David W. Pershing
President
University of Utah

Lorris Betz
Interim Senior Vice President
for Health Sciences

Ruth V. Watkins
Senior Vice President
for Academic Affairs

On Sept. 8, 2017, Campus Information Services (CIS), the online application used by students, faculty, and staff to access everything from paychecks to class schedules, is getting a new look.

Visually-cluttered lists of links will be replaced by clickable tiles with intuitive icons. The home pages and subsequent tiles are dedicated to user roles, functional areas, and common themes. For example, in addition to the student and employee pages, the new CIS offers a “Financial Services” page with links to finance applications; a “Faculty and Research” page with links to resources for faculty, graduate students, and principal investigators; and a “University Resources” page with links to applications and services common to all campus users (e.g. Marriott Library, Campus Map or Shuttle Tracker). Users may add or remove optional link tiles on any of their pages, and can create their own custom home pages with the tiles they use most.

For questions about the new CIS, please contact the UIT Help Desk at 801-581-4000 option 1.

Beginning in the admissions cycle for the spring 2018 term, Credits and Admissions has approved additional tests to be utilized by the Office of Admissions in order to prove a student’s English proficiency and meet the international student admissions requirement for undergraduate applicants. Previously, we have only accepted the TOEFL and IELTS test results to prove English proficiency. Please note that a student meeting the minimum score requirement on one of these tests is not guaranteed admission, but the test will qualify the student to meet the English proficiency requirement.

The chart below details the names of all tests that will be accepted to prove English proficiency, beginning in spring 2018, and also lists the minimum requirement that a student must meet for each test.

If you have any questions about these new standards, please contact Teri Clawson, associate director of Admissions (teri.clawson@utah.edu), or Chelsea Wells, assistant director of International Admissions (cwells@sa.utah.edu).

The Center for New Student & Family Programs invites you to join President David W. Pershing for sixth annual New Student Welcome ceremony as the university welcomes first-year students and their families to the campus community. The New Student Welcome will take place Saturday, Aug. 19, at 10:30 a.m. in Kingsbury Hall. This spirited event will feature President Pershing, Dr. Nicole Robinson and  student leader Mohan Sudabattula as speakers.

A picnic will follow on Presidents Circle, so please dress comfortably for the weather as you informally meet members of the incoming class of 2021. Also, be sure to wear a university nametag if you have one. Shuttles will run continuously from the Rice-Eccles Stadium parking lot, where attendees can park for free. For more information about the New Student Welcome and other Welcome Week events, download the New to the U app, or contact the Center for New Student & Family Programs at orientation@sa.utah.edu or 801-581-7069.

Inherited genetic mutations can rob up to 7 percent of the population of their smile.  Rena D’Souza, D.D.S., Ph.D., Professor of Dentistry at the University of Utah Health received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to build on her past research to characterize the genetics that prevent tooth formation and develop therapies to reverse this process. D’Souza and her team plan to define the relationship between PAX9, a gene that she previously linked to tooth development, and the WNT pathway, a family of proteins that pass signals in cells responsible for normal tooth development.

These discoveries could lead to new therapies that reestablish the normal interaction between the gene and the pathway to restore tooth development.

You don’t have to be a Fine Arts major to indulge your creativity. The five academic areas within the College of Fine Arts offer courses to all University of Utah students that will broaden your thinking, allow you to explore new interests, gain new skills or reignite an old passion. They might even fulfill a fine art, humanities or diversity credit for your general education requirements. Put your creativity to the test this fall and enroll in one of our non-major courses.

Click here for more details.

Ed Zipser, professor of atmospheric sciences, has been elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Zipser is one of 61 fellows elected in 2017. Each year, no more than 0.01 percent of AGU’s membership is recognized as a fellow. He will be honored at AGU’s annual fall meeting in December in New Orleans.

Zipser studies severe weather events and storms. He studies why heavy rainfall is more frequent in some areas than in others, and how to forecast whether storms will develop into extraordinary events. He combines field data with observations from NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite, for which he served on the science team.

