Matthew S. Holland

Matthew Scott Holland (born 1966)^[1] is the president of Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah.^[2]

Biography

Holland has deep ties to Utah Valley, where both Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University (BYU) are located. Holland was raised in the valley and graduated from Provo High School in Provo, Utah. Holland earned the rank of Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America in 1980.

Holland was selected as the institution's sixth president by the Utah State Board of Regents in the spring of 2009 and officially began his tenure on June 1 of that year, succeeding interim president Elizabeth Hitch. Following the transition from a state college to a university in the summer of 2008, Holland became the first president of the university. Prior to joining UVU, Holland was an associate professor in the political science department at BYU in Provo. Holland was valedictorian of BYU's political science department when he completed undergraduate work there in 1991. He studied early American political thought at Duke University in Durham, N.C. where he earned a Ph.D. in political science in 2000. Holland also received an academic fellowship to study at Princeton University as a James Madison Fellow, and at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as a Raoul Wallenberg Scholar.

Building on his dissertation, Holland published Bonds of Affection: Civic Charity and the Making of America with Georgetown University Press in 2007.

As a professional, Holland was a special assistant to former Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt, and he was chief of staff for the top executive of the international consulting firm Monitor Group. As a faculty member at BYU, his emphasis on applied learning concepts led to his selection as the institution’s “Civically Engaged Scholar of the Year” by Utah Campus Compact. Previous to service at UVU, Holland was on the board of the National Organization for Marriage, which is a political organization which opposes same-sex marriage.^[3]

When Holland took office at UVU, the institution was Utah's newest university, having made the jump from state college status on July 1, 2008. Today, UVU is one of the largest institutions of higher learning in Utah with more than 32,000 students^[4] who follow courses of study ranging from career training to graduate studies. UVU is a regionally-focused teaching university. The institution educates more Utahns than any other university in the world, and some 84 percent of UVU graduates remain in Utah to build careers or continue their academic pursuits.{cn}

Holland is a member of the American Political Science Association and the American Historical Association. He also serves on numerous boards, including the Deseret News Editorial Advisory Board,^[5] Utah Technology Council^[6] and the Salt Lake Chamber.^[7] Holland received the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award through the Utah National Parks Council of BSA in 2011.^[8]

Personal life

Holland's father, Jeffrey R. Holland, was president of BYU and is currently a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Holland's wife, Paige, is also a Utah Valley native, graduating from Timpview High School in Provo before enrolling at BYU. Holland and his wife have four children.

Publications

• Holland, Matthew S (2007). Bonds of Affection: Civic Charity and the Making of America—Winthrop, Jefferson, and Lincoln. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press. ISBN 978-1-58901-183-0. Retrieved September 17, 2010. 

References

External links

• Office of the President
• Deseret News article, March 6, 2009