Colleagues, we are nearing my favorite time of year: the start of a new academic year. Fall represents a time of renewal and possibility. For students at the U, it marks the beginning of a journey filled with discovery, growth, and memorable experiences. 

At the University of Utah, we believe student success extends to all aspects of life at the university. The student experience is a holistic journey that encompasses intellectual growth, personal development, and the cultivation of new social networks as well as a passion for lifelong learning. It is about empowering students to become critical thinkers, compassionate leaders, and empathetic, engaged citizens who seek to make positive impacts in their communities and the world. 

As we make our way into the new academic year, let us embrace the journey ahead while we celebrate shared, recent successes. The new semester brings with it so many new opportunities for students as well as for the U! Together, let's fill this new academic year with exceptional educational experiences for every student at the University of Utah!

And as always, Go Utah!
Chase

Things happening in and around the dean's office.

U Rising host Chris Nelson talks with guest Chase Hagood about the new University of Utah Herriman Campus and collaborations with Salt Lake Community College.

The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness

What makes for a happy life, a fulfilling life? A good life? The directors of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest scientific study of happiness ever conducted, show that the answer to these questions may be closer than you realize.

On July 13, the Education Pathways manager took 45 students from Mt. View Elementary School on a field trip to the University of Utah. Students had the chance to tour various buildings and learn about college life. The highlight of their visit included the campus amenities available at the Union building. For over an hour, students competed for the highest score in bowling. Afterward, staff from the Bennion Center invited the students to their space for lunch and the opportunity to connect with folks and learn about their roles at the university.

Education pathways opportunities remain at the forefront of the Glendale – Mt. View Community Learning Center’s Summer Afterschool program. On July 11, youth learned about the power of electricity through an interactive activity conducted by the university’s Center for Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry Outreach Coordinator, Victoria Russell. Victoria dedicated three hours of her time to teaching a group of forty-five students about electricity and how to conduct power with simple wiring, batteries, LED lights, play-dough, and clay. Through the process, many students designed creative ways to harness the power of electricity in a safe and engaging manner. Through these types of educational activities, we aim to provide STEM-based opportunities for students residing in Salt Lake City’s Westside neighborhoods.

We enjoy partnering with other university units and departments. If you are interested in K-12 outreach, please get in touch with Arturo Canela at arturo.canela@utah.edu

The Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence (MBECTE) has gathered resources for instructors to use in considering how AI may influence their teaching practices. For information on assessment guidelines, popular AI tools, AI detection tools, and other resources, visit the MBCTE's AI Tool Guidance page.  

This award is peer-nominated for academic advisors in recognition of their abilities to go above and beyond in their roles and in the support they provide to students.

Rencher received several nomination statements highlighting her contributions to New Student Orientation. Colleagues remarked on her time and dedication to making sure students had an enjoyable and informative orientation. Additionally, Rencher hosted several events for students exploring different majors and reviewed the curriculum for the course UGS 1050: Major Exploration. Another colleague remarked on her attention to detail in helping students through appeals, and noted that her attention to detail was pivotal to one student’s petition approval.

We are thrilled to congratulate Madeline Rencher on her selection as Advisor of the Month!

Navigate U is a strategic initiative that calls on the shared responsibility of each department at the university to act on ensuring an exceptional educational experience for every student. As a critical component of the project, the University of Utah has joined in partnership with student analytics software developer EAB. This enterprise-wide student success analytics and reporting platform provides predictive student analytics functionality for assessing the student journey and monitoring intervention outcomes.

The Navigate U project and the EAB predictive analytics partnership infrastructure will transform how we understand, strategize, and implement intervention efforts across our campus. Through the careful, coordinated, and strategic Navigate U project, we will bring previously disparate and competing efforts together to achieve the goal of an exceptional educational experience for all undergraduate students. As a result, we will make significant headway in addressing issues such as student retention, time to graduation, student belongingness, equity gaps in the curriculum and courses, and targeted faculty development.

The newly launched Navigate U website provides campus with a primary source for information about the student success platform. Explore the website to find links, quick start guides, an implementation timeline, and contact information. 

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) held its summer symposium at the Alumni House on August 3. Poster presentations were evaluated by faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars using the undergraduate research learning outcomes identified by OUR. For more info on getting involved with undergraduate research at the U, visit our.utah.edu. 

The Juniper Building at the Herriman campus is open and ready for classes! The University of Utah and Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) held a ribbon joining ceremony on Aug. 7. The project is a collaboration between the two schools and increases access to higher education in the southern region of the Salt Lake valley. 

In Spring 2023 the U received grant funding from Ascendium Education Group and the DeLuca Foundation to implement the Academic Recovery Project. The project is structured to provide additional academic and financial supports to students who had previously failed a specific course. In July, the U received an additional $185,000 grant from Ascendium to engage in a site-specific formative and feasibility study to deepen collective understanding of the project model’s implementation and move toward rigorous evaluation of impact. The two-year grant period will be from August 2023 to June 2025.

