Utah Valley University, or UVU, is a publicly funded university located in Orem, Utah, United States with a Fall 2016 enrollment of 34,978 students. Utah Valley University is the largest public university in the State of Utah. The university offers approximately 58 bachelor's degrees, 66 associate degrees, 21 certificate/diploma programs, and 8 high-demand master's degrees in education, business, nursing, accountancy, computer science, cybersecurity, public service, and social work.
The university’s Wasatch Campus in Heber City, Utah, also offers bachelor's degrees in business management and secondary education, as well as associate degrees in accounting, behavioral science, business management, elementary education, and general education.
Previously called Utah Valley State College (UVSC), the school attained university status in July 2008, changing to Utah Valley University. Matthew S. Holland, appointed as the first president of UVU, officially began his duties on June 1, 2009.
History
UVU was founded in the fall of 1941, when the Utah State Vocational Office consolidated federal work program classes into one campus in Provo. At this time, the school was known as Central Utah Vocational School.
Growth brought numerous changes to UVU over the following decades, and the school was renamed several times to reflect its changing role. In 1963, the name was changed from Central Utah Vocational School to Utah Trade Technical Institute. In 1967, the school became Utah Technical College at Provo, and was given the authority to confer associate degrees for the first time. In 1977, the institution began moving to its present location, beside the I-15 in Orem. In 1987, it became Utah Valley Community College.
In 1993 the school was named Utah Valley State College and began awarding four-year degrees. The Utah legislature approved renaming Utah Valley State College as a university in February 2007 (effective July 1, 2008), allowing it to begin offering master's degrees, although the school continues to place particular emphasis on its two- and four-year degree programs.
UVU is the largest employer in Orem, with over 1,400 full-time faculty and staff and over 3,200 part-time faculty and staff.
When it was a community college, the school had 8,000 students enrolled, growing by approximately 3,000 students a year. The university had 32,670 students enrolled for the 2010 fall semester. 31,556 students were enrolled for the fall of 2012.
Academics
Accreditation and admissions
UVU was accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Northwest Association of Schools in 1969, and had its accreditation renewed in 1984, 1995, and 2005. Vocational accreditation was granted in 1976, and renewed in 1990 and 1995 by the Utah State Office of Vocational Education. In December 2006, the UVU School of Business received initial accreditation from the AACSB with that accreditation being maintained in 2011.
About 88% of UVU students come from Utah but an increasing number of students come from other states, and other countries. In 2009, UVU students represented all 50 US states and 67 countries.
UVU's in-state tuition and fees cost roughly $5,530 (2016â€"17); out-of-state tuition and fees are $15,690 (2016â€"17).
UVU is regionally accredited which is the gold standard of academic accreditation.
Faculty
Matthew Holland is the current president of Utah Valley University. He was appointed in 2009. Marty Val Hill, an NSA national outstanding professor of the year, Craig Huish, an AHLEI national Lamp of Knowledge award winner as an Outstanding U.S. Educator, and Jay DeSart, a geocacher, who created an election forecast model cited by The Wall Street Journal in predicting Barack Obama’s presidential win.
Rankings and awards
UVU has chosen not to participate in U.S. News & World Report college and university rankings. Since 2001, UVU student teams have placed first or second overall in the national SkillsUSA competition. Prior to 2011, students from UVU place well in national Phi Beta Lambda and Delta Epsilon Chi business competitions. At the 2008 national Phi Beta Lambda conference in Atlanta, Georgia, UVU students were awarded twelve top-ten finishes. More recently, students from the Woodbury School of Business have earned top finishes in the American Marketing Association competitions and various Personal Financial Planning competitions.
Campus
UVU's main campus is in Orem with satellite campuses in Heber City, Spanish Fork, North Orem, Provo Municipal Airport, and Lehi. UVU's main campus encompasses 228 acres (0.92Â km2) and includes 48 buildings. Each building has been built using the same style of unfinished concrete with all ten of the major buildings on campus connected by 30-foot-wide (9.1Â m) concourses. UVU grounds includes two reflecting ponds on the west side of campus, a stream running through the east part of campus, and a multi-dimensional fountain in the middle of campus.
UVU is home to the Utah Community Credit Union Center, formerly the David O. McKay Events Center which was built in 1996 with a capacity to seat 8,500 people. The events center is governed by a board consisting of representatives from UVU, Utah County and Orem City. It not only holds campus activities and sporting events but also community events such as major concerts, trade shows and expos, high school sports tournaments, family shows, graduations, and banquets. It is also home to UVU’s culinary arts program, including Greg’s Restaurant. On average, the Events Center hosts 150â€"170 events per year. As many as 360,000 people patronize the Events Center on an annual basis. The new library or UVU's Digital Learning Center is often referred to as the "jewel" of campus being the newest addition to campus.
Digital Learning Center
In September 2006, the school began construction of a new Digital Learning Center to replace the 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) Losee Resource Center (library). The "DLC" is 180,000 square feet (17,000 m2) and is located northeast of the Liberal Arts building. It opened on July 1, 2008. UVU President William A. Sederburg hired Cooper, Roberts, Simonsen and Associates and Layton Construction as the design/build team for the new Digital Learning Center, with acclaimed New York architect Jacob Alspector as lead architect. “We chose the design we’re going with because it was an exceptional design that still kept a lot of the same features of our current campus. So it looks like it’s supposed to be there yet it stands out,†said Jim Michaelis, associate vice president of Facilities Planning. The $48 million project includes networked computers, computer labs, a computer reference area (Information Commons), media center, 31 study rooms, and wireless internet throughout the building.
