The Office of Undergraduate Studies convened its inaugural class of fellows in August 2022. This talented group of five faculty will contribute to several important projects during this academic year including updating and developing policies and procedures germane to undergraduate education and shepherding those policies through the faculty governance process. All five fellows are elected representatives to the Undergraduate Council and are active contributors in their home colleges and units.

After taking a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program and the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine were able to return to Fort Duchesne to help the Ute Indian Tribe Head Start program fulfill one of its important goals: ensuring that all the young children have a yearly physical.

The U.S. Department of State announced the selection of Karen Marsh Schaeffer of University of Utah for a six month virtual English Language Specialist project focusing on student motivation and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in Russia at Dostoevsky Omsk State University. Marsh Schaeffer is part of a select group, as her project is one of approximately 240 that the English Language Specialist Program supports each year.

After a challenging start to the semester, things are finally beginning to settle in at the new prison. The Utah Prison Education Project (UPEP) is now in a position to plan programming for the spring and is accepting volunteer applications. UPEP will be holding a Volunteer Informational Session on October 5th at 5pm on Zoom to offer updates about the new prison, provide details about the volunteer opportunities, and to answer any questions.

The Office of Undergraduate Studies is pleased to have Dr. Lindsay Coco joining us as the UIA fellow & special assistant to the SAVPAA. The University Innovation Alliance (UIA) is a national coalition of public research universities committed to increasing the number and diversity of college graduates, particularly those who are low-income, first-generation, and students of color. Members of the UIA aim to eliminate disparity by race and income through identifying novel solutions and proven interventions to improve student success.