Launching UNIV 101

BYU wasn’t on Avery Sherman’s radar.

Although her parents graduated from Weber State University, Sherman had set her sights on her grandparents’ alma mater: Utah State University. But during Sherman’s senior year of high school, she toured several Utah college campuses, and BYU stood out. “Not only was the campus beautiful, but there was also a different feeling among the students,” says the Parker, Colorado, native. “It just felt like the right place for me.”

As part of Sherman’s first semester, she enrolled in UNIV 101: BYU Foundations for Student Success, a new course required for all freshmen. With lessons on BYU’s prophetic mission combined with overviews of university services, UNIV 101 helps students like Sherman—who weren’t familiar with BYU before becoming a student—build a strong footing. Classes max out at 25 to encourage close-knit friendships.

“I was a little skeptical of UNIV 101 at first,” admits Sherman, who landed in a section taught by BYU Marriott professor Aaron Miller. “I’d heard it was a homeroom type of class, but I ended up really loving it.”

Students not only learn about campus resources, says BYU President C. Shane Reese, but they’re also mentored by a dedicated faculty member and a peer mentor while being integrated into a group of fellow students who are all looking out for one another. The curriculum, Reese says, “helps students understand the profound spiritual and educational mission of BYU and how it can help them on their journey of becoming disciples of Jesus Christ.”

Space for Impact

Fitting more than 7,000 first-year students1 into classes of 25 required 285 professors during fall semester 2024. Of those, 27 were BYU Marriott professors.

Bonnie Anderson, an information systems professor and associate dean at BYU Marriott, was one of the faculty members tapped to teach the course last fall. As she met with other BYU Marriott UNIV 101 faculty, she was impressed with their devotion to the undertaking. “Everyone was dedicated to making it the best experience for our students,” says Anderson. “We were all really committed to our students and cared for them as individuals.”

As faculty navigated new territory, they leaned on and learned from other colleagues. The professors who teach UNIV 101—all tenured—follow the same course outline, with a green light to plan specifics. “We’ve had opportunities—both within BYU Marriott and across the whole campus—to share best practices and talk about challenges,” says Troy Nielson, a professor of organizational behavior and human resources.

Nielson’s appreciation for his campus colleagues grew as they swapped ideas and as he noticed their desire to “help incoming students have a fantastic experience and to feel closer to the Savior,” he says. “We’re becoming more like Him as part of this process.”

Adds Reese: “We are all learners at BYU, and we as faculty are learning right alongside our students.”

A Fresh Network

Reese empathizes with students who are acclimating to college and its accompanying challenges. “I was once that intimidated freshman far from home, and this class would have been a game changer for me,” he says. “UNIV 101 is revolutionary for its potential to foster belonging with our students.”

For Sherman, her UNIV 101 course felt personal. “All of my other classes had 100-plus students. It was nice to have a class where you knew everyone’s name and you actually felt seen and heard,” says Sherman, a pre-business student. “It really helped with feelings of belonging.”

Because sections are small, everyone knows one another by the end of the first few weeks, Reese says. Assignments include attending events together, such as a campus concert or a football game, or hiking the Y. “The classroom feels like a mini community,” he says.

While it requires a lot of professors to make the smaller UNIV 101 classes possible, Nielson says the ratio is right. “Students have a better overall experience in a smaller class. They get to a place where they can feel comfortable developing and sharing their talents and can be authentic more quickly,” he says. “My UNIV 101 students knew there would be some great experiences in college and there would be some challenges, and we were there to help one another with those.”

Nielson, who taught an 8 a.m. section, observed how his class came together as the weeks progressed. Some mornings it took a few minutes for his students to get warmed up, but “they were engaged in our discussions and activities. They developed a good camaraderie.”

Anderson similarly observed how her section provided a built-in way for students to become friends. The part Anderson loved the most, however, was seeing her students’ efforts to make sure every individual was cared for. “There was no falling through the cracks,” she says.

Reese, who has taught UNIV 101 twice, remembers when a student didn’t show up for class: “Our peer mentor let me know that a handful of students had already texted this student to say, ‘Hey, we missed you today,’” Reese recalls. “Another example I witnessed was a student sitting alone at a table. After a minute or two, another group of students motioned for her to join them at their table and added an extra seat.” These may seem like small things, Reese says, but they make a big difference for students.

