March 5 , 2007
For Immediate Release
For more info:
Chris Taylor
(801) 863-8484
(801) 472-8588
As Utah Valley University awaits the signature of Governor Huntsman before becoming law, UVSC President William A. Sederburg today outlined several principles that would guide the College as it prepares to transition to a university mission, pending the Governor’s thumbs up.
“UVSC is already operating at a university level in many respects, so people might be surprised at some of the things that won’t change,” said UVSC President William Sederburg. “Some things will change, however. And as with any change, people naturally have questions. It’s important that we address those questions and state some things up front as we move forward to ensure that everybody is on the same page. Hopefully we accomplished that today.”
Under the direction of President Sederburg, a task force has been established to oversee and manage the university transition process. The principles that will guide the transition, as outlined today by Sederburg, are as follows:
1. The change to a university mission is to better meet the educational needs of UVSC’s constituents and to better reflect the type of institution UVSC has become compared to national peers. The institution is committed to offering a comprehensive set of degrees including certificates, two- and four-year degrees and programs, and master’s degrees.
2. The legal name of the institution will remain “Utah Valley State College” or “UVSC” until July 1, 2008 at which time it will become “Utah Valley University” or “UVU”. Just as with previous name changes and transitions, all prior institutional names (e.g., Utah Technical College, Utah Valley Community College, etc.) will remain domain names of the institution and alumni of the institution under these former names are considered alumni of Utah Valley University.
3. There will be no changes in institutional systems and process, unless otherwise notified, as part of the transition to university status. Many of the institutional systems and processes have already been improved to a university standard of operation and, therefore, do not require adjustment.
4. Academic planning for master’s degree programs will be managed by Academic Affairs through its current approval process, which includes final approval through the Board of Regents and its Program Review Committee (PRC). Three master’s degree programs have been identified in education, health sciences (nursing), and business according to market demands and with initial Regent acknowledgment of regional need. Proposals for additional master’s degree programs are not being accepted at this time.
5. Adjunct faculty ratios and faculty teaching loads will be directly addressed according to areas of greatest need and commitments made to the Regents to align the institution with appropriate standards.
6. Tuition dollars will not be used to fund commitments made in SB70 (the legislative bill granting UVSC university status). In addition, private funds have been and will continue to be raised to fund the various needs related to the transition and name change endeavors.
7. An University Image Committee, which will be a subcommittee of a University Transition Task Force, has been formed to oversee the development of new institutional logos, seal, coloring schemes and marketing initiatives. The development of any other logo or color scheme to represent any aspect of the institution is not authorized and should not be pursued.
8. Current institutional logos, seal and coloring schemes of UVSC are still legal, appropriate, and representative images of the institution and are to be used through June 2008. It is anticipated that beginning January 2008 the new institutional images will be finalized to allow for time to print and produce documents and merchandise using the new images.
9. A draft mission statement was initially crafted by the Strategic Direction Advisory Committee (SDAC) in 2004 and in context with an updated value and roles statement, is being reviewed by the current SDAC. The final approval process involves President’s Council forwarding a final draft to the Board of Trustees and then on to the Board of Regents. Once the Board of Regents approves the new mission, value and role statements, they will become official governing statements for the institution.
In addition, Sederburg clarified, among other things, the institution’s position on its future admissions standards, declaring that Utah Valley University will maintain its open enrollment policy. The institution will remain committed to providing educational opportunities at all levels to all citizens, Sederburg said, and will also remain committed to its community college mission, even when it becomes a university. Sederburg also reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to trades and technology in partnership with the MATC.
Governor Huntsman is scheduled to make an appearance on the UVSC campus on March 19 at 11:30 a.m. to sign Senate Bill 70, which calls for UVSC to become Utah’s fifth public university beginning July 1, 2008. On Tuesday, the Utah House of Representatives unanimously approved the bill, which also received unanimous approval from the Utah State Senate earlier in the session.
“The Governor’s signature is obviously still a very big part of this, and we don’t want to overlook that,” Sederburg said. “We couldn’t be more pleased, however, with the outcome in the legislature. Unanimous votes in both the House and Senate exceeded even our expectations, and we’re grateful that they recognized the need for a public university in Utah County. It goes to show you where a collaborative spirit can take you – this truly has been a collaborative effort from the beginning between the institution, the legislature, and the commissioner of higher education and Board of Regents.”
In addition to the role change, lawmakers appropriated $8 million in ongoing funding to help facilitate the move, $2 million shy of the amount Senate Bill 70 originally called for.
The funding would address several finance-related issues as identified by Utah System of Higher Education Commissioner Richard Kendell requisite to UVSC becoming a university, including increasing full-time faculty and improving student advisor ratios.
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College Marketing Contact:
Megan Laurie
(801) 863-7149