On Aug. 17, more than 3,000 students will be moving into the residence halls. It’s an exciting time where we get to welcome students to the spaces they will call home. To make that day as positive and seamless as possible, we’re asking for your help.

We are looking for faculty, staff and student leaders to serve on UCrew, our group of volunteers who help students move into their new rooms. This is your chance to connect with incoming students, share your opportunities and resources, and give back to the university community.

Here are the details on move-in:

• Date: Aug. 17, 2017
• UCrew shifts: 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 12-4 p.m.
• Moving ability: You will be helping lift and move students’ items. On the sign-up form, please indicate your moving capacity.
• Training session: Please attend one session to get a more detailed overview of the day and expectations. We are offering training on Monday, Aug. 14 at 10 a.m. and Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 4 p.m.

Signup is easy ­— just head to our move-in website and scroll to the bottom of the page. In exchange for volunteering, you’ll get a free T-shirt, a meal on move-in day and the chance to have an impact on a multitude of students.

Please sign up and spread the word. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Valery Pozo.

Be Well Utah 2017 is right around the corner – the week of Aug. 19-26, 2017.

If you’ve enjoyed the event in the past and would like to get more involved, consider volunteering this year. For more information regarding volunteering, or to sign up, please contact Aleatha Leader at Aleatha.Leader@hsc.utah.edu.

The following dates and times are available for volunteer opportunities:

• Walk Away Obesity: Hidden Valley Park, Saturday, Aug. 19 | 7:45-11 a.m.
• Community Open House: Huntsman Cancer Institute, Thursday, Aug. 24 | 5-9 p.m.
• Family Health Fair: Rice-Eccles Stadium,
  • Set-up day: Friday, Aug. 25
    • Two volunteer shifts: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. OR 12–3 p.m.
  • Event day: Saturday, Aug. 26
    • Two volunteer shifts: 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m. OR 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

For more information and a complete list of activities, please visit the Be Well Utah website.

Did one of the new vending machines eat your dollar? Don’t fret! You can recover your money and get that drink or food item you were hoping for by stopping by a Pepsi refund location and obtaining a credit voucher.

Pepsi has established three customer service refund locations on campus and equipped them with refund vouchers that can be used just like cash in Pepsi and Hello Goodness vending machines. Those refund locations are:

• The Union Building’s Service Desk at 200 S. Central Campus Drive, 801-581-5888.
• The Student Affairs Office, Rm 206 at 201 Presidents Circle, 801-581-7793.
• The University Hospital Food Court at 50 North Medical Drive, 801-581-2121.

Simply provide your uNID, explain your issue, where it took place and a voucher will be given to you. Refunds may only be used in Pepsi or Hello Goodness vending machines. To report a machine that is malfunctioning or has a credit card reader that has gone offline, please call the support number listed on the machine.

Employee Appreciation Day is fast approaching — have you ordered your department swag?

University Print & Mail is ready to help you design your department’s or organization’s customized promotional items, from office supplies to water bottles, totes and other fun giveaways. If you can think it, Print & Mail can create it. In addition to standard promotional fare, specialized items such as umbrellas, blankets, hats, shirts and other apparel are also available.

Some items can take six to eight weeks for production and delivery, so order now here, to ensure your items arrive in time for Employee Appreciation Day, which takes place on Thursday, Sept. 28.

University Print & Mail is your ongoing resource for customized promotional items any time of year. Contact Print & Mail for a custom quote at 801-581-3947 or email roger.king@utah.edu.

Get a free pair of Beats Headphones when you purchase a Mac or iPad Pro at the Campus Store’s UTech department, while supplies last. Don’t miss out on this amazing back-to-school offer, perfect for students and faculty gearing up for a busy fall season. Three different models of Beats Headphones will be available including Solo3 Wireless, Powerbeats 3 Wireless and Beats X.

Whether you’re an incoming student buying a computer for classes or a faculty member needing a tech update, this is a deal not to be missed. All products are available now in the Main Campus Store and the Campus Store Health. Stop in to get tech-ready for fall, and do it in style with Beats.

One pair of Beats per transaction or customer.