UVSC mission outlined to Board of Regents

While big changes are ahead for Utah Valley State College, some particular elements will remain intact as the school transitions to university status, said President William A. Sederburg.

He outlined UVSC's mission in a presentation to the State Board of Regents Planning Committee Friday morning at Salt Lake Community College.

"The future is bright for our institution," Sederburg said.

He stressed the importance of meeting the community's needs by keeping its two-year students, as well as those in technical education. UVSC is to remain an open-enrollment school and a teaching institution.

The university mission is to "prepare professionally competent people of integrity who, as lifelong learners and leaders, serve as stewards of a globally interdependent community," he said.

Sederburg outlined changes, including reducing the average teaching load and adding advisors. The plan, broken into building blocks, includes bringing the school athletics to Division 1 status; successfully implementing graduate programs in education, nursing and business; launching the digital library; and offering 30 new four-year degrees.

With his eye on changes, Sederburg also explained why it's important to keep some elements of UVSC intact.

Second-year students make up about 70 percent of UVSC enrollment. They are the feeder students for the four-year programs. There are also about 3,000 students in UVSC's career technical education programs.

Getting rid of these students would be the "worst economic decision we could do," Sederburg said.

He added UVSC's open enrollment will continue to meet the community's needs, as the school remains versatile and offers a wider array of services.

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