Utah Valley University (UVU) has grown rapidly in recent years, and few things show that growth more clearly than the new Scott M. Smith College of Engineering and Technology building.
The Smith College of Engineering and Technology, known as the CET, serves as UVU’s training grounds for students pursuing degrees in engineering and computer science, two fields with increasing workforce demand. To accommodate the extended growth, UVU has established a new CET building on the southeast corner of the main Orem campus (see magazine map for SE building location).
How the Smith Building came to be
A couple of years ago, UVU acknowledged that their CET had “outgrown its current facilities” in the Computer Science (CS) Building, which was originally built in 2002. The College of Engineering and Technology, as of fall 2025, enrolled 6,558 students, making it the largest academic college at UVU. With the demand for engineers and computer scientists continuing to increase, UVU proposed a new building to support the growing student body enrolled in CET classes by increasing the number of classrooms and providing updated learning facilities aligned with new technological developments.
The initial cost predictions for the building were a challenge in and of themselves, requiring a large sum estimated between $88 million and $110 million. A significant $25 million donation from Qualtrics co-founder Scott M. Smith and his wife, Karen Smith, was a massive help in getting the can kicked down the road, and by May 2024, UVU only needed about $7.5 million more to fundraise.
Construction for the new building began in 2023, soon after the donations poured in. Finally, on Jan. 22, 2026, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the building took place.
The ribbon ceremony
College Dean Keith Mulbery started the ceremony by listing the building’s groundbreaking features. The building boasts four floors with many classrooms, labs, and study areas. Some labs that were highlighted included a drone lab, virtual reality lab, and a smart grid lab. The building ensures applicative resources are put in place so students learn how to solve problems before entering the job field.
Scott M. Smith and his wife Karen Smith, for whom the building is named, were invited to give their remarks. Karen Smith gave encouraging words to “strive for perfection.” Scott Smith shared the story and metaphor of the ugly duckling, expressing hope that UVU students using the new building’s facilities can transform into beautiful swans.
UVU President Astrid S. Tuminez brought energy to her remarks by encouraging the audience of donors, guests and UVU personnel to dance in celebration. President Tuminez reminisced about her Jan. 14 announcement that she would be stepping down as head of UVU, saying that this would likely be the last time she cuts a ribbon for an addition to the university.
In preparation for the official ribbon cutting, a robotic dog walked across the floor and up the podium stairs to deliver the massive ribbon cutting scissors in its jaw. Tuminez then cut the ribbon, taking photos with many attendees who helped make the foundation of the new Smith Engineering Building a possibility.
Early impressions
Even before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, students and faculty were already moving some of their classes and equipment into the new building, eager to integrate into the collaborative environment.
In an interview with Peter Aldous, a professor in the UVU Department of Computer Science, the benefits and downsides of the new building were discussed. “My first impression is that it’s a really nice building. Or 95% of a nice building…I get why they moved us in here even though it’s unfinished, since they need to prepare for the old building renovations, but it’s still a little weird.”
Aldous was a bit bothered by the building’s location being farther away from most of the main campus, but he still admired that the building gives CET students and faculty more space to accommodate the college’s growth. Prof. Aldous said he uses three different rooms over all his classes, and each classroom is different, altering how he teaches each lecture, whether by whiteboards, projectors or both.
“I’m really looking forward to the networking lab getting up and running,” Prof. Aldous said. “We can get on some isolated subnet that will help teach students security stuff…we can split them up into red-team-blue-teams; there are some really cool things that are coming.”
Students present at the ceremony shared similar insights. One computer science student named Kenyon said, “I think this building is going to be great. It is a little unfinished, though.”
“The building looks great from what I’ve seen so far; all that’s missing here are the colored pipes!” another attendee quipped.
The erection of this building has no doubt been a big change for many at UVU, bringing exciting prospects as well as new challenges to campus. Scott M. Smith said it best when it comes to handling these prospects and challenges: “If it’s hard, it’s probably worth doing.”
