It's an exciting time for General Education at the University of Utah! The Undergraduate Council and the university's Board of Trustees have approved a proposal from the General Education Curriculum Committee to revise the structure of the General Education (GE) and Baccalaureate Degree (BD) requirements at the U. This, along with continued work with colleges and departments, will position the university's curriculum to better serve all undergraduate students and move us into alignment with the requirements and expectations of USHE and NWCCU. 

This will result in a General Education curriculum that truly serves students, provides opportunities for meaningful exploration and major confirmation, supports transfer students, facilitates persistence and timely completion, and complies with state policy and accreditation requirements. 

The proposal for a reimagined General Education curriculum seeks to ensure:

Stay tuned for more info on the implementation of the General Education Reimagined curriculum.

The latest collection of artwork featured in the Salt Lake City library system’s Day-Riverside Branch in Rose Park is by teenagers from the Salt Lake Valley Youth Center. Students were asked to use the Jordan River as inspiration for a series of self-portraits that will eventually make it to the walls of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

At the 2023 Utah Conference for Undergraduate Research (UCUR), Claire Park, from the University of Utah, received the award for Best: Overall poster for  "An Optogenetic Model of Hemispatial Neglect Permits Real-Time Induction of Rightward Spatial Bias." The U welcomed undergraduate researchers from across Utah on Feb. 17 for the conference. The mission of UCUR is to promote undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity.

Congratulations, Claire and all the undergraduate research presenters at UCUR!

The U has been awarded the Eta Kappa Chapter of Alpha Alpha Alpha, or Tri-Alpha, a national honor society for first-generation college students. Advisors will be Dr. P. Brandon Johnson and Linda Paternina.

Students qualify for induction into Tri-Alpha if they meet the following criteria:

Fifty-five students and five parents from Mountain View Elementary and Glendale Middle School attended an on-campus event at the U sponsored by Education Pathways and the University of Utah's School of Medicine. 

The K-12 students completed a series of activities throughout the day and had the opportunity to engage with students from the School of Medicine, as well as connect with kids from other schools. The visit culminated with pizza and homemade ice cream. Overall, the experience was enriching and highly valuable for everyone who attended.

Friday, March 31
8:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Join the University of Utah and Salt Lake Community College for the 4th annual Transfer Summit at the University of Utah's Alumni House.

The summit is for faculty and staff and will include:

Atziri C. Regalado Juarez was spotlighted as a National Transfer Student Ambassador at the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS) conference in Portland, Oregon on Feb. 22. The Transfer Student Ambassador Program invites up to four outstanding transfer students to influence the national transfer conversation by sharing their voices at the NISTS annual conference and facilitating a transfer-related program at their home institutions.

Atziri transferred to the U from Salt Lake Community College in the fall of 2022 and is majoring in psychology. 

American Indians have the lowest number of college degrees of any racial or ethnic group. To help close that gap, the U is working to make college possible for more indigenous students.

The Major Expo was held in the Union Ballroom on Feb. 15 and was a huge success! Students were able to learn more about various academic programs and gather information on every major, minor, and certificate on campus! Thank you to the team in the Academic Advising Center for all their hard work.

Lacee Embleton, program manager for Connect2Health, organized a food/clothing donation drive with her Community Outreach team—Halle Harris and Malia Duenas. The team  collected 341 pounds of donated non-perishable foods as well as clothing, diapers, and shoes for the Crossroads Urban Center in Salt Lake City. 

Special thanks to Trisha Ngo, Diya Rao, and all those who helped with donations.

If you are aware of any events or community projects their team can be a part of please email  Connect2Health.director@health.utah.edu. 

The University Innovation Alliance (UIA) has received a $3.5 million grant led by Ascendium to find solutions for the problem of high dropout and failure rates in college gateway courses.

Due to a variety of factors, the decision has been made to publish the 2023-2024 catalog  on April 1. As continuing students use the catalog associated with the year they began at the University of Utah they can continue to do so. Course schedule information will be updated prior to the beginning of registration. The April 1 date is prior to new students registering for fall courses (when the catalog goes into effect) and this change will provide them more accurate information.

For questions, please contact Katrina Green - katrina.green@utah.edu.

The Utah College Advising Corps (UCAC) is a college access program founded on the idea that all high school students deserve equitable opportunities to enroll in institutions of higher education. UCAC advisers are in 74 schools and 34 school districts across the state of Utah. Advisers have a 10-month contract starting from August 2023 to May of 2024, and are placed in one or more high schools.

For questions please reach out to Rachel Everitt - Rachel.everitt@utah.edu

Students currently enrolled or recently graduated (within the last five years) from the University of Utah are eligible to be nominated for the 2023 Ivory Community Leadership Award. Self-nominations are welcome.

The Ivory Community Leadership Award includes a $2,000 award (or $4,000 for up to two co-recipients) and $10,000 to invest in the program or efforts developed and implemented by the recipient(s). The award seeks to recognize and celebrate the impact of student involvement and leadership in our community.

Nominations are due Wednesday, March 15 at 5 p.m. Nominate yourself or someone you know.

Major Exploration:
Zoom Info Session

6:00 PM

Spring Recess

Choose the U

8:00 AM

Transfer Summit

6:00 PM-7:00 PM

Faculty Development Retreat

9:00 AM-1:00 PM

First Gen Con

10:00 AM-3:00 PM

Eli joined the OUR team in November 2022. They received a BA in Chicana/o/x Studies and Spanish Literature from the University of California, Davis and an MSW from the University of Denver. Before joining the OUR team, Eli worked for over a decade in academic advising, access and disability services, and diversity affairs. Eli enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, and getting a kick out of dad jokes. But more than anything, Eli loves being a parent and spending every free moment with their little one and partner.

Chelsie Armstrong joins brings over 10 years of experience in development, having raised funds for a handful of nonprofits throughout Michigan and more recently, the University of Utah— College of Engineering, Red Butte Garden, and the Community Foundation of Utah. She is currently working on a master's degree in Nonprofit Management and serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Professional Fundraisers (AFP)—Utah Chapter.

Chelsie is passionate about three things: fundraising, her sourdough starter, and her book club (est. 2020). Chelsie is excited to be working with Undergraduate Studies to help achieve their goals!

Rachael is the newest addition to a small but dedicated team working with curriculum. She comes to US from Salt Lake Community College and has a strong background in downstream impacts of curriculum on systems and students. She is quiet and dedicated; we are lucky to have her.

Her hobbies include reading, crochet, and taking care of her houseplants. She has recently become interested in embroidery as well. She enjoys playing badminton and pickleball—when she can find someone to play with.

Rachael has a BA in Linguistics and a BS in International Studies, as well as a TESOL Undergraduate Certificate.

Shelly comes to the U after 15 years of managing and marketing fundraising events in Salt Lake City. Shelly grew up in Utah but also lived in Oregon where she worked at Portland State University for seven years. She enjoys hiking, skiing, advocating for homeless pets, and spending time with her partner Robert, their goofy golden retriever, two rescue cats, and her family.

Liz is the new administrative manager in Karen Paisley’s thread. She joins US from Salt Lake Community college. She graduated from Westminster College in 2014 with a BA in Art and has worked at the University of Utah before. She is excited to be a part of the Undergraduate Studies team at the U.

Have something you'd like US to highlight in the newsletter? Email marketing@us.utah.edu