The library is the “greenest†state-owned building in Utah, and won two 2008 awards from Intermountain Construction magazine for its energy efficiency.
Science building
The UVU Science Building opened in summer 2012. The building features study rooms to the west side that have glass whiteboards as well as windows spanning the entire height of the towers. In addition, ZOOL 2320 students can enjoy the new Anatomy Lab, which has vents to decrease the concentration of Phenol in the air.
Organization
The university is part of the Utah System of Higher Education. The primary colleges and schools at the university are:
- College of Humanities & Social Sciences
- College of Science and Health
- College of Technology and Computing
- School of Public Services
- School of the Arts
- School of Education
- University College
- Woodbury School of Business
Other academic support programs include Distance Education, Extended Studies, Summer, concurrent, Community and Continuing Education, and Honors.
Performing arts
Ballroom dance
UVU is home to one of the largest public collegiate ballroom dance programs in the United States. Over the last several years, the Ballroom Dance Company has grown into a premiere performance troupe. The company has over 130 members divided into four teams; one touring team, one reserve and two back up teams. The backup teams provide the students with the training and performance skills necessary to meet the demands of the touring team. The UVU Ballroom Dance Company has received numerous awards, honors, and accolades as they have performed and competed throughout the United States and abroad including recently winning the first ever College Dance Championship on ABC's TV series Dancing With The Stars. The team is currently directed by Paul Winkleman.
Music
UVU has ten main musical groups. The four choir groups are: Chamber Choir, Men's Choir, Women's Choir, and Concert Choir. The two orchestra groups are: Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. Band related groups include: Wind Symphony, Jazz Band, Pep Band, and Percussion Ensemble. There are more specific music related options at UVU that can be found through clubs.
Theatre
The UVU Theatre program produces five shows each year on its mainstage season. In addition, the president of the university selects a title each year as part of the freshman reading program that the department stages in the university’s courtyard. The department partners with the Sundance Resort to produce Sundance Summer Theatre each year. The university creates a play which travels and performs in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as part of its annual Theatre Semester Abroad to London and Scotland. They also host the Rocky Mountain Summer Stock Theatre Auditions each year where college students from across the region audition for professional summer stock theatres. UVU is the first university in the nation to win back to back national awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. In 2013 they won Outstanding Production of a Play for ‘Vincent in Brixton’ written by Nicholas Wright and directed by Christopher Clark. In 2014 UVU won Outstanding Production of a Musical for the Pulitzer Prize winning ‘Next to Normal’ with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, music by Tom Kitt, directed by David Tinney, and music direction by Rob Moffat. Other national KCACTF awards UVU repeated include Outstanding Director and Outstanding Performance by an Actress.
Athletics
The school mascot is the Wolverine, and the colors are green and gold. The Wolverines compete in the Western Athletic Conference.
The UVU student section is called the Mighty Athletic Wolverine League, or MAWL, a name created by former executive vice president of student government Justin Davies.
The Wolverines play their home basketball games in the 8,500-seat UCCU Center. The baseball team plays at Brent Brown Ballpark, a 5,000-seat facility that is also the home of the Orem Owlz, a minor-league affiliate of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, that competes in the Pioneer Baseball League.
Notably, the men's soccer program at UVU is the only NCAA Division I program in all the state of Utah. Starting play in 2014, the Wolverines have seen many appearances in the Top 25 NCAA Men's Soccer national rankings.
Media
The school has an independent, student-run weekly newspaper called the UVU Review. The newspaper began publishing under the name on June 30, 2008, the day before the university transition became official. UVU Review's Editor-in-Chief was Jack Waters for the 2008â€"09 year, followed by Jennie Nicholls-Smith in 2009â€"10. The 2010â€"2011 staff is headed by David Self Newlin. The school is also the subject of the documentary This Divided State.
Utah Fire and Rescue Academy
The school is one of few Utah universities which provides free training to Utah fire agencies. In August 2009, the university unveiled a 53-foot-long (16Â m) Mobile Command Center, acquired by federal grants. The Utah Valley University Fire Academy Mobile Command Training Center cost an estimated $200,000 to $300,000 and provides both students and firefighters with realistic fire training.
Alumni
- Ricky Allman â€" internationally renowned painter
- A. J. Cook â€" actress, Criminal Minds
- Christopher Fogt â€" Olympic bronze medalist in Four-man Bobsleigh
- Gregg Hale â€" former guitarist for the band Spiritualized
- Travis Hansen â€" former basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA
- Chelsie Hightower â€" professional dancer on TV series Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance
- Jef Holm â€" Winner of The Bachelorette Season 8
- Mitch Jones â€" Major League Baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Ricky Lundell â€" 3rd degree black belt in Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, current head wrestling coach at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas
- Michael McDonald â€" former basketball player for the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA
- Kam Mickolio â€" Major League Baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks
- Ramsey Nijem â€" wrestler; professional mixed martial artist, The Ultimate Fighter 13 finalist, Lightweight fighter for the Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Noelle Pikus Pace â€" World Cup gold medalist and Olympic silver medalist in Skeleton
- Matthew S. Petersen â€" Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, and former Republican chief counsel to the United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
- Ronnie Price â€" basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA
- Wesley Silcox â€" World champion bull rider
- Matangi Tonga â€" American football player
See also
- Roots of Knowledge, a stained glass display in the Fulton Library on campus
References
Sources
- Orellana, Roxana (April 27, 2007), "UVSC celebrates first 'unofficial' university grads", The Salt Lake TribuneÂ
External links
- Official website
- Utah Valley Athletics website