The groundbreaking celebration of the new Impact & Prosperity Epicenter was an event befitting this exciting new campus landmark. Campus leaders including David Eccles School of Business Dean Rachel Hayes, and University of Utah President Taylor Randall, were joined by Epicenter anchor donors Bob and Lynette Gay and Jim and Krista Sorenson, to don hard hats, pick up shovels, and officially launch the university’s newest experiential living-learning space.

The Impact & Prosperity Epicenter is a one-of-a-kind multidisciplinary hub for innovation at the University of Utah, developed in cooperation with the Center for Business Health and Prosperity, Sorenson Impact Center, and the David Eccles School of Business.

The building will lay a new foundation for students to innovate, impact, and inspire, by combining experiential learning spaces with much-needed campus housing. As President Randall told the crowd gathered at the groundbreaking event, this new building — and the experiences it will create for students — represent the very soul of the university. Here are some other takeaways from the event:

  • Steve Alder, executive director of The Center for Business Health and Prosperity said that while the road to the building’s groundbreaking was not an easy one, everyone’s resolve to make a difference was stronger — and the new Epicenter will help the university and its students do exactly that.
  • Donors Bob and Lynette Gay shared their vision, that the Epicenter will be a place that gives the word impact real meaning, and makes it a reality here and around the world.
  • Geoff Davis, CEO of the Sorenson Impact Center (SIC), said the mission of SIC has always been to help students put impact at the center of all their decision-making. The new Epicenter will multiply that mission and bring it to more students than ever before.
  • Donor and SIC founder Jim Sorenson also shared his vision for the new building — and the programs and experiences that will be housed there: that it will create the highest learnings related to impact and prosperity, and then share those across the globe.

And now that the party is over, the real work is just beginning! You can learn more about the Impact and Prosperity Epicenter and the learning and living options that will be available here. You can follow the progress of the Epicenter and get live updates about what’s going on here.