Bells rang out in the Noel and Carrie Vallejo Auditorium as hundreds, including UVU students, faculty, former Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert, donors of the university, and namesake donors Scott and Karen Keller, celebrated the opening of the Scott C. Keller Building on UVU’s Orem Campus on Wednesday, Jan. 12.

Keller Investment Properties donated $10 million toward the construction of the 169,000-square-foot building, which will house UVU business students, faculty, and staff. The opening-day event christened the building as the new face of UVU’s Orem Campus.

Speaker and UVU financial planning student Alisa Nguyen expressed her gratitude to UVU for the opportunities the university provided to her following her divorce in 2018.

“It is difficult to express how grateful we, as a campus, truly are,” Nguyen said. “This building will benefit not only students and faculty, but our entire community.”

Karen Keller addressed the crowd by emphasizing the importance of using one’s gifts.

“We are all accountable on how we use our talents, gifts, and opportunities that we receive,” she said.

Speaking of her husband Scott’s many gifts, Keller spoke of what she felt was the most important.

“He has a talent of acquiring and managing risk and opportunity, but most importantly, he has the gift of giving,” she said.

Scott Keller followed his wife’s comments, telling the crowd this donation is part of his enduring gift to UVU. “This is a compounding event,” he said. “While this donation is a non-monetary return for us, we have received continuous returns on this investment that are beyond the monetary.”

Keller concluded his comments by sharing one of his favorite words: resolute. “To be resolute means to be purposeful, determined, and unwavering,” he said. “UVU will build resolute people with character that will conduct their lives and build a foundation here in this community. May we strive to be unwavering in all we do.”

The event ended following UVU President Astrid S. Tuminez’s comments and ceremonial bell ringing. Donors and members of the Woodbury School of Business National Advisory Board received bells prior to the event to be rung at the conclusion of the building’s dedication.

Tuminez spoke of her studies in Zen Buddhism and how its tenets stress the important of the bell. “In Zen Buddhism, the bell represents a pure sound,” she said. “It represents a sound of inspiration. It represents a sound that is supposed to ward off malevolent spirits. The bell calls you home. This building is the home of our students.”

The event concluded with participants standing and ringing the bells as an official debut for the Scott C. Keller Building.