UVU’s travel through time

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The last article ended with a change from UVCC to UVSC around 1993, and now there will be a look into the new millennium.

The campus continued changing to accommodate the growth that would come for some programs and more just because there was no room for students.

The first great addition to the campus was the David O. McKay Events Center, which has since been renamed the UCCU Center. The dedication of the building was on April 22, 1996.

The events center would become the home of the school’s athletic program and various entertainment acts. The stadium, with over 8,000 seats, would also later be the home of the Utah Flash.

The next building would come in 2001 in form of  the Computer Science and Engineering building. According to Jim Michaelis, who is over facilities planning, its main purpose is for computer science and drafting. Originally, it had the engineering label with it, but the name was changed simply to the Computer Science building, since there is no engineering program at the school.

The school then gained students rapidly over the following years, going from 10,000 to over the 16,000 that was expected for the campus and at that point, more classrooms were needed. This was the purpose behind the Liberal Arts building, which was built in 2003.

“There was a need for classrooms and offices,” Michaelis said. “It’s much more compact than the other buildings.”

That same year, William Sederburg became the fifth president of the University and would lead the school into a large transition during his presidency.

The following year saw another addition to the athletic department when the Brown Ballpark opened. This would host the university’s teams, as well as the farm club for the L.A. Angels, the Orem Owls.

The year 2008 would become perhaps the most significant year for the university since its move to the Orem Campus. The most important change would be the change to university status and the addition of masters programs. The official change to UVU happened July 1, 2008.

On June 30, 2008, the new library was opened, which pulled the library away from the LC building, which allowed that building to hold classrooms and advisors.

In 2009, Matthew Holland took over as the sixth president of the school and first president of  UVU.

The next building of significance will be the new science building, which is currently under construction. It is slated to be opened a year from now with the expected completion date of Feb. 15, 2012. The hallway connecting the LA building to the rest of the campus is also expected to be reopened in that same general time frame.

The school has plans for growth over the next few years to help ease students’ burdens – literally. The next building that is on the list, which could begin construction next year, is the Student Life building. This building is going to be for students and there are surveys to find what students want, including things from exercise equipment to just a general lounge for students to relax.

Along with the student building, the school will also build a parking structure to relieve more of the students’ problems. Both of these are awaiting approval to be built and will be built with student fees and donations.

The school is also looking to keep up what it has. Currently there are $2.5 million that will be put into maintenance. The next building that is being considered would be a classroom building built above the CS building, which would be a few years in the making.