The donation from the Miller Family Foundation will support a new building to house experiential learning program. The image above is a rendering of what that building may potentially look like.
LOGAN – Utah State University’s Jon M. Huntsman School of Business has made experiential learning, or learning by doing, its focus for the next decade.
USU will soon have a home for that burgeoning program with the announcement Monday by the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation of a gift of $2.5 million to support a new building for the program.
Previously, the Miller Family Foundation gifted the Huntsman School $4 million to support programs aimed at preparing students with the skills and attributes needed in today’s fluid business environment.
The new building will be located adjacent to the School of Business campus in Logan.
“We have made a conscious effort of putting students and their success as our top priority. We know experiential learning works,” said Huntsman School Dean Douglas Anderson. “Over the past decade and more, we have invested significant resources to recruit world-class faculty, build a world-class facility, and worked hard at refining and improving the curriculum our students learn in the classroom.”
Research has shown that students who have the opportunity to engage in hands-on experiential learning are more likely to land work after graduation and be engaged and excited about their jobs. The new building will house Huntsman’s expanding experiential learning programs and create room for new initiatives, like a program aimed at supporting female students and a new Analytics Solutions Center.
“Our family is committed to advancing these important initiatives because we believe education unlocks doors and enriches lives,” said Gail Miller. “We are grateful for our partnership with Utah State University and the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business and look forward to seeing the advancements in our communities that result from these experiential learning opportunities.”
Originally established in 1889 as the second oldest business education program west of the Mississippi River, the Huntsman School at USU develops well-rounded and hard-working business leaders. A faculty of over 100 professors are experts in their fields.