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 and experiences.
We believe a welcoming environment can be created by working together and creating spaces where all students and employees can thrive. In support of this, we ensure that our engagement programming is thoughtfully interwoven with cultural competency goals. Our intention is to foster an environment of continuous learning, skill enhancement, and the development of culturally aware individuals to fulfill the needs of the workforce and its expansion.
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 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 continue to nurture an engaged and inclusive 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 inclusion and engagement to provide critical information regarding campus engagement-related efforts and assessments.
To strengthen inclusion and engagement efforts and impact across campus, UVU provides workshops, learning modules, and resources to the campus community. Measurement and evaluation for the initiatives and programs are conducted with a holistic lens. To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, UVU also includes measurements in People and Culture’s employee exit surveys for faculty and staff, ensuring improved experiences, increasing retention and the sense of belonging.
Data plays a vital role in this goal, and UVU strategically addresses where qualitative analyses come into play and supports storytelling that highlights students and employees.1 We systematically collect and analyze data pertaining to participation in cultural competency workshops. This process is aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of UVU’s cultural framework, beliefs, and values while also enhancing awareness of the divergences that may exist when compared with other cultural contexts.
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.
In order tofacilitate the application and creation of new grants within colleges and divisions, we are implementing a streamlined process for both internal and external inclusion and engagement-related grant applications. Our objective is to disseminate the insights gained from this process. Additionally, we are enhancing communication and collaboration among inclusion and engagement programs and initiatives, both across and within divisions and colleges, aiming to ensure the seamless integration of inclusion and campus engagement and the efficient allocation of resources.
Goal: Foster a welcoming 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 experiences, 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 strengthen cultural awareness. 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 Staff Association, and Faculty Senate coordinate to incorporate these programs into events and initiatives, strengthening cultural competencies related to annual employee professional development.
Goal: 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 all aspects of its operations, such as recruiting
and hiring, to attract and retain highly qualified faculty and staff from a wide range
of backgrounds and experiences. We grow talent through professional development and
the provision of 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 is dedicated to actively seeking out and welcoming a wide-ranging student body, encompassing both undergraduate and graduate students, and is committed to ensuring their continued enrollment and success. These efforts are focused on all students to achieve representation with Utah's diverse population.
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.
