As part of our student success strategy, UVU is constantly seeking ways to innovate
to benefit our students and support our faculty.
With this goal always at the forefront of our minds, we are excited to announce the
UVU Innovation Academy. The academy will build on the work that has been done in the Office of Engaged Learning
to become UVU’s hub for supporting and initiating engaging programming and opportunities
that prepare our students for work and life.
Dr. Tammy Clark, current Associate Provost for Engaged Learning, will lead the UVU
Innovation Academy and assume the title of Associate Provost for Academic Innovation.
The Innovation Academy will be comprised of the existing Office of Engaged Learning
as well as new components:
- Excellence and Innovation Initiative (e2i): This is a student-driven initiative that provides support for student projects as
well as strong industry collaboration and mentorship. All students are invited to
participate by applying for e2i Igniter funds or by joining a project team.
- UVU Excelerate and project-based learning (PBL) initiatives: These opportunities connect course curricula with projects from external partners,
providing students with opportunities to work within teams to create a tangible product.
The Innovation Academy will serve as a resource to support current PBL efforts, such
as capstone projects. As part of this initiative, the Office of Teaching and Learning
has also developed a PBL certification for faculty. Additionally, the Innovation Academy
will coordinate Makerspaces on campus to provide a single contact point for support.
It will also establish a system for training and staffing for the space(s) that require
oversight.
- Integrated Studies: The department of Integrated Studies will move to program status and be housed in
the Innovation Academy. It will continue to award degrees as it has in the past, through
the combination of academic department-based minors. Its home in the Innovation Academy
will serve to encourage greater participation of academic units across campus.
- Curricular innovation: The Innovation Academy will also create an interdisciplinary sandbox to support faculty
who want to create interdisciplinary courses, microcredentials, and academic programs.
Faculty will be invited to bring interdisciplinary ideas to this sandbox as part of
the university’s efforts to seek collaboration, vet ideas, and explore other resources
for launching new, interdisciplinary programming that meets the needs of students
and employers.
UVU strives to be an agile institution that focuses on student success and provides
exceptional education, credentials, and experiences to fulfill the workforce needs
in our region. Our engaged learning philosophy and programs prepare students to be
ready for the workforce, communicate within diverse teams, solve increasingly complex
problems within our global society, and become life-long learners. Our new Innovation
Academy will strengthen our programs and support in these areas.
We look forward to working with faculty, students, staff, and external partners as
we provide enriching experiences that lead to greater student success.
Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez
President
Dr. F. Wayne Vaught
Provost and Sr. Vice President
Academic Affairs
