And UVU is gambling that a massive mixed-use development proposed for the former Geneva Steel mill in nearby Vineyard, population 150, could rescue the crowded Orem school.

But the $5 million deal on a 100-acre future satellite campus, approved in June by UVU trustees, depends on multiple contingencies, including a matching payment from the town of Vineyard and buy-in from other stakeholders on a costly “urban renewal” plan for the larger 1,750-acre Geneva property, much of it contaminated by 60 years of industrial activity.

Another question is the 100-acre UVU parcel’s $20 million appraisal, which signifies a breath-taking leap in value during the worst real estate market in memory.

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The planetarium, on the Weber State University campus, created a 23-minute program called “Expanded View,” which features images from the Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra space telescopes.

“Expanded View” just won a Gold Star in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Top Stars program, which recognizes programs incorporating Hubble images with education. Ten Gold Stars were awarded nationwide.

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The center announced Wednesday that 3D Motion Imagery is now a client of the center, alongside 12 other companies.

“I am excited about the location, amenities, support and services provided to our company by the center,” Peter Fuszard, president of 3DMI, said in a media release. “The consulting help we have already received during the acceptance process has been invaluable to our company, and we expect that the many services offered by the center and the college will enhance our chances of success in our market.”

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Suresh Venkatasubramanian, assistant professor of computer science, will present his method Wednesday at an academic conference in Washington, D.C. As the government, researchers, social networking sites and businesses gather more and more information, it’s becoming a mammoth task to sort through it all.

It’s a paradox, he said. “You want a richer description of your data, but you pay for it. Every time you add a dimension, it slows you down that much more.”

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The move to the Pac-10 means added respect and a larger audience both on and off the field. This storied “conference of champions” garners national television audiences each week, which will help the Utes’ increase their institutional profile throughout the country.

I agree with U. President Michael K. Young when he said, “This will be tremendous both academically and athletically for the university.”

As the chairman of the State Board of Regents, I am especially excited about what this means for the academic side of the university and all of the Utah System of Higher Education. Many students at the state’s two-year colleges transfer to the U. to complete their bachelor’s degrees, while many of the U.’s graduate students come from Utah’s other institutions.

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The world is rapidly changing, as are the needs of employers. In a recent national survey by Hart Research Associates, employers report that in addition to a solid disciplinary depth, the top skills they look for in new employees include effective oral and written communication, analytical reasoning, past real world experience through internships and other service learning, and the ability to connect choice and actions to ethical decisions. By these standards, 75 percent of employers surveyed agreed recent college graduates do not have the skills to be successful in today’s global economy. In essence, narrow learning and mere credentialing is no longer good enough for the complexities of our world economy.

It is also a fact that up-and-coming professionals will change career tracks multiple times. In other words, the best career preparation is one that positions the graduate with a set of transferable intellectual and practical skills, applicable in a variety of contexts.

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Matthew Holland, president of Utah Valley University, is responding by making China a yearlong focus on the Orem campus.

This summer, faculty from each of UVU’s seven colleges spent two weeks in China, studying the communist system, rural education, business development and manufacturing. They also met with Chinese university and government officials to lay the groundwork for future research collaboration and student exchanges.

The UVU International Center plans to organize programs about a different country each year.

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