Staff Report
The UVU Review will pause regular news production at the end of this week as student journalists shift focus to final exams and as the organization begins its annual hiring cycle for the 2026–2027 academic year.
All newsroom positions will reopen during the transition period. The Executive News Director is responsible for interviewing and selecting staff across reporting, broadcast, podcast, design, marketing and web teams.
Applications are now open: www.uvureview.com/staff-application
The organization also announced a leadership transition. Elizabeth Powell, who has served as Executive News Director for the past two years, will step down at the close of the semester as she graduates from the Woodbury School of Business with a Master of Business Administration. She plans to continue working full time as a product designer and director at a local software firm, Paladin & Archer.
Gracie Graham, a student studying psychology and social work, has been selected as the next Executive News Director.
Graham has played a key role in expanding the newsroom’s digital reach, helping grow its social media audience by nearly four times. She has also led efforts to standardize journalism training across teams, with a focus on accuracy, structure and ethical reporting.
In recent years, The UVU Review has shifted its editorial strategy from a primarily print-focused model — centered on a monthly newspaper and web articles — to a video-first approach designed to better align with how students consume news. The organization now produces three primary YouTube programs: Wolverine Weekly, a weekly video news broadcast; We Are Wolverines, a long-form interview series featuring students, faculty and alumni; and MatchPoint, a sports-focused show covering campus athletics.
The transition to We Are Wolverines reflects a consolidation of previous podcast and interview content. The show was renamed from ProTalks, and episodes from The Cultured Wolverine and Wellness for Wolverines are being re-released under the unified series.
The newsroom also expanded its election coverage this year, including interviews with all nine candidates for student body office ahead of campus voting. The interviews were published through the We Are Wolverines series.
The newsroom reached more than 275,000 readers during the academic year, reflecting growth in audience engagement across platforms.
Utah Valley University does not currently offer a dedicated journalism program. Students interested in news often come from communication, public relations and digital media backgrounds, gaining practical experience through student media. As a result, newsroom leadership is responsible for developing reporting skills and maintaining editorial standards across the organization.
Most student journalists at The UVU Review balance multiple responsibilities alongside their newsroom roles, including part- or full-time employment, academic coursework and family commitments. Nationally, about 40% of full-time undergraduate students work while enrolled, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. At Utah Valley University, that number is significantly higher — 79% of students work while attending school, according to the university’s 2025–26 UMC Fact Sheet.
The newsroom is expected to resume regular publication in the fall with a newly selected staff under Graham’s leadership.
