February 25, 2013

For Immediate Release

University Marketing & Communications: Mike Rigert (801) 863-6807

Written by: Mike Rigert (801) 863-6807

Utah Valley University First Lady Paige Holland will be the featured guest speaker at an educational Ladies Night event March 1 at 7 p.m. Hosted by the university’s Women’s Success Center, the Center for the Advancement of Leadership and UVUSA, the gathering is aimed at assisting more women to succeed and achieve life goals through the attainment of a higher education.

Admission is free, but tickets are required and can be picked up at Campus Connection in the Sorensen Student Center. Ladies Night will be held in the Sorensen Student Center’s Grande Ballroom.

“Education should be a No. 1 priority of girls and women. It makes every part of life better,” says Anne Wairepo, director of UVU’s Women’s Resource Center. “This event is aimed at young women but all women and men are invited to attend that want to learn how they can encourage the girls and women in their lives to plan for and complete a higher education. It’s not only about gaining an education; it’s about empowering women to help them and their families reach their dreams.”

Paige Holland and her husband, UVU President Matthew S. Holland, are strong advocates of efforts at the University, and throughout the community and state, to urge women to complete a postsecondary education. On campus these include the Women’s Success Center, Turning Point, the Wee Care Center and many others.

Because Utah has the lowest percentage of postsecondary students who are female of all 50 states, Susan Madsen, a UVU professor of management and The Orin R. Woodbury Professor in Leadership and Ethics, has conducted significant research in this area. Her two-year, statewide study helped create the Utah Women and Education Initiative that was formed to enable more Utah women to contribute in their families, communities and the state through the empowerment of higher education.

It was to this end that Paige Holland, in March 2012, hosted a gathering of women from around Utah Valley for the inaugural Women’s Leadership Spring Luncheon focused on developing strategies and support for women to attain a higher education. And because one of the challenges Utah women face is the need for affordable child care, the Hollands have been enthusiastic backers of efforts to expand UVU’s Wee Care Center child care facility. Thanks to a generous $2 million donation from Barbara Barrington Jones, ground was broken for the center in January for a new facility that will increase significantly the number of children the center can care for.

Paige Holland, mother of four children, is actively involved in her home life, community and efforts to create greater opportunities for student and civic engagement on UVU’s campus. She earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism at BYU.

“I use my bachelor’s degree every day,” Paige Holland says. “I couldn’t be the kind of mom, wife and first lady of UVU that I should be without my education.”

For more information about the event, contact Wairepo at 801-863-3010 or annew@uvu.edu.

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About UVU

Utah Valley University is located in Orem, Utah, and is home to more than 30,000 students. UVU began as a vocational school during World War II, and in the seven decades since has evolved into a technical school, community school, state college and, finally, a comprehensive regional teaching university. UVU is one of Utah’s largest institutions of higher learning and offers programs ranging from career training to high-demand master degrees, with emphasis on undergraduate education.