Today, May 8, 2025, UVU's President’s Council approved the following policy actions:
Compliance Change
Policy 161 Freedom of Speech
| Approval Process | Compliance |
| Policy Sponsor | Michelle Kearns |
| Policy Stewards | Ashley Wilson |
| Policy Actions | Revision—Limited Scope |
| President's Council Action | Approval of Changes |
| Pipeline Draft | Policy 161 |
Who does this apply to? All of the university community, particularly those working with student organizations
What is being changed in this policy? Utah's new law (H.B. 390) requires public colleges to protect student rights by ensuring policies are viewpoint-neutral and do not deny recognition, benefits, or privileges for student organizations based on religious, political, or ideological beliefs. Although Policy 161 supports free speech, it lacks specific references to these new legal requirements. To comply, it was updated to explicitly state its viewpoint-neutral application and expand provisions for student organizations.
Now that this policy is in the manual, what does this mean for me? All standards set forth in this revision of the policy are now in effect and will be ratified in June by the Board of Trustees.
Entrance to Stage 2
Policy 136 Intellectual Property
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Wayne Vaught |
| Policy Stewards | Bradley Baugh, Dan Fairbanks |
| Policy Actions | Revision—Limited Scope |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stages 1 and 2 |
| Pipeline Draft | Stage 2 Draft |
Who does this apply to? All of the university community working intellectual property, particularly faculty and students
What is being changed in this policy? These limited scope changes will provide clarity on certain intellectual property issues by clarifying ownership and use of IP in various contexts. The changes expand the definition of scholarly work to include syllabi and curriculum materials and modify policies to address IP brought into or created within "special programs." Creators must give advance notice and may need written agreements when incorporating their own or third-party IP. By default, the University is granted a non-exclusive, perpetual license to use prior creator IP embedded in university-related work. Additionally, the revisions affirm student ownership of their work, unless involved in specific sponsored projects where rights may need to be assigned. A provision allowing employees to list pre-existing IP for exclusion from university ownership is being removed.
Now that this policy is in the manual, what does this mean for me? Now that this policy is in Stage 2, contact your governance entity representative to provide further comments.
Note: The Stage 2 complete date is proposed to be October 2, 2025.
Entrance to Stage 3
Policy 104 Advancement Boards and Program Advisory Boards
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Kara Schneck and Wayne Vaught |
| Policy Stewards | Tearsa Burke and Wendy Simmerman |
| Policy Actions | Revision |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 3 |
| Pipeline Draft | Stage 3 Draft |
Who does this apply to? Those involved with advancement and program advisory boards
What changes were made in Stage 2? In Stage 2, we standardized language throughout the policy and clarified differences between Advancement Boards and Program Advisory Boards. Associate Deans were added to the list of sponsoring university executives.
Now that this policy is in the manual, what does this mean for me? This policy will now to go the Board of Trustees and is closed for commentary.
Policy 447 Information Security
Policy 449 Private Sensitive Information (Deletion)
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Christina Baum |
| Policy Stewards | Brett McKeachnie |
| Policy Actions | Revision |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 3 |
| Pipeline Draft | Policy 447, Policy 449 |
Who does this apply to? All of the university community
What changes were made in Stage 2? Based on Stage 2 feedback, we revised Policy 447 to require screen locking during inactivity and the use of automation. We added references and procedures to support policy implementation, including maintaining security training. Language was clarified to emphasize the need for systems and security personnel to stay current. A legacy section referencing outdated Internal Audit functions was removed.
Now that this policy is in the manual, what does this mean for me? These policies will now to go the Board of Trustees and are closed for commentary.
Policy 452 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Christina Baum |
| Policy Stewards | Brett McKeachnie |
| Policy Actions | Revision |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 3 |
| Pipeline Draft | Stage 3 Draft |
Who does this apply to? All of the university community
What changes were made in Stage 2? Based on feedback from Stage 2, we revised Policy 452 to clarify requirements for providing equally effective alternative access. We also replaced the term "accessible" with "available" in one section to avoid potential confusion, given the policy’s focus on accessibility.
Now that this policy is in the manual, what does this mean for me? This policy will now to go Board of Trustees and is closed for commentary.
For questions or comments regarding any of the above actions, contact the policy sponsor or steward(s) listed, or contact the Policy Office. To learn more about the policy approval process at UVU, visit the Policy Office's Policy Process webpage.
Please note that some of the above links may become outdated or broken as the policy drafts progress through the policy approval process, or are approved for adoption to or deletion from the Policy Manual. For the most up-to-date status regarding a policy or proposed policy draft, see the Policy Manual and Policy Approval Pipeline pages. To request a previous version of a policy or policy draft or for addition questions, contact the Policy Office.