Utah Valley University
Engagement Plan 2024-2028
We create our programs and educational efforts to ensure inclusivity and cultural competence throughout our university. By working collaboratively and establishing more effective systems, we enhance the opportunities, care, and education we provide to all community members, regardless of their backgrounds.
We believe a welcoming and inclusive environment can be created by working together and creating spaces where all students and employees can thrive. In line with this, we align our equity, inclusion, and diversity (EID) programming with cultural competency goals to promote continuous learning, upskilling, and graduating culturally competent students and workforce candidates to respond to workforce requirements and growth.
Furthermore, to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, we strengthen cooperation, collaboration, and coordination to strengthen learning and professional development efforts toward all students and employees. This will allow us to develop new holistic strategies for developing globally competent students ready to enter the workforce.
Goal: Enhance students' and employees' experiences by prioritizing data-driven inclusion and diversity planning and collaboration to deliver exceptional results.
Strategy: Facilitate and support the use of data to inform decision-making and planning.
The university implements a multifaceted approach to nurture a more inclusive and equitable campus environment. This approach involves creating a comprehensive campus climate assessment methodology and developing tools to serve Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and other areas, creating targeted results-based planning and implementation to serve all students and employees. Additionally, UVU establishes dedicated roles for data specialists in equity and inclusion to provide data regarding campus EID-related efforts and assessments.
To strengthen EID efforts and impact across campus, UVU provides workshops, learning modules, and resources. These measure and evaluate initiatives and programs with an equity lens. To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, UVU also includes measurements in People and Culture’s employee exit surveys for faculty and staff, informing improved experiences and increasing retention and sense of belonging.
Data plays an important role in this goal, and UVU strategically addresses where qualitative analyses come into play and supports storytelling that highlights students and employees.1 We collect and analyze data related to cultural competency workshop participation, using it to increase awareness of UVU’s culture, beliefs, and values and enhance knowledge of how these areas may differ from other cultures.
Strategy: Build and implement consistent processes for increased collaboration and communication between divisions and areas.
UVU ensures that the executive organization areas support the implementation of the Engagement Plan 2024-2028 in each of their respective divisions and colleges. All divisions and colleges align their strategic goals with the engagement plan and Vision 2030.
To encourage colleges and divisions to apply for and create new grants, we streamline internal and external inclusion-related grant applications and share the lessons we learn. We also strengthen communication and collaboration of EID programming and initiatives across and within divisions and colleges to ensure EID integration and efficient resource utilization.
Goal: Foster a welcoming and inclusive learning community and workplace to create an exceptional care experience and graduate culturally competent students.
Strategy: Encourage and develop cultural competency through opportunities for participation in activities, workshops, and leadership positions, ensuring the UVU community is aware of its culture.
UVU strengthens intercultural competencies for faculty, staff, and administrators
to support the success of the UVU community from all backgrounds. To accomplish this,
we encourage faculty, staff, and administrators to participate in learning modules
designed to increase awareness of differences, enhance knowledge, and develop skills
to eliminate biases. By increasing cultural competencies, faculty, staff, and administrators
can be more successful in the workforce.
We also incorporate inclusive practices into leadership training programs for students and employees in leadership roles, helping to create and sustain a campus community that acknowledges and celebrates differences and employs inclusive practices throughout organization programming.
To further accomplish this goal, UVU develops retention and onboarding initiatives to encourage new and existing faculty to incorporate inclusive concepts and practices within teaching and curricula. Divisions and academic areas collaborate to create resources for employees that prevent and address workplace conflicts, such as mediation and facilitated discussions.
Collectively, we cultivate a sense of belonging through mentoring, individual and collective communities (Employee Resource Groups [ERGs]), and professional organizations. Our administration, PACE, and Faculty Senate coordinate to incorporate these programs into events and initiatives, strengthening cultural competencies related to annual employee professional development.
Goal: UVU will build a qualified talent from all backgrounds and experiences to enhance employee-student representation and improve student access to education.
Strategy: Attract, hire, and retain qualified, diverse talent across all areas of the university.
UVU employs inclusive practices in various operational areas, such as recruiting and
hiring, to attract qualified faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
We develop talent through professional development and provide equitable leadership
opportunities and training.
In exit interviews and campus climate assessments, we assess and respond to talent retention barriers (see section 2.1). We also review retention and promotion practices and procedures with an equity lens to increase retention.
UVU works to identify gaps within and improve data infrastructure for recruitment and retention, such as data collection, analysis, exit surveys, and tracking. We also assess and track the demographics of employees participating in professional development, ensuring an accurate representation of employee composition.
Strategy: Attract, recruit, and retain students from all backgrounds and experiences.
UVU makes conscious efforts to recruit and retain a diverse student body of undergraduate and graduate students. These efforts are focused on all students, with a particular emphasis on underrepresented students.
We recognize that student experiences are vital to retention. Thus, we focus on improving experiences for all students and strengthening student support services to enhance access and success opportunities.
