Day Rodriguez never imagined pursuing higher education when she was young. However, despite growing up in three different countries and various cities, she dedicated herself to education, which ultimately allowed her to graduate from high school early.
When Day started at UVU, she chose civil engineering as her major, “because it is the perfect mix of science and engineering, and I can see the direct effects of my work on my community,” she said.
With an innate sense of leadership, Day participated in UVU programs that empowered her to represent her fellow students. She shared, “I’m the first woman who has ever been selected to be the Student Senator for the Scott M. Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET). It’s been an amazing opportunity to work with and inspire other women to make a difference in the science and technology fields.” These opportunities opened the door for Day to receive UVU scholarships that allowed her to focus on her schooling and service in the community.
“UVU has a place for everyone, which I truly believe because I found my place when I questioned whether I would fit in,” she said. “No matter who a student is or what they choose to do, UVU will be the launchpad for them to do something great.”
Scott M. Smith Engineering Building
At a time when Utah and the nation require qualified, imaginative engineers, UVU opened a signature facility to meet the moment: the Scott M. Smith Engineering Building. The new four story home centralizes programs that serve more than 20% of UVU’s student population, providing an array of labs, from virtual reality and aerodynamics to cybersecurity, drones, and smart grid systems, so students can prototype solutions for real industries in real time.
The road to ribbon-cutting was paved with community and state belief. A landmark $25 million gift from Scott and Karen Smith jump-started construction in 2023; a legislative strategic reinvestment reallocated $8.9 million to high-impact areas including engineering and computer science; and UVU’s own leadership played the long game, moving SCET out of a building that could no longer contain demand. The result is a building designed not just for capacity, but for collaboration, where spaces make it easy to design, test, and iterate.
The building is also a teaching tool: a smart facility with sensors that enable real-time data on structural loading, heat gain/loss, and environmental factors, so students aren’t just using labs, they’re learning from the building itself. That approach positions the new building as both a classroom and a case study in systems thinking.
This building exists because donors believed UVU students deserved the same caliber of space as any top engineering program. It expands program capacity, anchors multidisciplinary labs, and meets a clear workforce signal with tangible resources. Most importantly, it gives thousands of aspiring engineers and technologists a place where imagination meets machinery, where a student’s idea can become a prototype, and a prototype can become a career.
square feet of state-of-the-art learning space
6,500+
enrolled students
450+
faculty & staff
20+
classrooms and labs
116
faculty offices
“Originally, I was studying industrial electronics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but my options were limited. Coming to UVU was super scary because I knew how expensive school was going to be. I was really touched by the kindness of the donors whom I have not yet met but who were willing to donate to the scholarships I received. By the time I was preparing to graduate, I got two job offers, including one from Apple. My primary goal at UVU was to get an education, and I’m so grateful that I get to graduate with a four-year degree. That was my first step in what I wanted to achieve, but that is not the limit.”
Jonathan Fimbo ‘24, Mechatronics Engineering Technology
It has been a dream for Karen and me to be able to give back in a way that would positively
impact people’s lives and help boost the local and state economies. We feel like we
are investing in the future of generations of new engineers and computer scientists,
and wanted to do it in Utah County. Karen and I grew up here. Our children were raised
here, and we started Qualtrics in our home in Provo.
Scott M. Smith, Co-founder of Qualtrics
McKay Education Building Expansion
At a university built on engaged learning, the McKay Education Building’s new Student Success Center is an intentionally crafted place where Utah’s future teachers study, collaborate, and innovate together. $4.25 million in donated funds to the UVU School of Education covered the costs, with no new state operations and maintenance requested.
The project’s goals were clear from the outset: create student-first spaces for advising and flexible instruction; expand the innovation lab; and add a welcoming lobby that reflects the warmth and professionalism of the teaching vocation.
Designers and builders faced a unique constraint: the addition had to be constructed within the footprint of an existing courtyard, tying the School of Education’s east and west wings together without disrupting day-to-day learning. The solution maximized natural light with large north-facing glazing and ribbon clerestory windows, bringing daylight deep into collaboration areas and study nooks while improving comfort and energy performance. That same inside-out thinking extends to a new outdoor seating area, where students can read, plan lessons, or debrief field experiences between classes.
Inside, the expansion reads like a blueprint for how teachers actually work. There are technology-equipped collaboration rooms for small group planning; an expanded innovation lab where students prototype classroom tools and integrate ed tech; and open zones that flex from quiet study to peer tutoring to seminar-style discussion.
