The University of Utah’s Academic Senate approved two new degrees and addressed the discontinuation of transgender hormonal healthcare during its Feb. 2 meeting. Senators greenlit the state’s first undergraduate major in Artificial Intelligence and a master’s in FinTech, while also debating a structural overhaul of the campus academic advising system.
New study areas
Gene Levinzon, an academic director at the David Eccles School of Business, presented his concept for a Master of Science in Financial Technology (FinTech). The Senate passed the program. It will teach an intersection of finance, technology, data and ethics.
Levinzon said he wants to focus “on the social, regulatory and ethical implications,” noting that FinTech provides opportunities for people who are underbanked. “So financial inclusion is really a big ticket item … that we’re focusing on,” he said. “Honestly, we’re quite proud of that.”
Mary Hall, director and professor at the Kahlert School of Computing, presented a concept for a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence. The Senate unanimously approved the program. According to Hall, the new degree will instruct students on the development and training of AI models and teach a groundwork of ethics. It will be Utah’s first undergraduate major dedicated to AI.
The Department of Philosophy helped create and will help teach the program, said Hall. “We’ve … designed the degree with a substantial ethics and sustainability component,” Associate Professor Vivek Srikumar said. This year, the Senate approved AI minors in the business and computer science tracks. Additionally, it approved emphases in AI within the computer science, data science and software development majors.
Youths’ transgender healthcare
Bob Carter, CEO of University of Utah Health, briefed the senate on changes to healthcare and health sciences at the U. He confirmed that the new Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Building will open next fall. He also commented on the U ending all gender-affirming hormonal healthcare for transgender youth.
“The U won’t be in a position to be the … leading coordinator of that care,” Carter said. He said it is a response to legal alterations in the Affordable Care Act and federal policy changes in pediatric gender-affirming care, but did not specify which.
Fears of Department of Health and Human Services investigations and of medical malpractice awards encouraged the change, Carter said. He added that many other academic children’s healthcare facilities across the nation also stopped providing hormonal gender care. “It’s our hope that those patients who are currently involved in the adolescent medicine program will continue to seek a variety of care elements,” Carter said. “Whether those be nutritional, physical or mental health care.”
Academic advising
Mitzi Montoya, provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, presented a new academic advising system. Montoya said the advising system will simplify the process of meeting with advisors and coaches. The program, Guided Services, will launch next fall and will be housed in the J. Willard Marriott Library. “The number one barrier [to student success] was uncoordinated advising,” Montoya said. “So I’m very excited that we’ve moved into a regional structure.”
The structural change is part of the Student Experience Project (SEP). The project reportedly works to increase the student body, its graduation rate and its job placement. Vice Provost for Student Success Chase Hagood explained that Guided Services aligns with SEP goals by providing more equitable and timely services.
Some senators raised concerns about how this program will negatively impact current employees. Hagood said that the program will affect 22 positions, but did not specify how. He added that Guided Services will create 29 new positions. “I think we’re in a critical moment of making hard choices to make the institution a better place for students,” Hagood said.
