Brent Brown, director, Office of Sponsored Projects, presented on the following:

A remarkably large and complex set of laws, regulations and internal policies apply to research activities that our students, faculty and staff pursue. This policy allows the VPR to address existing and emerging federal, local and sponsor requirements and guidelines that require an action or policy on the University’s part to ensure compliance, mitigate risks, and effectively meet these growing legal obligations.

Dr. Bob Silver and Dr. Susannah Leisher presented the following:

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology proposes the establishment of the University of Utah Stillbirth Center, which would be the first comprehensive center of excellence for stillbirths in the United States and the second in the world. Stillbirth—the death of a baby before or during birth—is a devastating pregnancy complication, with about 4 million stillbirths globally. As with maternal mortality, stillbirth rates in the U.S. are unacceptably high, over twice as high as some other countries with similar resources. And as with other health outcomes, there are tremendous disparities, with very high stillbirth rates in Black, Pacific Islander and Native American families. This center’s mission is to be a national and global leader in the fight to end preventable stillbirths and ensure respectful care, delivering excellence in clinical care, bereavement support, education, advocacy, research, and equity in health outcomes. We expect the center to contribute substantially to many of the University’s missions, increasing patient numbers and satisfaction, outreach to remote and underserved populations, research funding, educational and collaboration opportunities for students, faculty, and staff, and community engagement.

Professor Randy Dryer presented the following:

This minor consists of 21 credits consisting of a combination of new courses taught by professors at the College of Law and courses already offered in various departments across campus. The minor allows students who wish to major in another field to complete this minor and add a legal lens to complement their selected major. The minor is intentionally interdisciplinary in its curriculum as laws and regulations permeate every aspect of society, and employees across a wide range of professions and industries routinely encounter legal issues. Familiarity with legal reasoning, legal issues and legal principles as learned through this minor will provide competitive advantages to graduates. Although the minor is not a pre-law minor, it will be of value to students who are intending on going to graduate school and/or are contemplating, but undecided on attending law school. For the first year, the minor will be limited to 25 students and will expand according to anticipated demand.

Jason Castillo, associate dean for Academic Affairs, and Stephanie Bank, director, the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Program presented on the following:

The state of Utah is experiencing a behavioral healthcare crisis with as many as half a million Utahns not receiving the behavioral health care services and treatment they need. Compounding this issue, all counties in the state are classified as behavioral healthcare shortage areas. This shortage has prompted elected and industry leaders in Utah to make several reforms including increasing the education, training, and use of certified or credentialed non-licensed professionals to extend Utah’s current workforce. Thanks to a Behavioral Health Workforce Initiative Grant awarded by the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), the College of Social Work, advancing the University of Utah’s mission, was awarded funding to develop and implement educational programming that prepares students for state certification as a Behavioral Health Technician (BHT). Comprised of six didactic instruction courses and one virtual simulation course totaling 20 credit hours, the curriculum of this in-person and asynchronous online BHT certificate program will address numerous topical areas including Human Behavior and Social Environment; Social Work Practice I (Assessment); Case Management; Crisis Intervention; Social Work Practice II (Groups); and Counseling IV (Families). The BHT curriculum focuses on developing competencies around core skill sets including ethics; engagement; intake; screening and assessment; orientations, individual, family, and group counseling (applied therapeutic communication skills); education; case management; referrals; and advocacy. The BHT curriculum ties directly to the scope of practice defined by the state. Students must complete the BHT certificate program within a 12-month period. Although offered through the College of Social Work, the BHT certificate program coursework and subsequent state certification is open to all enrolled University of Utah undergraduate students in any discipline.