The College of Humanities and Social Sciences promotes diversity and inclusivity through
its many engaged learning and service learning courses as well as many types of internships
allowing students to go out into the community and learn from many types of people.
Additionally, a concerted effort is made to reach out to each new faculty member and
help them feel connected to campus.
- Janet Colvin’s intercultural communication courses provide over 900 hours of service
each semester in the refugee community
- The mediation program, spearheaded by Grant Richards, allows students to work with
hundreds of middle school low income, minority students
- Faculty such as Lydia Kerr, in the English program, offer courses in topics such as
“Literature of Cultures and Places” and “Multiethnic Literature in America.”
UVU College of Science & Health worked to increase inclusivity at UVU through several
initiatives aimed at recruiting students from underrepresented groups and helping
those students prepare for success in college.
- Latino Scientists of Tomorrow (LST) summer program provided 19 high school students
with two UVU science courses, college success workshops, and career exploration trips,
all for no charge. Over the past five years, about 65% of LST alumni have attended
UVU
- The Math Girls Rock! program has female math major from UVU visit high schools to
lead girls in fun math games
- The Navajo Nation career fair provided activities and information to introduce Navajo
high school students to careers in the sciences
The Woodbury School of Business Woodbury Women started a group-oriented mentoring
experience for 20 female MBA students, which provided career preparation assistance
including information sharing, advice, social support, coaching, and empowering women
to greater competency.
- Ten undergraduate female first generation accounting students experienced group-oriented
mentoring
- Amy Rees Anderson, Managing Partner and Founder of REES Capital, an angel investment
firm that provides entrepreneurs and business executives support and guidance, spoke
as a guest of the Women of the Woodbury
- Barbara Barrington Jones, a wonderful friend of Utah Valley University, shared a great
vision of being a woman who is smart, who can make decisions, and who can have control
over her destiny
The SOE maintains a comprehensive professional inclusion process in four main areas:
curriculum and instruction, student recruitment and retention, global initiatives
and intercultural experiences, and community engagement. During the 2016-2017 academic
year, the SOE inclusion contributions were enhanced further by the following highlights.
- New Special Education program to prepare quality teachers for K-12 students with mild
to moderate disabilities
- Student teaching experience, in New Zealand, Fall 2016
- Short-term global intercultural experience, Tonga, Summer 2016
- Student teaching experience, Navajo Nation, Spring 2017
- Hosted students from two Swiss partner institutions of teacher preparation
- Provided scholarships to Latino/a prospective teachers
- Ribbon cutting, Melissa Nellesen Center for Autism
- Piloted and in a process of implementing a school-wide teacher performance assessment
with strong emphasis on education of diverse students
- Planned research projects with Australian and Swiss universities dedicated to diverse
educational perspectives to improve Utah education
The Department of Music fosters an open and inclusive environment that engages traditional
and non-traditional students, celebrates diversity, and promotes understanding of
a variety of musical styles and cultures. We seek opportunities to learn from guest
artists who specialize in culturally-diverse music.
- Israeli-born jazz guitarist Gilad Hekselman presented a masterclass and concert at
UVU. Hekselman has toured worldwide, recorded four studio albums, and played all the
major jazz clubs in New York with top jazz musicians
- In partnership with UVU’s Israel Global Spotlight, Michele Gingras presented a masterclass
on Klezmer music, which is a musical tradition originating with the Ashkenazi Jews
of Eastern Europe
- World percussionist Jerry Leake presented a masterclass and concert at UVU. He is
an expert in jazz, Indian Carnatic rhythm theory, and West African drumming
The Department of Dance expands students understanding, appreciation, and inclusion
of cultures through embodied experiences with nationally and internationally acclaimed
artists and educators. The department fosters research to improve intercultural literacy
and competence in the courses and programs it provides for students.
- Guest artist and educator Alysha English-Upchurch, a Project Zero Artist in Residence
at Harvard University and Associate Director of COOL Schools presented lectures, workshops,
and master classes in the Habits of Inclusion in Dance Education, the Universal Design
for Learning, Historical Perspectives of Urban Dance (hip hop), and Afro-jazz during
a three day residency
- In collaboration with WOFA Afro Fusion Dance, the department sponsored a residency
of professional dance artists and musicians, Marietou Camara, Fara Tolno, Rujeko Dumbutshena,
and Soriba Fotana from Africa