CTE Annual Teaching Symposium

9 AM-3 PM

J. Willard Marriott Library

State of Undergraduate Studies

10:30 AM

CTIHB 109

US Staff Photos

10-11 AM

Sill Center Lobby

Fall Classes Begin

Last day to add without a permission code

Last day to add, drop (delete), elect CR/NC, or audit classes

Coordinator, Outreach and Engagement for Native Communities

Jessica is from Monument Valley, Utah, which is located on the Utah portion of the Navajo Nation. Her maternal clan is Táchii’nii (Red Running into the Water People). She is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. She graduated from Arizona State University in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Family and Human Development and a Minor in American Indian Studies. She also graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts in 2021. Jessica is the Outreach and Engagement for Native Communities Coordinator for Southeastern Utah.

Academic Advisor, Academic Advising Center

Rosie is originally from Virginia and completed her B.A. in English before heading west for graduate study, earning master’s degrees in Communication from the University of Colorado-Denver and the University of Utah, respectively. Rosie joins the Academic Advising Center, where she is excited to help students articulate their values and interests and how those intersect with major and career paths. She is grateful to be stepping into this role and thrilled to be at the U!

Academic Advisor, Orientation and Outreach 

Shelby Peterson is a Nevada native who is excited to join the Academic Advising Center at the U. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Human Development and Family Studies from The University of Nevada, Reno. Shelby is also a Certified Family Life Educator and enjoys teaching about the lifespan and creating community programs for individuals and families. As an advisor, she looks forward to helping students navigate the college experience and guiding them to make informed decisions about their education and future. 

Academic Advisor, Academic Standards

Amanda is a Utah native who graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Utah with a double major in Psychology and Communication. She began her career in mental healthcare and found opportunities within the field to help youth get their education back on track after experiencing mental health challenges. Amanda wanted to find a way to combine her passion for mental health advocacy with her interests in education and landed in the Academic Advising Center as an Academic Standards Advisor.

Academic Advisor, Academic Standards

Madi is originally from Illinois and completed two associate degrees in Culinary Arts and Culinary Management. She joined the AAC team in 2022 as part of our Reception Team before moving to Academic Advising. She began her academic career at Joliet Junior College Lab Assisting prior to moving to Utah with her partner. Madi is passionate about helping students find their place in the world and cultivating an environment of curiosity and learning. She is excited to begin her career as an advisor here at the U!

Advising Ambassador, Academic Advising Center

Emily joined AAC in 2023 as the student Advising Ambassador. Having just completed her first year at the U, Emily is majoring in Theatre with an emphasis in Acting! She is a member of the Honors College and a graduate of West High School here in Salt Lake City. For her entire first semester at the U, Emily was undecided on her major. She took UGS 1050: Major Exploration, a class that helps point students in the direction of interests—to help them identify what they might like or dislike. This class encouraged her to make her passion for art into her major; she now helps students who are exploring just like she was...and still is.

Director, U Herriman

James brings to the University of Utah and its new Herriman campus a wealth and a variety of educational leadership experience collected over more than a decade of progressively growing leadership roles. He most recently served as the Campus Director for Columbia College – Salt Lake, but he has previously worked as the Director of Student Support Programs at Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, Washington, and as the Director of Adult Education at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Alabama. James received his Master's degree in English from the University of Texas at Tyler, and he is a Certified Manager of Program Improvement through the University of Tennessee's Center for Literacy, Education & Employment.

Coming into this role as the U’s Herriman Director, James has shown a heart for creating a campus that is driven by the student experience and is focused on meeting the wants and needs of the Herriman community and the ever-expanding southwest Salt Lake County area. 

When not working, most weekends he can be found outdoors soaking up the natural beauty of Utah with his wife Esther and two dogs, Boo (Boston Terrier) and Rajah (Boxer). Otherwise, he is probably somewhere reading a book.

Program Manager, LEAP Learning Communities

Kaley is the new Program Manager for LEAP. She graduated from the U with a B.S. in Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeological Science and an M.S. in Anthropology. After leaving Utah, she received an M.A. in Anthropology from Pennsylvania State University. As LEAP Program Manager, she is excited to help undergraduates have successful college careers, both academically and socially. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, making pottery, and hiking through all of Utah’s diverse landscapes.

Academic Program Coordinator, OUR

Angie is working as the academic program coordinator for the Office of Undergraduate Research. She will be working with the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) and student research advising. She is originally from Illinois but came to Utah to complete her Bachelor’s degree. She then went to Virginia for her Master’s degree. Now that I am back in Utah, She is excited to spend time hiking and enjoying time in the mountains.

Curriculum Systems Analyst, Undergraduate Studies

Ali is the newest member of our small but strong curriculum team.  She comes to us with over ten years of experience working with faculty and enforcing policy.  She is quiet, enjoys reading and spending time with family and her dog, Maya.  The curriculum management team is excited to have her join US!

Supplemental Instruction Coordinator, Learning Center

Taylor joined the Learning Center team in Fall 2022 as a graduate assistant, where he helped to oversee learning consultations and the tutoring program. He began working in his current role as the full-time Supplemental Instruction Coordinator almost a year later in July 2023. Taylor is also currently enrolled at The University of Utah as a student in the Master of Education Educational Leadership and Policy Program.

Prior to his time at the University of Utah, he attended Utah Valley University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Honors Program in May 2021 with a B.S. in Psychology. After graduating, Taylor worked at UVU as an assistant coordinator in their Supplemental Instruction program.

During his free time, Taylor loves going to the movies and writing reviews online, reading books, expanding his ever-growing vinyl collection, and going to the park with his boyfriend, Josh, and their dog, Daisy.”

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