Higher Ed Utah

OREM (Deseret News, June 25, 2012) — Utah Valley University President Matthew Holland will announce a “major gift” on Wednesday to the university’s $2.2 million campaign to expand the Wee Care Center, officials said Monday.  Communications manager Mike Rigert said he could not comment on the specifics of the gift prior to the announcement, but said that it is a monetary donation by an individual that represents a “significant step” toward the university’s $2.2 million goal.

The Wee Care Center began in 2001, Rigert said, and provides low-cost child care for parents attending university classes. Rigert said the center currently has capacity for 100 children, which officials hope to double with the center’s planned expansion.  Rigert said the center, and its expansion, is part of a university effort to make education more accessible to women in Utah.

“Its purpose is primarily to benefit lower-income students who wouldn’t normally be able to afford child care,” Rigert said.