As we are nearing the end of the University of Utah’s first year as an official chapter of the Utah Women in Higher Education Network (UWHEN), I’d like to take a moment to reflect on this year as the inaugural chapter chair. Despite the challenges of organizing virtual-only events, we have had a lot of success in presenting topics of interest to women across our campus and beyond. Below are some highlights:

• Chief Wellness Officer Amy Locke, M.D., kicked off the school year with a great presentation on wellness and resilience in a time of pandemic uncertainty and other global crises.
• Chapter board member Stephanie Baugh launched the first of many “New to the U” mixers for people who had joined the U in the prior two years.
• Our distinguished mentor, Mary Anne Berzins, facilitated discussions on how women have been particularly affected by the workplace changes during the pandemic.
• At one of our new monthly Community Café events, Jenn Gibbs, Ph.D., of the Utah Education Network, presented an abbreviated version of her in-person “Time and Culture” workshop.

Thank you to all who attended our events this year. It takes all in our community to ensure that women at the U thrive, and we appreciate all who have engaged with us.

To join our list and attend future events, please visit uwhen.utah.edu.

We are so grateful to our 2021-22 UWHEN UofU Chapter Board members and are looking to fill a few open positions for the 2022-23 academic year (July 2022-June 2023). The chapter board meets every other month by Zoom and attends the chapter events when possible.

If you are interested or know of someone who might be, please contact stacey.slager@pharm.utah.edu. There will be a small, social, in-person gathering later in April for anyone to meet and greet the current board and find out what is involved

About the Utah Women in Higher Education Network University of Utah Chapter

Originally formed in the spring of 2017 as a partnership with the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, the University of Utah’s chapter of the statewide Utah Women in Higher Education Network furthers the mission to advance women’s leadership on higher education campuses. The U’s chapter’s focus is on advancing women’s careers, community and leadership. Specifically, the chapter’s vision is to promote women’s career development and advancement; to encourage the leadership potential in all women at the U; and to create a community for women with all people at the U, in Utah and beyond. To fulfill those goals, we have developed programs and events for the U’s staff and faculty. Visit uwhen.utah.edu to learn more.