During a spring 2025 celebration and tour, UVU leaders, donors, district partners, and student representatives gathered to mark what the university called a place “where teachers begin,” a place dedicated to the idea that education is the profession that makes all others possible. Remarks from the dean of the School of Education and regional K-12 partners reinforced the urgency: Utah needs more well-prepared, practice-ready teachers, and UVU is building the pipeline to meet that call.
Most importantly, the McKay expansion is already doing what it set out to do: igniting possibilities for Utah’s future educators. On any given day, you’ll find students swapping lesson plans in a glass-lined huddle room, testing a literacy center in the innovation lab, or decompressing between practicum hours in the courtyard lounge.
As the School of Education advances its work with local districts, this expansion gives UVU a true front door for collaboration and a home base for every Wolverine preparing to step into the front of a classroom. It’s intentionally placed, community-funded, and purpose-built to help Utah’s teachers take root.
“True education does not consist merely in the acquiring of a few facts of science, history, literature, or art, but in the development of character.”
David O. McKay
College was a goal for Crystal Sedano, but she was not sure she would ever achieve this milestone. She grew up in a single-parent household, and neither of her parents received a college degree. Her mom often worked two jobs, resulting in Crystal assisting her younger siblings and cousins with their day-to-day activities.
“I always wanted to go to college because I knew I wanted to become something,” she said. “My dream was to become a teacher.”
Her path to UVU relied on trusting herself. As she teaches her students to do the same, she reflects on the people who made her education and personal growth possible.
I was scared at first, but I found that UVU donors really cared, and they helped me
tremendously. I knew I wasn’t alone.
Crystal Sedano ‘21, Elementary Education
Fintech Center
The finance industry is transforming, and UVU is making sure students transform with it. In January 2026, the university launched the UVU FinTech Center in the Scott C. Keller Building, powered by support from Schwab Advisor Services and the Charles Schwab Foundation. The center gives students direct, hands-on access to the platforms reshaping financial services, planning software, data analytics, automation, and emerging tech in blockchain and digital assets, so graduates walk into internships and full-time roles fluent in the tools employers already use.
Students engage with real datasets and real workflows; they prototype advisory automations; they explore responsible use cases for digital assets; and they convene with employers at workshops and guest talks that align classroom learning with firm level expectations.
“We are very pleased to support UVU’s new FinTech Center. This partnership will give students hands-on experience with the tools shaping our industry and open doors to meaningful careers in financial planning.”
Lisa Salvi, Managing Director of Business Consulting and Education Schwab Advisor Services
“It fills me with so much gratitude to be a part of something that creates so much opportunity.”
Andrea Clarke, UVU Board of Trustees Member
The FinTech Center is also a convening space. Utah’s finance and fintech ecosystem, banks, RIAs, and startups now have a hub inside UVU to collaborate on research initiatives, projects, and problem-solving sprints. Students meet mentors, step into industry-defined challenges, and build portfolios that showcase technical fluency and client-centric thinking. Schwab’s support is part of a larger workforce development agenda, designed to raise the ceiling on what new graduates can do the moment they land. The FinTech Center doesn’t just modernize finance education at UVU; it rewires it for a market where technology, regulation, and client trust intersect every day.
“Because of my classes at UVU, I walked into my internship already knowing how to use financial planning software, which made a huge difference early on. The FinTech Center further sets UVU students apart and gives more students the same head start.”
Jenna Smith ‘27, CMO, Personal Financial Planning Association
UCCU Stadium
Few partnerships demonstrate community belief like Utah Community Credit Union’s long-standing support of UVU. In October 2022, the credit union made a record pledge of $28.5 million as part of the EverGREEN Campaign, the largest single gift in UVU history at the time and a signal of confidence in the university’s mission and momentum. That investment helped catalyze initiatives across campus and preceded the headline announcement of a new soccer stadium, a facility envisioned as both an athletics upgrade and a community gathering place.
By April 2024, shovels were in the ground. Media coverage documented the groundbreaking for what was initially positioned as a $20 million soccer specific venue, with UCCU leaders emphasizing the project’s value for both students and the broader community. Plans included shaded seating, luxury boxes, expanded plazas and concessions, and professional-grade locker rooms; amenities designed to elevate the match day experience and raise UVU’s profile as a host for marquee events.
