Utah Valley University

Utah Valley University

Utah Valley University (UVU) is located in Orem, Utah, right next to Provo, Utah the home of Brigham Young University (BYU). Unlike the early pioneer origins of BYU, UVU was first established in 1941 as Central Utah Vocational School (CUVS) with the primary function of providing war production training and became a permanent state institution in 1947. As the school grew in size,  a campus was constructed in Provo, Utah on University Avenue. In 1963, the name of the school was changed to Utah Trade Technical Institute (Trade Tech). This is the name I first remember hearing. In 1987, as the school continued to develop, the name was changed again to Utah Technical College at Provo. Quoting from the History of UVU:

The institution was approved in 1966 to grant Associate of Applied Science degrees, in 1967 to offer general education courses, in 1971 to grant Associate of Science degrees (discontinued in 1974 and reinstated in 1981), and in 1987 to grant Associate of Arts degrees. With its expanded degree offerings, the institution’s name changed again to Utah Valley Community College in 1987. In 1993, the institution’s name changed to Utah Valley State College and the mission was expanded to include the offering of bachelor’s degrees. On July 1, 2008, the institution underwent another mission and name change to Utah Valley University and began offering master degree programs.

Utah Valley University has now become the largest university or college in the state of Utah.  In fact, the number of college students in Utah is almost as large as the population of Salt Lake City, the state's largest city. See "The number of college students in Utah is almost as large as Salt Lake City’s population."