Utah Valley University in Orem has announced two new deans.

Steven Clark will replace David Yells as the dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences after Yells left the university to become the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Texas A&M Texarkana.

Clark has been the colleges interim dean since the first of the year.

Stephen Pullen will be the universitys next dean and artistic director of the School of Arts, effective July 1. He will replace K. Newell Dayley, who is retiring.

Clark intends to spend his first few months listening to individuals with UVUs different colleges and departments.

His appointment as dean of UVUs largest college was effective immediately. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is made up of the behavioral science, communication, English and literature, history and political science, integrated studies, languages and cultures, and philosophy and humanities departments.

Clark has previously been a member and president of UVUs Faculty Senate, an associate dean for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and was the chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences. He joined UVUs staff in 2000 after spending time as an assistant professor at Lamar University and a lecturer at the University of New Hampshire.

While he said he does miss teaching as hes moved into administrative duties, hes also enjoyed the challenges the new positions have brought.

I enjoy teaching because you see in the students that they learn something new, but I also like the idea of working at the institutional level with systems and processes and making changes that will affect a lot more students than I can teach personally, Clark said.

Clark said hes supportive of UVU administration as it works with the Legislature for funds as the university grows.

One of his biggest priorities right now is also student success. Clark said he wants more students to be involved on campus and be engaged with the community and their courses. That can be difficult, especially on a commuter campus where many students are nontraditional, work full-time or have children.

He said he recently had a dinner with students who said getting involved, whether it was in student government, in a club or in a research experience, made a difference to him.

It was like a transformative experience to get really involved and not just go back and forth between their classroom and their apartment and work, Clark said.

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UVU's largest college appoints a new dean - Daily Herald