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President Of UVU Will Step Down In June To Serve LDS Mission

Utah Valley University

Utah Valley University president Matt Holland will be stepping down at the end of the school year to serve a full-time mission for the LDS church.

Holland will be keeping the title “president” because he and his wife will be presiding over one of the church’s 400 missions for a 3-year term. The location hasn’t been announced yet, but as mission president, Holland will be half ecclesiastical leader, half surrogate parent for roughly 200 young missionaries as they spend up to two years away from family.

His departure next June will end 9 years at the helm of UVU. Holland was tapped to lead the school just as it was transitioning from a 2-year college to a 4-year university. During his tenure, UVU has become the state’s largest student body and currently offers 84 bachelor degree programs.

In a statement released Monday Holland says while he loved his time at UVU, he also cherishes his faith and is “honored and grateful for this unexpected privilege to serve.”

Matt Holland is the son of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, one of the LDS Church's twelve apostles, the second-highest governing body.

 

Lee Hale began listening to KUER while he was teaching English at a Middle School in West Jordan (his one hour commute made for plenty of listening time). Inspired by what he heard he applied for the Kroc Fellowship at NPR headquarters in DC and to his surprise, he got it. Since then he has reported on topics ranging from TSA PreCheck to micro apartments in overcrowded cities to the various ways zoo animals stay cool in the summer heat. But, his primary focus has always been education and he returns to Utah to cover the same schools he was teaching in not long ago. Lee is a graduate of Brigham Young University and is also fascinated with the way religion intersects with the culture and communities of the Beehive State. He hopes to tell stories that accurately reflect the beliefs that Utahns hold dear.
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