UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY

Though Utah Valley University is located in Orem, its roots are in Provo.

It was established in 1941 as the Central Utah Vocational School, catered specifically for teaching trades and skilled craftsmen.

In 1963, the name was changed to Utah Trade Technical Institute.

In 1967, it was changed again to the Utah Technical College and given the authority to confer associate degrees. This was also the year in which one hundred and eighty-five acres of farmland were purchased in southwest Orem adjacent to I-15 for use of expanding the campus.

In 1987, its name changed to Utah Valley Community College. This is also the time in which it incorporated courses of international education, arts and humanities, and short-term training. UVCC became one of the first community colleges to sign an exchange agreement with Soviet Russia. Additional exchange agreements were created with China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Germany.

From 1991 to 2002, student enrollment skyrocketed. Some 8,700 students walked the halls in 1991, while more than 23,000 were enrolled in 2002.

In 1992, the Utah System of Higher Education and the Board of Regents proposed an initial offering of four-year degrees at UVCC. Business Management, Computer Science and Information Systems, and Technology Management were the first three bachelor degree programs offered.

In 1993, the Board of Regents changed the name to Utah Valley State College. Bachelor degrees of all types were added to the institution, and by 2003, the college boasted 33 bachelors programs with 50 associate degrees as well as certifications, diplomas, and concurrent enrollment programs.

Finally, in 2008 the name changed for a final time to make Utah Valley University, now complete with a newly constructed library. Today the university offers 66 bachelor degrees, 59 associates, and 11 masters degree programs with many more trade and technical certifications that lead all the way back to its roots as a vocational institution. Enrollment in 2024 topped at 46, 809 students and more than 80% of UVU's students are from Utah, with students representing all 50 states as well as 80 countries.

Sources: “UVU: History: About Uvu: Home.” UVU | History | About UVU | Home, 21 Feb. 2017, web.archive.org/web/20170221011006/https://www.uvu.edu/visitors/aboutuvu/history.html.