Utah Valley University dedicated the 197,000-square-foot Scott M. Smith College of Engineering & Technology building, providing hands-on learning, advanced labs, and workforce-ready education for Utah’s growing engineering and technology demand.
Orem, Utah — January 22, 2026
Utah Valley University formally dedicated its new Scott M. Smith College of Engineering & Technology building today, January 22, celebrating the opening of a 197,000-square-foot facility designed to support hands-on learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the growing demand for engineering and technology talent in Utah.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony drew hundreds of students, faculty, donors, industry leaders, and community members into the building’s expansive main lobby, underscoring the central role the college plays at UVU. The College of Engineering & Technology enrolls 6,558 students—more than 21 percent of the university’s on-campus population—making it UVU’s largest academic college.
Named for Qualtrics co-founder and UVU Board of Trustees Chair Scott M. Smith, the building serves as the academic home for engineering, computing, and related technology programs that emphasize applied, workforce-aligned education.
“This building represents far more than four years of construction,” Smith said during the dedication. “It represents generations of effort—people who designed it, planned it, built it, and prepared it for students who will shape what comes next.”
Smith reflected on gratitude for family, educators, colleagues, and university leaders, encouraging students to consider the broader chain of decisions and sacrifices that make educational opportunity possible. He framed engineering education as a process of transformation—one that requires rigor, persistence, and a willingness to struggle.
“Every engineer starts out as a duckling,” Smith said. “And they all end up as beautiful swans.”
A Response to Workforce Demand
University leaders emphasized that the building’s opening comes at a critical moment for Utah’s economy. While Utah’s colleges and universities graduate more than 3,000 engineers and computer scientists each year, industry demand continues to outpace supply. Statewide, an estimated 4,000 engineering-related positions remain unfilled, and technology jobs in Utah are projected to grow by roughly 33 percent over the next decade.
“The state could hire every single engineer that we graduate,” said UVU President Astrid S. Tuminez, who noted that the building represents both institutional ambition and economic necessity.
“This engineering building encapsulates vision and imagination—what our students could create and what they could become,” Tuminez said.
Tuminez, who recently announced plans to step down as president, described the facility as a capstone achievement reflecting UVU’s mission as an access institution with growing statewide impact. She credited legislative support, program accreditation efforts, and sustained fundraising with making the project possible.
“Transformation happens because we commit to excellence,” she said.
Designed for Hands-On Learning
The Scott M. Smith Engineering & Technology Building was designed to prioritize applied, experiential learning across disciplines. Among its signature features is the largest engineering fabrication shop housed within a university engineering building in Utah, capable of producing complex prototypes in a wide range of materials.
The facility also includes a structural testing laboratory capable of exerting up to one million pounds of force in any direction, a two-story structural steel test frame, and a strong floor and crane system designed to test structures up to approximately 80 feet long. Additional resources include advanced manufacturing labs, composite materials labs, controls and vibration labs, and multiple large-scale capstone project rooms designed for team-based work.
Students will also have access to dedicated multi-story drone flight labs—including indoor flight spaces—supporting applied research in autonomous systems, sensing, and robotics. An undergraduate-accessible electron microscope, one of the few of its kind in the region, allows students direct hands-on experience with advanced instrumentation.
Shared academic spaces include a three-level open student forum designed for collaboration and large gatherings, a 120-seat auditorium, 11 classrooms, and a large-scale video wall used for instruction and events. The building also houses specialized labs for artificial intelligence and virtual reality, supporting immersive learning and cross-disciplinary exploration.
Sustainability features are built into the structure itself. The building is heated and cooled through a geothermal system powered by two 500-foot wells, reducing energy consumption while serving as a real-world teaching tool for students studying energy systems and environmental design.
Applied Learning, Excellence, and Responsibility
Designed around applied, experiential learning, the Scott M. Smith College of Engineering & Technology building brings students into direct contact with the tools, systems, and environments they will encounter in industry. The facility includes the largest engineering fabrication shop housed within a university engineering building in Utah, a structural testing laboratory capable of exerting up to one million pounds of force, multi-story drone flight labs, and specialized spaces for artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and advanced manufacturing.
Karen Smith said the building reflects a philosophy of education rooted in excellence, creativity, and responsibility. Quoting Sir Henry Royce, co-founder of Rolls-Royce, she urged students to embrace both rigor and innovation: “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.”
She emphasized that the Smiths’ support for the building was driven by a belief in education as a pathway to opportunity—particularly for first-generation and nontraditional students—and by a conviction that talent and knowledge carry an obligation to serve others.
“This gift wasn’t about me,” she said. “It was about you.”
Looking Ahead
Beyond its academic and research spaces, the building includes a fourth-floor restaurant and gathering space operated by UVU’s Culinary Institute, offering panoramic views of Utah Valley and reinforcing the building’s role as a campus and community hub.
University officials said the facility was designed with future growth in mind, with the ability to expand eastward as enrollment and program demand continue to increase.
As students and visitors explored the building following the ribbon cutting, Smith returned to the theme that framed his remarks—gratitude for the past and responsibility for the future.
“This is a training facility,” he said. “A place where people can struggle, learn, and transform themselves into something more.”
Learn more about the Scott M. Smith College of Engineering & Technology: uvu.edu/cet/engineeringbuilding/
