Utah Valley University president Matt Holland will be stepping down at the end of the school year to serve a full-time mission for the LDS church.
Holland will be keeping the title “president” because he and his wife will be presiding over one of the church’s 400 missions for a 3-year term. The location hasn’t been announced yet, but as mission president, Holland will be half ecclesiastical leader, half surrogate parent for roughly 200 young missionaries as they spend up to two years away from family.
His departure next June will end 9 years at the helm of UVU. Holland was tapped to lead the school just as it was transitioning from a 2-year college to a 4-year university. During his tenure, UVU has become the state’s largest student body and currently offers 84 bachelor degree programs.
In a statement released Monday Holland says while he loved his time at UVU, he also cherishes his faith and is “honored and grateful for this unexpected privilege to serve.”
Matt Holland is the son of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, one of the LDS Church's twelve apostles, the second-highest governing body.
