We congratulate Utah Valley State College and its School of Business for making huge strides in meeting the challenges of an ever-more-competitive economy and for bolstering the region's competitiveness.

The Woodbury family donated $20 million, along with its name, to aid what will become the Woodbury School of Business as UVSC evolves into Utah Valley University. The funds will help the school hire and retain teachers, start a master's of business administration program and launch more programs, focusing especially on hotel development, real estate and entrepreneurship.

With Brigham Young University's Marriott School, the Woodbury School will give the valley two university-level programs for educating the managers, professionals and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. This is not only an impressive education resource for a metro area of this size but it will also surely generate new ideas, expertise and energy for the Utah economy.

The donation is the largest gift UVSC has received and the largest single gift the Woodburys have given. We salute the donors, including the estate of Richard Woodbury's late father, Wallace "Wally" Richards Woodbury; his uncle, Orin Woodbury; his brothers, Jeff and Lynn; and his cousin, Guy Woodbury.

The Salt Lake City-based Woodbury Corp.'s holdings include University Mall and Hampton Inn & Suites in Orem, and The Meadows shopping center and Utah Valley Business Park in American Fork. These investments have benefited the region, and this generous gift will help keep the valley prosperous.

"With the momentum building behind the college's transition to university status and with its recent accreditation, this is the time to make that $20 million contribution," said W. Richards Woodbury, president of Woodbury Corp. "It is our hope that the school will be on par with the University of Utah's and BYU's business programs in the near future."

UVSC's program is one of 42 undergraduate-only business schools to receive an accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The accreditation puts it in the company of some of the world's leading business schools, including the top 10 such programs in the United States, according to U.S. News and World Report. Accredited Utah business schools include those at BYU, the University of Utah and Utah State.

Pending approval from the school's board of regents, the School of Business hopes to offer an MBA program starting next fall. For the academic year that ended in June, the school had a total of 577 graduates, including 412 graduates with bachelor's degrees.

The development of the business school will nurture economic development in Utah Valley at a crucial time. It seems that on an almost daily basis the economy grows more competitive and challenging. This kind of growth benefits us all in the long run, building the area and national economy, and providing the education and expertise so vital in today's business world.

UVSC's story is inspiring. Since its founding as a vocational school in 1941, it has grown in size and expanded its mission to meet the economy's needs. Yet -- unlike colleges where research takes precedence over student needs -- it has kept its focus on teaching.

We don't expect that to change, or for UVSC's development to stop when it becomes UVU. The challenges to business and the community have never been greater, and we're confident that UVU will continue meeting the needs of students and the region in the years to come.