Concurrent Session THree
Don’t Just Give Them Credit - Give Them Recognition - Todd Olsen & Lucy Watson
Don’t Just Give Them Credit - Give Them Recognition
Concurrent enrollment programs play a pivotal role in providing high school students with college credits, helping them craft their future. At Utah Valley University (UVU) we have embarked on an effort to give recognition along with credit, creating a culture of celebrating milestones in the lives of students, faculty, and staff.
We have developed a program that begins celebrating the student once admitted and continues through their high school graduation. This has also grown to a recognition program for instructors, faculty liaisons, and administrators that lead the way in accomplishing the goals of concurrent enrollment. We have begun awarding them with coins for milestone years as champions and defenders of the concurrent enrollment program. Join us for a presentation and discussion about how this was initiated, executed, and how it might be added at your institution.
Todd Olsen
Concurrent Enrollment, Utah Valley University
I am thrilled to be part of the NEACEP New England Annual Conference. I have spent my entire career in higher education. I have worked in recruitment, admissions, scholarships, student leadership and now concurrent Enrollment.
Concurrent Enrollment seems the perfect fit for all the other aspects of higher education where I have been involved. I see concurrent enrollment as a vital part of today’s educational world, providing opportunities for high school students to give college a try while still in high school. I have seen the program change lives and bring heightened awareness of potential to students who may not have otherwise considered pursuing education past high school. Utah Valley University is the largest provider of CE in Utah, servicing over 17,000 students.
In my spare time, I enjoy the theatre: attending productions, directing, acting, and sound design. I am a huge movie & film fan, (there is a difference, ask me). I also enjoy traveling. I am proud to be part of NACEP, NEACEP, and for the invitation to present in New England. I look forward to sharing with you the experience UVU has had with our recognition program. I encourage everyone to engage in the conference, learn from the experience, and take it all back to campus and improve the overall student experience for those you serve.
Lucy Watson
Concurrent Enrollment, Utah Valley University
Lucy Watson is the Engagement Manager at Utah Valley University. Although she grew up in Iowa, she has called Utah home for the past 9 years. After high school, she became a licensed cosmetologist and decided to give college a try. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in applied communication and public relations from UVU in 2021. Soon after she began her master’s degree at UVU. She just graduated this year with her master’s in education with an emphasis in Higher Education Leadership. She has been with Concurrent Enrollment since October 2023.
Lucy oversees the Engagement team for UVU Concurrent Enrollment. This team manages all marketing, website management, swag, recruitment, outreach communications, design, and MORE! Overseeing all things program engagement, Lucy loves working with her team to find innovative ways to inform students about concurrent enrollment, encouraging them to participate, and teaching them about their benefits as a CE student at UVU. She is beyond thrilled to be a part of UVU’s Concurrent Enrollment and bringing over 17,000 students an early college experience.