Amid fanfare and accolades, ovations and orations, the swift stroke of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s pen changed education in Utah County by signing Senate Bill 70 into law. Students, educators and state and local leaders were on hand to celebrate at the Sorensen Center Grande Ballroom on Monday.

On July 1, 2008, Utah Valley State College will become Utah Valley University, joining Brigham Young University as the valley's second school with university status.

While supporters of the move say one of the great benefits of changing UVSC to UVU is the name emblazoned on diplomas, officials say that there is much more to UVU than a new name.

Huntsman said that old title of UVSC would soon be relegated to the status of "an anachronism ... out of time and out of place."

Legislators have approved $8 million in ongoing funding for the school. UVSC President William Sederburg said that the funds will go toward adding master's degree programs, as the market demands them, as well as increasing the number of full-time faculty and improving facilities.

The state funds, while crucial to UVSC's transition, are not the only funds that the school will be using to become a university. Philanthropist Ira Fulton was on hand to celebrate the governor's actions. Fulton spoke of the private fundraising efforts of UVSC and his matching donations. Fulton said UVSC has raised more than $10 million.

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said he will be seeking to increase the funding for UVU to $10 million per year in ongoing funding.

Legislators and UVSC officials said that the institutional name change reflects the changing needs of Utah County's residents. During the legislative session, Sederburg often said that UVSC is responding to market demands, and that the market is demanding a second university to serve the students in the area.

Cameron Martin of UVSC's Institutional Development and Planning said that previous graduates of the institution, regardless of when they graduated, are welcome to come back and get a new diploma with "Utah Valley University" printed on it. Diplomas are a legal document, he said, and UVU is now the alma mater of previous graduates.

Former UVSC president Wilson Sorensen also was on hand for the signing. Sorensen has long been a champion of the trade school services that UVSC provides. Sederburg assured him and others in his speech that despite the change to university status, they would not forget the trades.

Sederburg, along with the Utah Board of Regents, has repeatedly given assurances that despite a status change, UVU will still fill a community college role. It will provide services including technical training, certifications and two-year degrees, in addition to four-year degrees and master's degrees.

Supporters touted the status change as an expression of quality. "This is a statement about academics," Sederburg said.

Similarly, Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, said, "This campus, this student body earned university status."

President Thomas S. Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also spoke at the occasion.

"I'm very pleased that we have what we have here. This is only the beginning; I can see that," he said. Monson also said that UVSC was the place for many great things for many people. "This is the place," Monson said, "It is the place."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.