This past school year, the David Eccles School of Business Launched the Master of Business Creation (MBC) program, which was designed specifically with entrepreneurs and startup companies in mind. The original founding class consisted of 26 students and 20 startups, with classes, meetings, and grades specifically geared toward driving the startup’s success. 

In an article on universitybusiness.com, Thad Kelling articulates how the global pandemic affected the up-and-coming graduate program. While MBC itself is specifically designed to adapt to the changing needs of students and the business environment, the founders could not have imagined the reality of the adaptation that ultimately would need to occur. When the pandemic hit in March, causing all University of Utah classes to transfer online, the students in the newly formed MBC program had to not only adapt to the steep learning curve of technology but also support their startup businesses in keeping afloat during an economic panic. 

However, when lead faculty member of the MBC program Jack Brittain turned the pandemic into an academic learning experience for the entrepreneurs, the program only improved as its content transferred online. The MBC program began to offer new brainstorming sessions with panels of faculty and business experts where they presented what their severe business challenges were, and the panel helped the founders to address them. 

Even once the world approaches our new normal, Brittain says that these strategies will still continue to be implemented in order to make the program even better in the years to come.

If you are interested in reading more articles on the MBC’s adaptation to the pandemic, here is an earlier article from Biz Ed magazine.