3,000
Luxury suites
8
Seats for fans
16
Athletics teams
326
Student-athletes
(2025)
3.52
Average GPA
(2025)
94%
Graduation rate
(2025)
“An investment in UVU students is really an investment in our community. We find that when we hire students from UVU, we find that they are ready on day one. Education, and the importance it plays in the future and financial strength of a person, is everything.”
Justin Olsen, UCCU President and CEO
The vision became reality in August 2025, when UVU cut the ribbon on UCCU Stadium, celebrating a fully fundraised, $30 million venue now regarded among the finest collegiate soccer facilities in the country. Athletics leaders called it “historic,” a long arc from chain link fences and limited bleachers to a purpose-built stadium with shaded seats, eight luxury suites, a student party deck, a Hall of Champions, and a broadcast-ready press box. The debut match set the tone, and the venue quickly booked major events like the Women’s Soccer Championship.
For UCCU, the stadium is part of a deeper partnership. The credit union has maintained an on-campus presence for years, serving students, faculty, and staff with financial services and education, evidence that this is a relationship, not a one-off sponsorship. As the EverGREEN Campaign narrative underscores, UCCU’s philanthropy is rooted in place: investing where its members live, study, and cheer.
UCCU Stadium is a gathering space built by community generosity that elevates studentathlete experience, fan culture, and the university’s capacity to convene. It is also a recruiting asset, a broadcast stage, and a home field that feels like a pro venue, another way UVU signals to students and the region that big dreams belong here. Every match at UCCU Stadium is a visible result of community philanthropy elevating the UVU studentathlete experience.
Scholarships have lifted a huge burden off my shoulder. I don’t think donors know
how much even $5 can transform the life of a student. Donors have kept my professional
soccer dreams alive.
Leon Olacio ‘23, Psychology
Museum of Art at Lakemount
What began as a family home has become a cultural commons. Set inside the former Bastian residence, the UVU Museum of Art at Lakemount opened to the public in May 2023 after a meticulous, multi-year transformation, an elegant, 39,000 square foot mansion reimagined as a museum for exhibitions, education, and community gathering. The Salt Lake Tribune called opening weekend a milestone for Utah County’s arts scene and traced the home’s story: a generous 2018 gift from the Bastian family that aligned perfectly with Melanie Bastian’s lifetime commitment to art and education.
Today, Lakemount lives its purpose with free admission, rotating exhibitions, and programs that welcome newcomers to visual culture. Its mission emphasizes critical thinking, visual literacy, and interdisciplinary exploration; it engages audiences from K-12 to alumni through artist talks, panels, and approachable “open studio” sessions that invite families to make art, not just view it. The museum turns a stately space into a handson classroom, echoing Melanie Bastian’s habit of opening her doors to the community.
Lakemount also functions as a living laboratory for UVU students. As part of the School of the Arts, the museum creates internships in curation, collections, and experience, and it regularly platforms student and alumni work alongside regional and national exhibitions. The setting itself is part of the experience: vaulted ceilings, music room, expansive windows, and carefully restored details that make the art feel intimate, and the house feel alive. Travel and local guides now pitch Lakemount as a uniquely welcoming venue, family-friendly, accessible, and decidedly community-minded.
“As I look for ways to try and help my hometown become a better place, the answer is clear to me. UVU is where and how I am going to make that difference.”
Robbie Bastian, UVU Alumnus and Donor
For donors and friends of the arts, Lakemount embodies cultivation: a home given, a museum grown, and a new center of gravity for creative life in the valley. It extends UVU’s reach to the galleries and gardens of a neighborhood landmark, reinforcing the university’s role as both educator and cultural steward. In an era when the arts often compete for attention, Lakemount’s invitation is simple and disarming: come in, look closely, then make something of your own.
Utah Valley Magazine recognized the UVU Museum of Art at Lakemount as part of its annual “Best of Utah Valley” issue. The museum enhances UVU’s academic mission and furthers the appreciation of the visual arts for the community through the interdisciplinary exploration of art, ideas, and experience. UVU has continued gratitude for the Bastian family, who generously gifted the estate to the university.
visitors since the museum opened in May 2023
30
30 exhibitions since the
museum opened
39,000
square feet
1,216
degrees awarded from
School of the Arts (2025)
This is a 225% increase
from 2021
“As an art history major, the UVU Museum of Art at Lakemount Manor opens numerous options for students in our field to gain hands-on experience in a real museum setting, and that’s truly thrilling. The completed museum is something I find fun and promising.”
Kamee Payton ‘23, Art History
