This month I would like to highlight some of the excellent work done by our faculty despite the pandemic. First, I have received many letters from students through the Thank-a-Teacher initiative. In these letters, students express gratitude for how our faculty have gone above and beyond to support them. Many of the messages indicated that faculty members helped students feel welcome at UVU regardless of differing backgrounds, spent extra time to help students accomplish challenging coursework or projects, or provided flexibility when students face challenges due to the pandemic. Thank you for your excellent work in helping students succeed during these challenging times.

Second, you may have heard about the upcoming change for the Integrated Studies Department. In the near future, it will change from being a department to being a program housed within another unit. The Integrated Studies degree is not being eliminated, and this change will not detract from the program's mission or ability to serve UVU students. At this time, I want to acknowledge the hard work of the program's faculty and staff. Integrated Studies was one of the first bachelor's degrees offered at UVU. This degree played an essential role in helping students graduate with a bachelor's degree in their areas of interest before many bachelor's degrees were widely available. More recently, in the Fall of 2021, the program accomplished a substantial curriculum change to use minors instead of Integrated Studies emphases. It may not sound like a big change, but it took a great deal of work and has significantly increased the number of options available to students. As part of the Integrated Studies degree, students work with faculty mentors from across the university to write a thesis or complete a project in their senior year. This experience leads students to engage more fully with their studies, diving deeply into their chosen disciplines. I encourage faculty and advisors to continue to support Integrated Studies students, get involved with their theses or projects, and help mentor them as they approach the finish line. I want to give a special thanks to the Integrated Studies faculty and to our colleagues across campus for their outstanding work with these students.

Dean Clark