continuing education at the University of Utah
community outreach

About Academic Outreach

Academic Outreach is committed to reaching out to first generation students, students of color, other students facing substantial barriers, and their parents, starting in the PreK-12 formative educational years and continuing through adulthood, fostering interest in as well as greater access to higher education, as we lay the groundwork for successful recruitment into and retention within a supportive and respectful learning environment here at the University.

Meet our staff!

Mission

The mission of Academic Outreach within Academic Affairs and Undergraduate Studies is to

  • take the lead in drawing the academic community into a University- and community- wide partnership called "Safe Passage" which will be focused on reaching out to target students and their parents, in coordination with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Continuing Education, University Neighborhood Partners, Marketing and Communication, and colleges/departments;
  • administer, collaborate on, and secure funding for specific programs, and develop new programs; and
  • work closely with the office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs to strengthen the place of Academic Outreach at the level of the strategic planning process both at the University and within colleges/departments.

Significant Issues for Outreach

Outreach has identified several institution-wide strategic issues to be addressed in planning the recruitment of first generation students that will shape the process of outreach in the future. These issues are:

  • First generation student and parent engagement
  • Community and University partnerships
  • Investment and creation
  • Increasing awareness and eliminating barriers
  • Self-reflection and evaluation
  • Sharing our efforts with community and University
  • Developing and facilitating new programming
Welcome to our new website! We hope you take a look around and discover what we offer you, the community, and the educational community in the state of Utah. Let us know what we can do to help you!
University of Utah academic outreach