Institutes, Centers, and Initiatives
Gain real-world experience and develop your leadership skills.
The Eccles School hosts several Institutes, Centers, and Initiatives that provide students with the opportunities to participate in research, gain real-world experience in internships and fellowships, and network and travel with the broader community. Whether it’s managing a $1,000,000 portfolio, participating in a impact-investing internship, working on projects in Ghana, strengthening your leadership skills, researching and helping to craft policy, or starting your own business, the possibilities to grow, gain experience, and make a difference, are endless.
Institutes
Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute provides independent economic, demographic, and public policy data, as well as research and analysis to support informed decision-making throughout Utah and beyond.
Student Opportunities:
- Undergraduate scholarships
- Business Scholar internship program
- Graduate student assistantships
Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute
Lassonde Entrepreneur InstituteLassonde Entrepreneur Institute is a nationally ranked hub for student entrepreneurs and innovators at the University of Utah. Whether you want a deep dive or only have an hour, Lassonde has something for all students wanting to learn how to become a founder, creator, or change-maker.
Student Opportunities:
- Live, Create, Launch at Lassonde studio
- Grants, workshops, makerspace, expert mentors, scholarships, and more!
- Lassonde+X three-course academic program for all undergraduate majors
- Lassonde Founders undergraduate residential scholarship program
- Summer at Lassonde program
Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis
The Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis provides transformational, interdisciplinary opportunities for students in fields related to economics.
Student Opportunities:
- Quantitative Analysis of Markets & Organizations (QAMO) major
- Webinars, conferences, and events
Sorenson Impact Institute
Sorenson advances the understanding and application of free enterprise principles to create scalable, sustainable societal change. They create innovative, data-driven approaches to difficult social and public health challenges.
Student Opportunities:
- Internship opportunities in data science, impact investing, policy, and storytelling
- Work with the Social Innovation Fund, a White House initiative, to manage the nationwide Pay for Success program
Centers
Center for Business, Health, and Prosperity
The Center for Business, Health, and Prosperity promotes societal advancement by integrating value-creating innovation and entrepreneurship with health-enabling practices in pursuit of economic, social, and political well-being. The center is a place where faculty, staff, students, and partners gather to engage in and advance prosperity science that improves the quality of life in communities around the world.
Student Opportunities:
- Prosperity Scholars student experience
- Prosperity Science Internship opportunities in Ghana
- Undergraduate and graduate coursework with travel opportunities to Ghana
Goff Strategic Leadership Center
The Goff Strategic Leadership Center builds a bridge between the classroom and community for all University of Utah students. Each Goff experience is anchored in hands-on learning; we work with organizations across the world to provide students transformational learning opportunities.
Goff utilizes real projects and experiences as a catalyst for both student and organizational growth. Goff students actively contribute to the growth and success of companies and community organizations, all while building critical strategic leadership skills.
Student Opportunities:
- Experiential learning through the Scholars, Trailblazers and Explorers programs
- Programs and events open to all majors to build strategic leadership across academic disciplines
- Building a community of strategic leaders
Ivory Innovations
Ivory Innovations is championing breakthroughs and providing support to companies striving to find ways to alleviate the housing affordability crisis. Students will tackle this real-world dilemma by researching cutting-edge technologies and coming up with new and innovative solutions.
Student Opportunities:
Ivory-Boyer Real Estate Center
Ivory-Boyer Real Estate CenterThe Ivory-Boyer Real Estate Center prepares the next generation of leaders in real estate through academic programs, degree options, executive education programs and the Utah Real Estate Challenge.
Student Opportunities:
- Undergraduate and Graduate Real Estate Challenge Competitions
- Travel abroad opportunities
- MRED student mentorship program
Stena Center for Financial Technology
Sorenson Center for Discovery & Innovation Studies
The Sorenson Center for Discovery & Innovation Studies is a dedicated research center for the David Eccles School of Business. They support post-doc fellowships, faculty research, research conferences, and high-level policy work.
The Student Investment Fund (SIF) allows student to manage a $1 million portfolio of exchange-listed equities, ETFs, and money market investments.
Initiatives
AdThing Utah
Developed by the Eccles School and supported by Student Media, AdThing is a real, creative ad agency that works on real projects with real clients, under real professionals.
Student Opportunities:
- Hands-on creative experience
- Ad development for real clients
- Professional mentorship
Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative
The Eccles School is one of only 11 U.S. schools offering this initiative. Students engage in building solid, principle-based ethical frameworks for decision-making in complex business environments.
Student Opportunities:
- Undergraduate Ethics Case Competitions
- “Rising Star” Internship
- Ethical Leadership awards and events
Global Value-Based Healthcare
The Value-Based Healthcare Initiative is a holistic approach to measuring value in healthcare. The full healthcare system journey of a patient or population is taken into account as outcomes are tracked across the continuum of care.
Student Opportunities
- Regular webinars and symposiums
- Value based healthcare speaker series
- Annual symposium
Initiative on Government Improvement
The Initiative on Government Improvement helps the government and its multisector partners become more efficient and effective through education, analysis, and innovative solutions.
Kahlert Initiative on Technology
The Kahert Initiative on Technology is focused on creating the most digitally literate students in the world regardless of degree.
Student Opportunities
- Digital Literacy Certificate 7-course program
- “Cyber-Summer” 12-week course experience
- Internships
Student Investment Fund
The Student Investment Fund (SIF) provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to manage a $1,000,000 portfolio of exchange-listed equities, ETFs, and money market investments. Students perform both individual and group research projects, learn about various analytical techniques, and make presentations before leading finance practitioners.
Student Opportunities
- Student run $1,000,000 Investment fund
- Open to Finance and QAMO majors