Three days after the presidential election – and one day before the Utah-BYU rivalry football game – Salt Lake Community College found a way to make its own news early last month with a groundbreaking ceremony for building renovations that will transform the Taylorsville school’s business building into a state-of-the-art facility.

“Supporting every student who walks through the doors of Salt Lake Community College’s Business School is an investment in their potential and their future,” business school namesake Gail Miller told a large audience at the Nov. 8 groundbreaking ceremony. “The vision of this building is to create a space where future business leaders can build essential skills, innovate and connect with the community. It is my hope this building becomes a place where dreams take root and possibilities become reality.”

Renovations to the business school became possible two years ago, when the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation donated $10 million to SLCC. It is the largest single cash donation ever received by the now 77-year-old school. It was announced at that time the renovated building would be renamed the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Business Building. Also, the school itself is now called the Gail Miller School of Business.

Dr. Trish Gorman is the inaugural dean of the Gail Miller Business School.

“This is a remarkable gift that will benefit our students, alumni and our surrounding business community,” she said during the groundbreaking festivities. “It provides far more than just a brick-and-mortar presence; it will be an accessible destination for learning and knowledge sharing, a welcoming space for community-building and networking and a gathering place for recognition and celebration.”

The renovated 67,669-square-foot building is anticipated to be completed by Fall Semester 2026. The structure will include high impact spaces including a Business Resource Instruction Center designed to serve more than 13,000 students annually. A new Market Street area will provide collaborative workspaces where students can bring entrepreneurial ideas to life. The building will also feature a rooftop event space and a 150-seat auditorium for lectures and guest speakers.

SLCC officials report, the Miller family is a long-time supporter of the school, dating back to family-sponsored student scholarships starting in the 1980s. In the early 2000s, the Miller family donated the land and buildings that now make up SLCC’s Miller Campus in Sandy.

Gail Miller has also served the college as a member of the SLCC Board of Trustees, as chair from 2013-2017 and as Trustee Emeritus since 2017. Additionally, since 2013 she has been the title sponsor of the Gail Miller Leadership Cup, an annual golf tournament that raises scholarship dollars for SLCC students. SLCC awarded Miller an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2008.

The Gail Miller Business School is the first business school in Utah – and one of only a few nationwide – named exclusively after a woman.

“This renovated building will provide many big opportunities for our students,” SLCC President Dr. Greg Peterson said following the groundbreaking ceremony. “We know this new state-of-the-art facility will allow growth in our business school to happen. This is, by far, the most exciting thing that has happened on our campus since I arrived. It’s not every day a new school president gets a brand-new building on campus.”

Last spring, Peterson was selected to replace outgoing SLCC President Dr. Deneece Huftalin, who announced her retirement following a decade at the helm. Becoming the school’s eighth president in 2014, Huftalin was the longest-serving female president in the Utah System of Higher Education.

As construction begins on the new building, SLCC is also actively seeking donations for naming rights to a variety of areas within the remodeled structure. These include the new business resource instructional center, the rooftop event area, the 2,320-square-foot auditorium and the Market Street area. Interested donors can learn more at slcc.edu on the SLCC Foundation page.