Welcome Back, Colleagues!

Welcome back to campus and the start of a new semester!

   

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome back to campus and the start of a new semester! I hope your summer has been both productive and relaxing.

A special welcome to all our new faculty and staff members! Thank you for choosing UVU. This year, UVU is celebrating its 80th anniversary. We are growing, strong, and relevant at 80!  

As we return to campus, I know that our core values will be key to navigating a new academic year that will undoubtedly deliver “volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity” (or VUCA, in leadership jargon). What is under our control? First, let us continue to treat each other with exceptional care. Let’s take time to pause and see how we might alleviate one another’s burdens, listen deeply, disagree with respect, and focus on the pragmatic middle ground where we can deliver real help and services to those who need them most.

Exceptional care also means extra consideration as we face COVID-19 and the delta variant threat. UVU provides free COVID testing and vaccines on campus to all students, faculty, and staff. If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, please do so. We strongly recommend masks at UVU to protect everyone, especially when indoors and in close-contact situations. If you can’t social distance, please wear a mask. And if you are not feeling well, stay home and self-isolate if necessary to minimize the spread of the virus.

Second, our value of exceptional accountability reminds us that we are united in purpose. We are all owners of the university. Our conversations, decisions, and actions directly impact UVU’s success. Ownership of UVU means leading by example — begin with love for UVU, our students, and our mission. The faculty-mentored experiences our students receive here are truly irreplaceable. Every professor and employee matters for student success. Relative to the rest of the country, we are well-resourced. The legislature and our community support us. Let us use our resources in the most responsible and effective ways.

Finally, in thinking about exceptional results, I am reminded of words a friend recently told me, “When we know what we believe, we’ll know how to behave.” We believe that every student can succeed in work and life. In the past year, we had our highest retention and completion rates. The May 2021 Commencement saw our highest number of graduates ever (8,729). Every graduate who has come through our doors is a person better equipped to live a full life.

Please remember the goals outlined in Vision 2030 — expedite the completion of meaningful credentials; keep education accessible, affordable, and flexible; and strengthen our ties with industry and the community. Let us direct our efforts daily toward these goals.

Thank you for the energy, professionalism, and human kindness that you bring to UVU every single day. I am honored to work with all of you.


Warmest regards,

Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez
President, Utah Valley University