Orem, Utah, Jan. 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The new Scott C. Keller Building at Utah Valley University (UVU) will serve as the home of the Woodbury School of Business. The university opened the innovative space with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 12, 2022, with students and education, business, and government leaders in attendance.
The four-story, 167,000-square-foot building is located on the south side of UVU’s Orem Campus next to the Brandon D. Fugal Gateway Building, both of which are the first buildings visitors see as they approach the entrance to campus.
It houses 30 classrooms, 205 offices, and multiple industry-focused engaged-learning spaces, such as the Bloomberg Lab, Entrepreneurship Institute, Money Management Resource Center, and Sales and Marketing Applied Research Test Laboratory
(SMARTLab). The Noel Vallejo Grand Auditorium, designed to host lectures and special events, is the first Latino-Hispanic-named space on any of UVU’s campuses.
In addition, the building features a student success center on its second floor, which combines placement, tutoring, internships, and advisement services in one accessible location. Classrooms have been outfitted with lecture-capture technology to help students learn remotely.
“Scott C. Keller is the perfect naming donor for UVU’s new business building. I learned early from Scott the power of ‘obligating oneself’ — of stepping up to challenges and opportunities as they come up,” said Astrid S. Tuminez, president of UVU. “Scott and his wife and business partner, Karen Keller, exemplify the Wolverine spirit of grit, hard work, determination, and intelligence in rising above circumstances. They embody the American dream. Their story and their contributions will shape UVU for decades to come.”
UVU’s Woodbury School of Business has more than 5,000 students, making it the largest business school by headcount in the state of Utah. Students were attending classes and lectures in the former business building, which was one of four original Utah Technical College buildings constructed in 1979. The students had outgrown it, and its cement and brick walls and floors made technological infrastructure upgrades unfeasible.
The new structure was made possible in part by a $10 million gift from Utah philanthropists Scott and Karen Keller.
“Karen and I are grateful to have been a part of bringing this new building to reality,” Scott Keller said. “We feel a kinship with UVU. Our five children are attending or have graduated from the university. We hope this new building will be a source of learning and inspiration as students come here to acquire knowledge and launch their business careers.”
During the past 37 years, Keller Investment Properties (KIP) has become one of the largest owners of multi-family (APTS) properties with thousands of units in the western United States. In addition, KIP has expanded into student housing, private equity, Keller Luxury Homes – luxury custom home construction in the Deer Valley and Park City areas, a golf and fly-fishing resort, and a trout hatchery.
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About the Woodbury School of Business
The Woodbury School of Business (WSB) is the largest business school in the Utah System of Higher Education and is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The WSB supports a variety of engaged-learning projects and programs, including the Entrepreneurship Institute, in which students start their own businesses. The school is distinguished for its focus on student development, entrepreneurship, global involvement, and innovative teaching. In addition to traditional undergraduate courses of study in disciplines ranging from accounting to marketing, the WSB offers an MBA program that accommodates working professionals’ schedules through evening and weekend classes. Visit uvu.edu/woodbury for more information.
About Utah Valley University
At Utah Valley University, we believe everyone deserves the transforming benefits of high-quality education — and it needs to be affordable, accessible, and flexible. With opportunities to earn certificates to master’s degrees, our students succeed by gaining real-world experience and developing career-ready skills. As we celebrated the milestone of our 80th anniversary in 2021, we continue to invite people to come as they are — and leave ready and prepared to make a difference in the world. For more, visit uvu.edu or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
