University College makes Seven for Campus

Published: July 14, 2010 | Read Time: 2 minutes

Southern Utah University has added a seventh academic college to campus, to oversee various academic support programs and serve as home for students who have not yet declared an academic major.

The University College is not a discipline-specific nor degree-granting college; rather, its immediate mission is to consolidate and manage a variety of programs that enrich the academic experience for all students at SUU.

The University College allows the University to more concisely and efficiently administer several academic initiatives, streamlining academic support programming and reducing the amount of executive administration needed to oversee various programs.

For example, academic advising will now be supervised by a single director rather than by administrators in each of the six academic colleges. In addition to academic advising, University College will also oversee career advising and development, employment placement, the first-year seminar, testing services, academic probation, tutoring, developmental math instruction and employer relations.

The University College will also oversee the continued development of experiential learning at SUU and will manage a variety of centers dedicated to such efforts. The first of these Centers, the Sargon Heinrich Global Engagement Center, will be dedicated this fall semester.

Another key mission of University College will be to provide an academic home to open option students who are undecided on their majors. The College will provide academic support for these students as well as connect them to resources to aid them in the decision-making process while helping them make progress toward a college degree.

The model of this non discipline-specific University College is gaining traction throughout higher education in the United States. The Association of Deans and Directors of University Colleges, the nation’s professional association for University College administrators, boasts a membership of well over 100 schools. SUU is confident that its streamlined, yet multi-faceted, University College approach will prove to be a national model for this growing academic trend.

The University College joins six academic program-specific colleges at SUU: the Beverley Taylor Sorenson College of Education and Human Development; the College of Computing, Integrated Engineering and Technology; the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; the College of Performing and Visual Arts; the College of Science; and the School of Business.

Dr. Patrick Clarke will serve as interim dean of the University College. Clark formerly served as executive director of the Student Success Center, previous home of many of the academic support programs now finding a home in the University College.

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