Invested in Students

While connections among UNIV 101 students lay a strong foundation, the mentorship provided by teachers is the icing on the mint brownie. On the first day of Anderson’s class—held in the Kimball Tower before it switched to the Tanner Building—she took her students on a quick excursion. “I said, ‘I’m going to show you where my office is so you can come visit me,’” she recalls.

James Dewey was a student in Anderson’s class in fall 2024 and distinctly remembers that walk across campus. “Many professors tell you about their office hours, but when Dr. Anderson took us to her office, it felt like that door was opened a lot more widely because we were able to see where she was,” says Dewey, a pre-business student from Highland, Utah. “It made Dr. Anderson seem more real and more accessible.”

Once the class moved closer to Anderson’s office, students would stop by to snag a piece of candy or to just say hi. Anderson says that during her first year of college she never went to any of her professors’ offices. “I didn’t even know where their offices were—and I would have been intimidated,” Anderson admits. “But I wanted my students to know I’ve got an open door and that there was somebody on campus who knew them and cared about them.”

In addition to showing students her office, Anderson doled out succulents and spider plants she had propagated so students “could have something green and alive in their apartments,” she says. “If it died, they could come back and swap it out for a fresh plant.” But if it stayed alive, then it was something a little hopeful. Anderson also shares plant cuttings with the undergraduate students she mentors. “It’s good to have some greenery for mental and physical health,” she says.

As students continue their college careers, Nielson hopes they remember talking about Christ as well as the friendships they formed in UNIV 101. “I think they’ll also remember that they had a professor who cared about them, who they could go to if they needed advice or a recommendation letter,” he says.

A Mission Statement

For Sherman, lessons on BYU’s heritage and mission were eye-opening. “Before the course, I didn’t know about the mission at all. But now I feel like I fully understand why I’m here, what BYU’s goals are, and how to be a disciple-scholar,” she says.

One of the course’s main objectives is to deepen students’ knowledge of BYU through readings, class discussions, and writing assignments. “As we studied the articles in the curriculum, I felt even more strongly that BYU is guided by living prophets and that the Lord cares about the university in a unique way,” Nielson says. “UNIV 101 helps students really understand the uniqueness of BYU’s mission and aims.”

Dewey says that while the course offered him an overall perspective on the university, BYU’s values were best demonstrated by Anderson herself. “You could tell she truly cared about what she taught. She cared about our well-being. She wanted us to go forth and serve.”

Field Studies

Another one of UNIV 101’s chief purposes is to help students become familiar with BYU’s resources—an opportunity that Nielson, who has taught at BYU for 17 years, also benefited from. “Ninety-eight percent of my time on campus is spent in the Tanner Building. I’ve heard about many of the campus resources but haven’t used a lot of them,” he acknowledges. “Teaching UNIV 101 has forced me to explore more of campus and better understand what’s available.”

Nielson’s students completed a scavenger hunt in the Wilkinson Student Center to learn about resources housed there; they also explored the resources in the Richards Building, the Kennedy Center, the university library, and the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.

All sections embark on similar ventures around campus. “Our field trips were impactful because we were able to see places, not just talk about them,” says Dewey.

In addition to campus outings, Anderson’s class also benefited from its unique meeting time. Held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m., Anderson’s section preceded BYU’s weekly devotionals. After class, students would walk to the Marriott Center, and groups of classmates would sit together.

“It is nice going to events with people you are already associated with,” Dewey says. “When you’re sitting alone, you can be worrying about the people on either side of you. You don’t know them. You’re in a foreign place. But if you are surrounded by classmates or friends, it can create an environment where you’re more comfortable and open to listening.”

Venturing Out

Students in UNIV 101 are required to complete certain out-of-class activities with their peers: a sporting event, a cultural event, and an academic event. But many of the students spent time together beyond the required excursions. “There were lots of activities and invitations posted on our class GroupMe,” Anderson says, noting that messages ramped up on the weekend.

Sherman remembers that the first few weeks of her UNIV 101 class were quiet, “but once we started doing the activities together,” she says, “we were talking all the time.”

