T. Chase Hagood, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Student Success

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you find yourself invigorated, rejuvenated, and ready to embrace the forthcoming spring semester at the University of Utah with joy and enthusiasm.  

As we return from Winter Break, please remember all undergraduate programs of study must have functional four-year degree plans in place by January 20, 2025. These plans are crucial for guiding our students through their academic journeys, enhancing retention and persistence, and ensuring timely degree completion for all students at the U.

By providing clear and structured pathways, along with our new catalog system, Course Dog, we can help our students stay on track, reduce time-to-degree, and support their successful transition to life beyond the university.

Thank you for your continued support of this critical initiative.

As always, Go Utah! 

Chase 

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Functional 4-year degree plans are essential for guiding students along their academic journey and ensuring their timely completion at the University of Utah. Below are steps for initial development, annual verification, and ongoing degree plan maintenance.

Find more detailed information in the Navigate U Step-by-Step Guide.

LEAP professor, Dr. Josh Rivkin has been awarded a Tanner Humanities Center Fellowship for the 2025-26 academic year for his project, "On Hard Choices." The Tanner Humanities Center Faculty Advisory Board recognized the project's potential to make a significant contribution to the field of Humanities. The fellowship will provide Rivkin with a supportive environment for his research, writing, and scholarly conversations. We look forward to the innovative insights and thoughtful research he will bring to our academic community.

The Office of Undergraduate Research is pleased to announce 215 undergraduate researchers were selected to receive funding for Spring 2025 through Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy, Parent Fund Scholarship, and Franicis Family Scholarship.

Undergraduate researchers receive educational programming while assisting with a faculty member’s research or creative project, or carrying out a project of their own under the supervision of a faculty member. Congratulations to our student and faculty mentors!

Morgan Doane, a student fellow with the Academic Innovation + Intelligence Lab, has been selected as a  recipient of the University of Utah's second annual Innovation Awards. The awards recognize the efforts U students, staff, faculty and startups have made to pursue impactful research and contribute to the university’s culture of innovation.

Doane developed an AI-enabled platform that revolutionizes how student course feedback is analyzed and used to enhance teaching quality. His tool synthesizes feedback, peer reviews, and faculty reflections to provide comprehensive, actionable insights for instructors.

The University of Utah is offering seven courses at the Herriman Campus this semester. Courses  have been running since last spring, and we are excited to see registrations continue to grow.

January 10 is the last day to register for a course without a permission code. 

The Office of Undergraduate Research is pleased to announce that another issue of RANGE: Undergraduate Research Journal (2024) is now available.

Read about the incredible staff in the Office of Undergraduate Studies.

Grant Writer, Undergraduate Studies

Britta Berkey is new to the U. She joins US from the United Way of Salt Lake, where she held the role of Grants Director. She is thrilled with the opportunity to secure funding for student success. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family, running, working out, and reading. 

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