Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. told the crowd that his father has "looked to this day for a very, very long time." He said students need not only the rigor of classroom study, but role models to pattern their lives after.

"I am thrilled that my father will bring priorities to this school that he has long stood for," he said. A strong sense of ethics, Gov. Huntsman said, is what has helped his father to be successful in business. "Nowhere is this more important than in the business community."

Anderson said the gift could not have come at a better time.

"The college of business has become a professional school of distinction, a career accelerator for our students, and an engine of growth for the state and region," he said. "Jon and Karen Huntsman are investing in this school at a time when we have tremendous momentum and our relationship with them can only accelerate our progress. The Huntsman name stands for excellence and integrity. We are proud to have their name linked with ours."

Not since 1916 has the university had so many state and religious leaders on campus, Anderson said. Monday's announcement not only brought President Packer, but also Elders Joseph B. Wirthlin and M. Russell Ballard and USU alumnus Elder L. Tom Perry, all of whom are members of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve.

"Truly this school of business, on this beautiful and unique campus, should strive to teach not only the latest, state-of-the-art business practices, but the implication of ethics in all of its forms, to ensure that each graduate is a man or woman of unquestioned integrity," Huntsman Sr. said. In addition to ethical instruction, he hopes his namesake college teaches and leaves students with a sincere respect for human dignity.

The USU College of Business graduated eight students at its first commencement in 1894. It currently offers 13 undergraduate majors, eight master's degrees and two doctorate degree programs. Enrollment for the college includes 16 doctoral students, 296 master's students and 1,545 undergraduates.

"At the end of the day, our character, together with our charity, will determine our destiny," Huntsman Sr. said. Such traits, he said, will be important both at the forefront of the business world and in each individual life.

Recent big gifts to schools

• $26 million, Jon M. Huntsman Sr., to Utah State University for the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.

• $20 million, family of Wallace Woodbury, to Utah Valley State College business school — to be named the Woodbury School of Business.

• $15 million, Marc and Debbie Bingham, to USU's Uintah Basin campus for an Entrepreneurship and Energy Resource Center.

• $20 million, ALSAM Foundation, to the University of Utah College of Pharmacy, for a building to be named after L.S. "Sam" Skaggs.

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E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com