According to the State Office of Education, UVU needs a larger facility for its College of Science and Health, based on the number of students. The current building was completed in 1989 and no longer meets the needs of the students with only 60,000 usable square feet. It is the smallest in the state based off the number of students attending UVU.
After UVU became a university, enrollment increased and there are now four times as many students taking classes in the Science and Health building as there were in 1989.
At the current rate of growth, it is estimated that the new facility will be used at capacity in five to six years and inadequate in 10 to 15 years.
“Science and health is at the core of most of the new technology and development of the twenty-first century. It’s our responsibility as a college to ensure scientific literacy for all our students,” said Sam Rushforth, dean of the College of Science and Health.
The proposed addition to the existing building will add 150,000 square feet, which will include modern laboratories for upper division and graduate students. Along with laboratories, the building will have offices, classrooms, and lecture halls with room to expand with attendance rates.
“The primary function is laboratory work and undergraduate functions,” said David Jordan, assistant dean of the college of science and health.
The College of Science and Health hopes to get funding authorized by the state of Utah. The state legislature already awarded $2.5 million to design the addition, as well as hired an architect to design the schematics.
During the next session of the state legislature, representatives will decide if they will allow state funding for the addition of the science and health building at UVU.
