Utah Valley University president to step down in May following Kirk assassination, husband’s death

Tuminez said in a statement, "I will be forever grateful to the students, staff, and faculty at Utah Valley University and the friends who support UVU’s noble mission to transform the lives of our students. UVU has been a labor of love for me. The university’s call to ‘come as you are’ recognizes and cultivates human potential in bold ways that traditional institutions may overlook. Education transformed my life from the slums of the Philippines to a global adventure, and I brought that conviction to UVU. My heart will always be green. Given the academic calendar and hiring process, this is the ideal transition point for USHE to identify and onboard a new president who will lead the next chapter of UVU’s inspiring story."

Tuminez became the university’s seventh president in the fall of 2018, and the end of her time as the school's head comes in the wake of both Kirk's assassination on campus, as well as the February death of her husband.

The school held a "Vigil for Unity" in the wake of Kirk’s assassination, with Tuminez telling the crowd, "Shock, grief, abandonment, fear and hurt have filled our hearts since Sept. 10." She added, "I have seen goodness and mercy. Our community, the wounded, showed up to serve one another. Hundreds, if not thousands, offered prayers for peace, clarity and resilience. We listened and gave each other patience and grace."

"I urge each of us to remember that love can be stronger than fear. May peace, love and grace heal us in all the parts that we are broken," she added.