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Overhead views of Utah Valley University property in Vineyard where a new medical village will be built.

Courtesy Utah Valley University

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Sister Kristen Oaks; Kyle Reyes, vice president of institutional advancement at Utah Valley University; and President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints visit at the UVU President's Scholarship Ball in the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. A medical village coming to UVU's Vineyard campus was announced at the ball.

Courtesy Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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Utah Valley University hosted the annual President's Scholarship Ball in the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023.

Courtesy Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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Saturday was an important day for Utah Valley University, not just because it was the 33rd Annual President’s Scholarship Ball, but because of a new initiative unveiled at the event.

The university announced a new Health and Wellness Village that will be coming to UVU’s Vineyard campus. The village will provide health services to Utah County’s growing community and will be a training ground for the next generation of health care professionals, according to UVU.

The university also celebrated a major milestone with its endowment nearly doubling during the past five years to $100 million.

“There is great momentum on our campus as we deliver high-quality education to more and more Utahns and as the community embraces our mission and supports our students through generous donations and partnerships,” said UVU President Astrid S. Tuminez. “Our community recognizes that UVU is educating Utah’s dynamic workforce. The majority of our students remain in Utah after graduation and become engaged members of society, voting, paying taxes, raising families and strengthening our communities.”

The UVU Health and Wellness Village is part of the master plan for the university’s 225-acre Vineyard campus. According to the university, it will be a place for hands-on learning and clinical training for students in health and wellness disciplines. It will also serve as a location for providing those services to the community.

“With the explosive growth coming to Utah County over the next three decades, the need for nurses, physician assistants, respiratory therapists, mental health professionals, and other health and wellness workers is significant,” Tuminez said. “This Health and Wellness Village will play an important role in meeting the state’s workforce needs of tomorrow and will align with the university’s model of engaged learning, which continues to set UVU apart.”

The university also announced a new student training collaboration with Huntsman Cancer Institute. Earlier this year, the Huntsman institute announced plans to establish a comprehensive cancer center in Vineyard.

“UVU is excited to partner with Huntsman Cancer Institute and has a deep appreciation for their commitment to our students and their work in cancer care. Partnerships like this one are the key to providing valuable hands-on opportunities for our students,” Tuminez said.

Through the HCI-UVU Health Collaborative, students will participate in clinical, administrative and research internships at the institute, which has pledged $1 million to fund the partnership. Initial student engagement will occur at the institute’s Salt Lake City facility until the new facility opens, directly across the street from UVU’s Vineyard campus.

“Our goal is to equip promising students with the knowledge and skills needed to confront the complex challenges of the cancer health and science landscape to bring hope and healing to all people impacted by cancer,” said Mary Beckerle, Huntsman Cancer Institute CEO. “It is wonderful to see a partnership between the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute and Utah Valley University that is driven by a commitment to deliver a cancer-free frontier and advance health for our region.”

Vineyard Mayor Julie Fullmer expressed her support for UVU’s Health and Wellness Village and lauded the HCI-UVU Collaborative.

“We are thrilled to see plans coming together for Utah Valley University’s campus in our city,” Fullmer said. “We are looking forward to this new, innovative higher-education village and the collaboration it creates with Vineyard’s Huntsman Cancer Institute. Vineyard will play an important role in meeting the health needs of Utah County over the next three decades, bolstering and building quality of life for generations to come.”

It was not clear when construction will begin on the village, but the Huntsman Cancer Institute will break ground this coming spring.

UVU also made public another major philanthropic milestone at Saturday’s event. UVU’s endowment has reached the $100 million mark.

UVU is in the middle of a fundraising campaign called EverGREEN, which aims to generate $350 million to transform the lives of students.

“Universities rely on endowments to provide funding stability as enrollments fluctuate and to support new or expanding educational programs,” said Kyle Reyes, vice president of institutional advancement and CEO of the UVU Foundation. “This is a significant accomplishment for UVU, which has only been a university for 15 years. It’s also a testament to the generosity of so many in Utah and beyond who are investing in future generations.”

Since its inception more than three decades ago, the President’s Scholarship Ball has provided scholarships to 2,758 students, with nearly $3 million in funding.

Saturday night’s event raised more than $667,000, with donations continuing to come in.

“As we continue to grow, the needs of our students and the university will expand, and we invite the community to join with us in investing in our future,” Reyes said.

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