The university transition task force has been planning Utah Valley State College's debut as Utah Valley University, its sixth name change, for months.

In the near future, UVSC is looking for more funding from the Utah Legislature. First, UVSC wants the rest of the $10 million that was pledged for the transition. Last year, it was allocated $8 million. The next $2 million will help improve degree programs, including the new master's degree in education.

UVSC has received approval for the master's degree -- its first -- from the school's board of trustees. It is still awaiting approval from the state board of regents. The regents did, however, grant UVSC the authority to offer master's degrees when it recently approved a new mission statement for the school.

"We got that approved in December. Hallelujah," said Cameron Martin, chairman of the transition task force.

The library construction is also on track.

Jim Michaelis, UVSC's associate vice president for facilities, said there will be a soft opening of the library (called a digital learning center) on June 1, when the books and furniture will be moved in preparation for the ribbon cutting. The formal opening will be July 1. Right now, crews are finishing the main stairwell, painting the third floor and putting sheetrock in the second and fourth floors.

There is so much to be done in the next six months that UVSC president William Sederburg called the task overwhelming.

"It's a very massive thing. It's an exciting time at UVSC," Sederburg said. "We're building on the fly. It's a fun thing to do. It's also challenging because some balls can drop from time to time."

Martin isn't worried about missing the deadline. No matter what happens, UVSC becomes UVU on July 1.

"We'll make it. That's not a problem because we have a lot of great people who are completely dedicated," Martin said.

Martin said the school isn't the only thing getting a name change. The Associated Students of Utah Valley State College will have to change its name. The Professional Association of College Employees, the organization of college employees, will also have to change.

Last month, UVSC unveiled new logos for UVU, which have yet to appear on campus. There's also a new Web site in the works. That hasn't launched either, but before UVSC becomes UVU, all of the information on the Web site must be converted to the new site. UVSC also has to change e-mail addresses and business cards. Soon UVSC e-mail addresses will end in uvu.edu.

Michaelis said crews will begin replacing signs in May and June. They have to change everything with Utah Valley State College on it from the floor of the gym to freeway signs. Michaels said the process hasn't begun yet because the school doesn't officially change for almost seven months.

"You don't want to do it too early because we're really not Utah Valley University until July 1," Michaelis said.

Sederburg said the school is in the process of changing many of its formal policies from community college standards to policies that are university worthy. For example, professors who want to achieve tenure may have to demonstrate more of an ability to keep on top of their scholarship and a commitment to the community. The school will also have to learn how to recruit and retain students better, build a bigger honors program and offer more degrees.

Val Peterson, UVSC's vice president of administration legal affairs, said the next priority for the school will be an expansion of the science building. Right now the school has 2,200 science majors and a general education science requirement.

"The current facility we have was not designed for that kind of throughput," Peterson said.

The new building being proposed is a 140,000-square-foot, $52 million dollar project. It should ease congestion if approved.

"We have a real space crisis on campus," Sederburg said. "We're out of faculty office space. Our classrooms are totally booked between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m."

After that, UVSC is looking for money for faculty paychecks and to purchase land near the school.

As for the UVU of the future, Sederburg is laying out a plan for 2018. He said there are two issues, one is becoming a regional university that is known for community engagement. The school is seeking a Carnegie Foundation classification for Community Engagement. The distinction would mean that UVU has demonstrated that its commitment to the community is mutually beneficial for the school and the community.

The second priority is taking UVU into the future. Sederburg said the university expects to expand to 30,000 students, two more campuses -- one in north Utah County and one near Payson -- as well as expanding master's degree programs and increasing athletic and academic standards.

"It's really to be recognized nationally as an outstanding, high-quality institution and known for this engaged scholarship that we're promoting," Sederburg said.

He also said the campus could look different in 2018. He talked about a new entrance to campus and expanding west of Interstate 15.

But for now, everything is going as scheduled and the party planning has begun.

Martin said the celebration will be an all-nighter, starting June 30. There will be fireworks and dancing.

"It's a Monday night so we're encouraging the whole community to bring out the family," Martin said.

The celebration will be like a New Year's Eve party with a balloon drop at midnight.

• Brittani Lusk can be reached at 344-2549 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it