New College of Health and Public Service creates unity

Illustration by Tyler Carpenter

A new college is being formed as the College of Health and Science as the College of Aviation and Public Service merged into one college July 1. Fourteen different schools, departments and major programs are now united as the College of Health and Public Service.

CSH was one of the largest colleges at UVU while CAPS was one of the smaller colleges. A major reason for this merge was to even the workload. CHPS continues to expand rapidly in an effort to better serve students.

David A. McEntire, dean of the College of Health and Public Service, in an email to The Review, explained the benefits of this merge. “It is no exaggeration to say the degrees and certificates offered by CHPS are in high demand by industry and communities,” McEntire said. “Fortunately, the administration, faculty and staff in the College of Health and Public Service are dedicated to addressing these important needs in society.”

Job demands vary throughout the wide range of programs offered, however, according to the Department of Workforce Services, many of them are expected to experience faster than average employment growth with a high volume of annual job openings in Utah.

“Our instruction is superb, and the hands-on, engaged learning environment we provide ensures our graduates leave with coveted certificates, internship experience and a quality education,” McEntire said.

Many students have yet to feel the effects of the new CHPS but anticipate a positive change. “I think there is great potential in the merge,” said Adam Taylor, a criminal justice student. “My professors often say that success is not just what you know, it is also who you know. As a Criminal Justice student, our college had already included other departments that are preparing individuals to work in fields that I will interact with regularly, such as Firefighters, EMS and other emergency management agencies. As such, we had the potential to network with those students.”

Taylor, along with other students, hopes that adding these new departments will increase their networking possibilities prior to entering the workforce.

Along with retaining the Department of Aviation Sciences, the new college will include, Dental Hygiene, Nursing, Public and Community Health, EMT/Paramedic, Emergency Management, Wildland Fire, Criminal Justice and Forensic Science. The college also has recently established programs such as, National Security Studies, Respiratory Therapy and a Master’s of Public Service degree.

CHPS expects to continue merging with other health and science departments due to common interest between the fields, according to Gary Naisbitt, Director of Forensic Science.