecutive year, UVU had four female presidents on campus: Astrid S. Tuminez, UVU president; Karen Magaña-Aguado, UVU student body president; Beka Grulich, PACE president; and Hilary Hungerford, Faculty Senate president. The Women’s Success Center also participated in International Women’s Day 2022’s theme #BreaktheBias to further the university’s efforts toward global women’s equality.
The Melisa Nellesen Center for Autism hosted its fifth annual Super Spectrum Showcase in November 2021, displaying art pieces from artists of all ages on the autism spectrum. The center also collaborated with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Education to host the 11th annual Autism Conference in March 2022.
Student Spotlight: Melanie Griffin
Stepping Out of Her Comfort Zone
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Melanie Griffin graduated from UVU with a degree in school health education and is pursuing a master’s degree in education at UVU. She decided to get involved at UVU by joining the UVUSA Student Council and UVU’s Black Student Union (BSU). There, she had the chance to collaborate with other Black students and help plan UVU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day event.
“I helped gather stories of Black people within the community and created and planned a photoshoot to showcase the idea of Afrofuturism — Black people in the future,” Melanie said. “It was neat to reach out to the community and people in BSU and hear their stories and experiences as people of color in Utah. It was an eye-opener to see what people have experienced.”
As Melanie comes from a more diverse state, she understands that Utah can be a challenging place for students of color. “It’s important to step out of your comfort zone,” she said. “When you do, you will meet others like you and see great benefits in your life.”
“Students cannot succeed if they don’t have a strong sense of belonging. At UVU we say, ‘Come as you are. UVU is a place for you.’ We want every student to feel that they are part of a caring community, that they are seen for who they are, and that their dreams are worth all the support we can give them. Every student — regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and other differentiating identities — deserves the opportunity of a good education. This is what diversity, equity, and inclusion means.”
— President Astrid S. Tuminez
UVU showcased events, stories, and resources dedicated to celebrating and supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals and their allies, including Project Rainbow, a Pride fundraiser started in 2018 by a UVU student. LGBT Student Services continued to provide LGBTQIA+-related support.
UVU News spotlighted the stories of Asian American and Pacific Islander students, and the Asian Initiative at UVU continued to support Asian and Asian American identity and culture through education, awareness, and appreciation.
Student Spotlight: Karen Magaña-Aguado
Building Inclusivity Through Leadership
Outgoing UVUSA student body president, Karen Magaña-Aguado, led inclusivity efforts on campus, with one significant accomplishment being securing perpetual funding for free period products in women’s and all-gender bathrooms on UVU’s Orem Campus and satellite campuses. The initiative was put into action under Karen’s leadership and built on efforts from past student body presidents Taylor Bell and Danielle Corbett.
Speaking on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion at UVU, she said, “[These] are big topics that have many intricacies, but I’ve had support and so many people care about the cause — ensuring UVU is a place for everyone.”
She also said UVU’s commitment to these values helped her build confidence and leadership skills. “As a child of immigrants and a woman of color, I did not see myself represented all the time,” Karen said. “It was hard to imagine myself in a position like this, but now that it has happened, I’ve gained a lot of self-confidence and self-efficacy. I can see what I am capable of, and I can do hard things.”
Dominion Energy partnered with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities to support a three-year, $2 million initiative to expand UVU’s Latino Scientists of Tomorrow Summer Bridge Program, allowing 1,250 students at seven U.S. colleges and universities to benefit from the program. The summer bridge program, which UVU started, will now be implemented at other at other institutions, including George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College, and Sampson Community College. The program provides outreach to high school students to promote higher education equity for Hispanic students and increase diversity in STEM careers.
UVU’s Mountainland K-16 Alliance oversees committees and subcommittees in areas of student academic success and educator development across all stages of the K-16 learning experience. In the past year, the K-16 Alliance has focused on concurrent enrollment offerings, alternate pathways for teacher licensure, and funding for upgraded equipment in K-12 classrooms. It also identified barriers to pathway alignments between MTECH and UVU to allow for easier, more comprehensive access for Mountainland region students.
In summer 2021, more than 200 incoming seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students attended the UVU Prefreshman Engineering Program (PREP). The program teaches students, including underrepresented and first-generation students, principles of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to help prepare them for their future careers.
UVU’s Department of Digital Media hosted a conference in September 2021 for Utah’s technology teachers on the use of virtual reality (VR) in classrooms. Teachers learned about the educational possibilities of virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed-reality technologies, which are expected to explode in coming years.
In November 2021, UVU’s College of Engineering and Technology hosted the Girls’ Engineering and Technology Day, a STEM fair empowering hundreds of elementary and junior high school girls to pursue careers in STEM. Cydni Tetro, president of Women Tech Council, CEO and board member of Brandless, and member of UVU’s Board of Trustees, was the keynote speaker. The event was sponsored by Big-D Construction and in partnership with SheTech.
UVU’s growth has always followed the needs of our students. From our beginnings as a technical school to our current dual-mission model, we have continually responded to the population changes and business and industry needs of our community and have grown to meet those needs.
The growing College of Health and Public Service will expand to UVU’s second Lehi building. It will house programs such as dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, and paramedic-EMT.
The new Campus Store, which opened in October 2021, features a larger clothing and retail section, more seating space, and a new Starbucks.
The Fugal Gateway Building opened on UVU’s Orem Campus in December 2021, thanks to a generous $5 million donation from prominent Utah business leader and UVU alumnus Brandon D. Fugal. The building welcomes students and guests to campus and houses the office of President Astrid S. Tuminez and her administration. The building is also home to the new Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy.
