Faculty Member
JULIE K. NELSON is an Associate Professor and has taught at UVU since 2007. She is the Family Science Field Coordinator for all student internships, locally and internationally, and Faculty Supervisor of the UVU Stronger Families Project, a community family life education program. www.uvu.edu/sfp
She is the author of two books, a contributing author to a 3rd book, and has been featured in or written for academic journals and other media such as ksl.com, Deseret News, Family Share, The Wall Street Journal, and Parents.com.
Her professional teaching certifications include Senior Fellowship with the Higher Education Academy (International) and a Certified Family Life Educator from the National Council on Family Relations.
She has developed courses, both face to face and online, and received the UVU Faculty of the Year for the 2019-2020 year and Best Online Course at UVU in 2018.
Major: Family and Human Development
Major: Elementary and Early Childhood Education
Community Practicum, Spring 2025
Community Practicum, Spring 2025
Early Development in Families, Spring 2025
Family Science Seminar, Spring 2025
Independent Study, Spring 2025
I was nominated for this award by Dr. Jeremy Boden. It was competitive and I did not receive it. However, the application process highlighted my many activities that contributed to my service this past year to the field of CFLE, both locally and nationally.
The Center for Social Impact sent the following announcement and attached award to all UVU S-L faculty_
Distinguished Service-Learning Faculty_
We are pleased to announce Julie Nelson as the December Service-Learning Superstar!
Julie Nelson is an Assistant Professor in the Behavioral Science department and the Family Science Internship Coordinator. Julie has collaborated with UVU’s Wee Care and Stronger Families Project to mentor service-learning students volunteering with FAMS 3800, SOC 1020, and FAMS 3000. Students are prepared to teach children, implement age-appropriate lesson plans, developmental assessment, parent outreach, observations on child socio-emotional, cognitive, and physical development, and make a positive impact the family system through wholistic learning. Additionally, she teaches FAMS 481R, a community practicum course, that offers high impact, engaged learning through an off-site internship. Since 2018, she has supervised year-round up to 65 interns per semester, each student completing 120 field hours. The individualized internships reflect compelling connection to psychoeducation or other professional endeavors related to formal teaching, family intervention and education, curriculum and resource development, social services, family policy, marriage enhancement, parenting skills, rehabilitation, trauma-informed care, financial, or military family support. She has established sponsoring agreements with over 100 approved businesses or agencies along the Wasatch front.
Julie is also the Faculty Director of the UVU Stronger Families Project (SFP) that provides a community-based, family life education internship every fall and spring semester. Since 2008, the program has served nearly 1,050 families in 15 Utah counties. The SFP leverages student engaged learning experiences to help families achieve meaningful and successful lives. Interns teach in-person classes (English and Spanish) to Utah county residents as well as virtually to any Utah resident to improve their interaction and emotional patterns within the family. UVU's SFP immerses students in practical, functional skill-building to persist in college and carry them forward after graduation. Interns with SFP carry many workforce-ready credentials upon completing the program and graduation. They have been mentored and supervised by Julie and other professionals including UVU faculty, community partners, social service workers, and the program coordinator. Community partners include South Franklin Community Center, United Way, Alpine and Provo School Districts, Kids On the Move, Early Learning Essentials (formerly Mountainland Headstart), PG Cares, and Utah Department of Workforce Services. Interns are assigned a program site in the service area where they lead all program outreach, marketing, recruitment of participants, intake, teaching, reporting, and participant survey satisfaction. As they finish the SFP internship, they qualify to receive the Certified Family Life Educator-P certificate, the Qualified Educators certificate through "Family Wellness Associates," as well as the Domestic Violence Coalition 101 and 102, Columbia Suicide Training, and Psychological First Aid. They complete a professional e-portfolio in the 10 content areas documented by the National Council of Family Relations.
Please join us in congratulating Julie Nelson for her incredible service-learning efforts!
Dr. Jonathan Westover
Academic Director, Center for Social Impact
Dr. Leandra Hernandez
Associate Academic Director, Center for Social Impact
The UVU Club office awards one club each year that exemplifies exceptional service above all others. The Family Science Club received that award in 2022. As the Family Science Club Faculty Mentor, I work closely with the club members, particularly the president. During the 2021-22 school year, I met regularly with Melanie Wolfe, the club president, helped plan activities, and recruit members.
They carried out these activities_
Club Rush both semesters
Opening Fall Social
October Halloween social
Timpanogos Park clean up
Career Workshop
Used $1,250 awarded to buy supplies for assembling humanitarian kits and to ship toys they made to a 3rd world country
Classic Skating night
Movie Night
The letter of recognition covers much of my service and the Spirit of Service Club Award is mentioned in the 4th paragraph.
This award is given to a faculty member who demonstrates academic excellence in exceptional work and care with teaching, student mentorship, internship supervision, and curriculum development. The award is given by student nomination. I was awarded this singular honor at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.
It is noteworthy that I was awarded this by the university during the pandemic, at the height of teaching upheaval campus-wide and unprecedented stress among the student body. Despite this, I was able to maintain connection with my students, support their learning and graduation goals, provide a consistent, high-quality experience despite major changes to community internships, and individualize my teaching to adapt to the various needs of my students.
I am very proud of how this award recognized my exceptional efforts during this time.
I was recognized for above and beyond service rendered to the university related to my online courses that exceeded normal expectations under challenging circumstances. My contribution became invaluable when COVID-19 shut down campus and transitioned all classes to online.
Spring and summer 2020 semesters were a smoother academic experiences for me and my students because I had, on my own time, participated in OTL training prior to the pandemic to become certified in online development and teaching. When the university required that all fall 2020 asynchronous online classes needed a “certified” distinction, all mine qualified.
Adjuncts who taught online classes I had developed were unaffected by the transition.
Even through the unusual and difficult pandemic period, the caliber of my students’ academics did not suffer. I provided a seamless learning experience for them.
I received a personal letter of honor and recognition from UVU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Wayne Vaught. I was one of the instructors recognized by students for my “exceptional efforts during this transition to remote learning” and Provost Vaught expressed his gratitude for how I "demonstrated exceptional care for all our students during the pandemic" (see attached letter).
This is an international teaching award to promote excellence in university pedagogy through evidence-based teaching methods. For this award, I documented and reflected on the following_ research and pedagogical strategies I presented at a university conference, mentorship of other faculty, supervised program development and evaluation for interns and staff, and reflection on personal teaching application that related to traits identified by the HEA. There are four levels of proving quality and impact of teaching and I received the 2nd highest, or the Senior Fellow (SFHEA).
