Ground breaking on Scott C. Keller Building continues UVU’s expansion

The long-awaited Scott C. Keller Building at Utah Valley University is underway. Hundreds gathered in attendance Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11, to witness the groundbreaking of the soon to be the newest building on campus.

Chris Brown

November 13, 2019

schedule 3 min read
Utah Valley University’s groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Keller Building officially marks the beginning of construction. The building is intended to be the new home for the Woodbury School of Business.

The long-awaited Scott C. Keller Building at UVU is underway. Hundreds gathered in attendance Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11, to witness the groundbreaking of the soon-to-be newest building on campus.

The groundbreaking for UVU’s new Scott C. Keller building was held on Veteran’s Day, with U.S. Army cadets and Air Force ROTC opening the ceremony.

The ceremony started by paying special tribute to the armed forces of America, as a choir composed of UVU’s army at air force ROTC students sang the national anthem. 

The crowd was then privileged to hear from many prominent leaders from the university and the state, including Governor Gary Herbert, Neil Anderson of the Quorum of the 12 apostles and Scott Keller himself.

It was Astrid Tuminez, president of UVU, who thanked everyone that gave donations towards the building. Over $75 million was raised. Tuminez then announced the new name of the building.

“I need you all to shout, to my count of 3, 2, 1,” said President Tuminez.

The crowd responded, counting down as a banner was unveiled, revealing the title, the Scott C. Keller building. 

Scott C. Keller and wife Karen Keller, CEOs and owners of Keller Investment properties, speaks to the crowd of humble beginnings filled with doubts and hardships, as well as a rise to success and happiness, while they stand on the ground that will soon be known as the Keller Building.

Scott Keller, a well-respected realtor, and donor of $10 million toward the business school had the privilege of addressing the students last. Keller shared parts of his personal story. How he began from humble beginnings and through hard work and risk-taking arrived where he is today. 

Keller also shared his advice with UVU’s students.

“Obligate yourself,” he said. “To me, that means to do the things you wouldn’t ordinarily do. Be prompt, be fair, be honest, be expedient, keep your word, have a sense of urgency and don’t be complacent.” 

When asked about her thoughts on the groundbreaking, Selene Rodriguez, a business student at UVU said, “It will be good for future students to have more room, more classes and more possibilities. It’s always exciting to have a new building.”

The Scott C. Keller building is a needed addition to the Woodbury School of Business, as it is already the largest business school in the state of Utah with 6,000 students. The 6,000 currently account for 40 percent of Utah’s collegiate business graduates. When the Woodbury and Keller buildings are combined, they are projected to be able to serve 12,000 students at a time.

  • UVU’s President Tuminez participates in the groundbreaking of the new Kller Building literally by happily getting into the machinery to make a first dig into the ground.
  • Utah’s Governor Gary Herbert stands in silence with his hand over his heart during the national anthem sung by UVU’s ROTC program.

This building will stand just south of the current Woodbury Business building. When finished, the new building will take up 18,000 square feet and will include 30 classrooms and 205 offices. It is projected to be finished towards the end of 2021.

Photos by Natasha Colburn