Utah Valley University in Orem has announced a $25 million gift from Scott M. and Karen Smith to help fund a planned engineering building.

The commitment will jump-start the university's campaign to raise the $40 million needed to start construction on a five-story, 180,000-square-foot building for the College of Engineering and Technology, which currently enrolls more than five thousand students. The building will address the university's critical need for more lab and office space, classrooms, and conference rooms and will align technical infrastructure with existing and emerging technologies as the number of students grows. In recognition of the gift, the building will be named the Scott M. Smith Engineering and Technology Building and the college will be renamed the Smith College of Engineering and Technology.

The building project is part of UVU's response to the need for higher education to increase the number of engineers and computer scientists in Utah's workforce, and the university will seek additional support from the state legislature.

"Karen and I are delighted to support UVU and its students in this way," said Scott Smith, a co-founder of software company Qualtrics. "Utah County is a special place for us. Our families settled Utah County in pioneer days, our children were raised here, and we started Qualtrics in our home in Provo. We want to give back in a way that will make an impact, honor my profession, and make Utah County a better place to live. We found the perfect match with UVU."