Before an intimate audience comprised of friends, family, and university stakeholders, Utah Valley University (UVU) unveiled the presidential portraits of President Astrid S. Tuminez and her six predecessors on Feb. 7 in the Brandon D. Fugal Gateway Building. 

The program celebrated presidents past and present through speeches and video presentations.  Family members of Hyrum E. Johnson (1941-1946), Wilson W. Sorensen (1946-1982), and J. Marvin Higbee (1982-1988) were in attendance, along with former UVU President William A. Sederburg (2003-2009). Former Presidents Kerry D. Romesburg (1988-2003) and Matthew S. Holland (2009-2018) provided video messages for the event.

“This school continues to have [a] positive energy,” Sederburg said. “This school is going to be successful because of the energy of the students, the energy of its faculty, the energy of supporters like you ... I hope everyone here continues pushing the school, supporting the school so that positive energy can continue.”

Each president provided major contributions during their tenure as a university leader. Vice President of Planning, Budget, and Finance Linda Makin paid tribute to these presidents during the program by highlighting their achievements.

“I stepped on this campus in the fall of 1978 as a student and then began employment here in 1980 under President Wilson W. Sorensen,” Makin said. “I have had the privilege of working under the leadership of six UVU presidents, and I get to highlight each of them.”

Portraits of Johnson, Sorensen, Higbee, Romesburg, Sederburg, and Holland were unveiled with President Tuminez’s portrait.

Local artist J. Kirk Richards painted President Tuminez’s portrait and was highlighted alongside the other artists who captured past presidents’ likenesses. Richards is from Provo, Utah, and specializes in Judeo-Christian themes. His wife Amy and daughter Maegan will soon be UVU alumni.

“I do regard the former presidents as my ancestors,” President Tuminez said. “We have physical ancestors, leadership ancestors, spiritual ancestors. I just believe that that connection is strong, and I have something to learn from all the presidents that came before me.”

Tuminez concluded her remarks by quoting Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” stating, “We are asleep until we fall in love!”

“That is UVU,” she said. “That’s why my hair is green. That's why I walk with pom poms. Love is the most powerful force in the world. It's above and beyond ego. It's above and beyond money. It's above and beyond politics. It's above and beyond jealousy or hate. We live it every day when we come to this university, and we feel good. And we feel that we are creating meaning, that we are transforming real individuals. And as we do that, we transform ourselves. We become better people.”

The Presidential Portraits can be found in the northwest corner on the first floor of the Gateway Building. Learn more about the past UVU presidents and portrait artists.

Portrait by  J. Kirk Richards