Going to BYU football games, a Vocal Point fireside, and a game night at Miller’s house were all highlights of Sherman’s time in UNIV 101. “I had a lot of general classes,” she says, “so UNIV 101 was a good break from all the super-intense learning.”

Business Models

Since UNIV 101 professors are pulled from departments across campus, students get a different experience based on their teacher. Nielson, for example, didn’t hesitate to add a business flavor to his UNIV 101 section.

“I’m a big fan of LinkedIn and professional networking,” he says, “so I’ve talked with my students about the importance of using the free LinkedIn membership, whether you’re going into business or something else.”

Nielson also provided an optional career assessment (“a little taste of BYU Marriott”) with questions carefully designed to get students thinking about different aspects of their professional goals. “I want them to be more intentional and better prepared for their careers as they move through college,” he explains.

Anderson’s section also had a distinct BYU Marriott feel. Her class heard from the school’s mental health and wellness specialist in addition to guest lecturers from the Rollins Center, ROTC, the Business Career Center, and Undergraduate Advisement. As Anderson planned classes on different pockets of business expertise—such as personal finance, AI, and negotiations—she reached out to other BYU Marriott UNIV 101 professors to collaborate. These “experts in the building helped me frame and select the key aspects to highlight since we could have spent a whole semester on each of these topics,” Anderson says. “I wanted my UNIV 101 course to be a valuable experience for the students, so I invested the extra time.”

A Roaring ROI

Sherman’s UNIV 101 class is now over, but it still yields lasting impacts. “I learned so much about BYU’s mission and how to be a disciple-scholar,” Sherman says. “I love running into a UNIV 101 classmate on campus and seeing a familiar face. I consider all of them as friends and will carry those friendships throughout the rest of my time at BYU.”

As the innovative course buoys students, it also strengthens the instructors who, in turn, help advance the university. “As I’ve taught UNIV 101—and I think this is true for all the faculty teaching this course—I get fresh inspiration every week about BYU’s incredible mission and our dual spiritual and academic heritage,” Reese says. “UNIV 101 is certainly first and foremost about our students, but there’s no doubt for me that our faculty are being inspired as well.”

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Written by Emily Edmonds
Photos by BYU Photo

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Note

1. See Peter B. Gardner, “Learning the Y,” Y Magazine, summer 2024, 33; magazine.byu.edu/article/univ-101-byu-foundations.

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A Glimpse into UNIV 101

Clouds overshadow BYU with a blanket of gray, but the warm familiarity among students in Neil Lundberg’s UNIV 101 classroom contrasts with the chilly weather. As these first-year students shuffle into the tiny Maeser Building classroom, they chat about jobs, dates, and even clothes (“I love your shoes,” one student tells another).

After a prayer, class begins as the section’s peer mentor, Rosie Stoddard, leads students in an ice-breaking activity. Following that, she shares announcements about an upcoming essay, a service scavenger hunt, and a movie meetup. Then Lundberg jumps into the topic for the day: disciple-scholarship.

Lundberg, a BYU Marriott professor of experience design and management, describes to the students the heavy teaching load he’s carrying, particularly with instructing an EMBA class on Saturdays in Salt Lake City. After a long week, Lundberg shares, he found himself struggling one weekend with a topic for an upcoming class.

“I prayed for help,” he relays, “and immediately, an idea came to mind: Do an external audit with the class. I realized it would be the perfect application and opportunity to demonstrate that concept.”

The activity worked seamlessly, Lundberg continues. “This experience was an example of why we shouldn’t hesitate to include the Lord in any of our endeavors. He wants to share His light in all we do, and He is eager to help.”

Students—sitting at desks arranged in a circle—then share how the Lord has helped them in school, personally, or even in finding part-time jobs. “The more we practice discipleship and scholarship, the bigger the overlap,” Lundberg says, as he projects a Venn diagram of the two spheres. “There’s no need for them to be distant realms.”

Culturally, BYU has an ethic of joy and happiness, Lundberg tells the class as it wraps up. “It can be hard when you don’t feel that way, but the university wants you to know that you’re not alone.”

Click to read or listen to the articles that UNIV 101 students study.