UVSC vote gains unanimous Senate support

The quest to make Utah Valley State College a full-fledged university breezed through its initial hearing in the Senate today.

The bill still faces one more vote in the Senate before moving on to the House, but the unanimous preliminary vote today gave UVSC President William Sederburg hope he won't be facing much opposition.

"There's a great understanding and consensus that the time is right for this," he said.

Sederburg also attributes the support for making UVSC into Utah Valley University in 2008 to Senate President John L. Valentine's sponsorship of SB70 to make the switch to a university.

The legislation would make the Utah County college into a Type II university, putting it on par with Weber State University and Southern Utah University.

"For Utah County and the state of Utah, this is a really big deal. UVSC is the fastest-growing institution in the state. It has an overwhelming demand," Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said. "Moving it to university status will assist in meeting the demands that our sons and daughters have in going to college."