News briefs

UVU ENTREPRENUERIAL CONFERENCE ON APRIL 17

Jay Abraham, founder and CEO of Abraham Inc., will be the keynote speaker at the 2009 Entrepreneurial Business Conference, “Profit in Bad Times” Friday, April 17 in the Sorensen Student Center. He has proven he can help companies make money in a time of recession.

“Jay has been the most profound and popular speaker at many great business conferences and his ability to get to the heart of a problem and find a solution is quite uncanny,” UVU entrepreneur in residence Mark Stoddard said.

The conference begins with a networking breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Friday, April 17, and will continue with Abraham’s keynote address followed by four tracks featuring 14 entrepreneur and business experts that will speak on various business subjects before concluding at 5 p.m.

This conference is for business leaders, new and expanding business owners, and key employees to get the latest information, skills and best practices that can help a business survive and prosper in a recession.

Tuition for the event for pre-registered participants is $195 plus an additional $20 registration fee, while tuition for walk-ups is $195 plus an additional $40 registration fee. Included in the fees are breakfast, lunch, one-on-one with speakers, parking and a full program.

Additional details and registration is available online at www.uvu.edu/entrepreneurs.

UVU’S LIBRARY RECOGNIZED BY NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

The American Library Association’s magazine “American Libraries”is featuring the Digital Learning Center, UVU’s state-of-the-art library, in its April edition. The UVU Library will be part of the ALA’s Library Design Showcase, which will appear in the magazine, and also in the American Libraries Digital Supplement, which will be e-mailed to all ALA members nationwide this month.

“The UVU Library is designed to foster the intellectual, technical and cultural growth of students,” said Michael Freeman, UVU’s library director. “That scholarship develops engaged and responsible students, who then translate their education into impacting their world and communities and turning them into better places to live and work.”

The Digital Learning Center, completed less than a year ago, was the first building in the state to be constructed under Utah’s High Performance Building program, part of a goal set by Governor Jon Huntsman to improve the state’s energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2015. Gov. Huntsman said UVU’s library, as the first building completed under this rating system and the “greenest” state funded building in Utah, sets a template for other buildings to follow and will save nearly $100,000 per year in utility costs.

The Digital Learning Center is highly energy efficient and utilizes the latest technology in solar control glazing, high efficiency lighting and cooling, solar harvesting devices on the south and west sides (to control heat penetration while taking advantage of natural light), air-side economizers and heat rejection to the campus heating loop for computer room air conditioning units, ultra high efficiency ballasts and lamps with daylight switching and occupancy sensors, and light-colored roofing to reduce building heat load and urban heat island. The building also takes advantage of the geothermal wells the campus has already been using by transferring heat in and out of the building through aquifers under the campus.

For more information on the UVU Digital Learning Center, visit the
Library’s Web page at http://www.uvu.edu/library/new_library.html

STUDENT ART ON DISPLAY AT UVU WOODBURY ART MUSEUM

The Woodbury Art Museum’s annual Student Art Show opened on April 3 to the public. This competitive exhibition, open to all Utah Valley University students of any major or study emphasis, provides a professional level opportunity for showcasing student artwork. As a juried competition for both inclusion and awards, this exhibit showcases not only the variety, but also the high quality of artwork being produced at UVU.

Noted artist Gary Barton, associate professor of visual arts at BYU, served as the outside judge for this year’s show.

The exhibit dates are April 3 – May 1 and it runs concurrently with the “Selections of the Permanent Collection” exhibit. The museum is open Monday- Friday, 11 a.m.- 7p.m. weekdays and is free to the public. It is closed Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

For more information, contact the Woodbury Art Museum at (801) 863-6200 or visit http://www.uvu.edu/museum

UVU CHEER SQUAD WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Utah Valley University’s Cheer Squad earned its first-ever national championship by winning the United Spirit Association collegiate cheerleading competition held March 29-30 in Anaheim, Calif.

“UVU cheer is now a recognizable name on the national level,” said Carly Condie, coordinator of the UVU Cheer Squad. “Other four-year Universities are aware of us, and I only hope that brings more students to UVU.” Each team performed routines showcasing all of the cheer skills fans typically see at games: stunting, pyramids, jumps, tumbling, dancing and encouraging the crowd. Each performance lasted 2 minutes and 15 seconds.

“It goes to show that this program is heading in the right direction,” Condie said. “I am very proud of their dedication to representing UVU so well.”

National Autonomous University of Mexico finished second behind UVU and New Mexico State University finished third at the event. Cal State Northridge, Loyola Marymount University, Boise State University, UC Santa Cruz, Northern Kentucky University, Long Beach State University and USC also competed in UVU’s division.

United Spirit Association is one of the three recognized entities to award a cheerleading national championship.

The University of Kentucky won the Universal Cheerleading Association national championship help in January in Orlando, Fla., while the National Cheerleaders Association will crown its national champion in Daytona Beach, Fla., later this month.