Higher Ed Utah

(UtahPulse.com) — The University of Utah and Governor Gary Herbert have entered into a partnership to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship during the week of Sept. 26-30.

Activities revolve around the declaration by Governor Herbert, himself a former small business owner, declaring today the state’s official Entrepreneurship Day. That proclamation will be made 11:30 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda, followed by a reception hosted by the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.

The University, meanwhile, kicked off its focus on business development and innovation on September 24 with the Student Entrepreneur Conference. More than 225 student participants attended the sold-out conference at the Fort Douglas Officers Club.

Nicknamed the “Beehive State” for its focus on industry, Utah’s educated, innovative and industrious population is reflected in the U’s top ranking for creating startup companies. The University’s David Eccles School of Business was ranked 16^thamong Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 25 best undergraduate entrepreneurial programs in 2011.

“What sets our programs apart from others in the country is our commitment to providing students with real-world experience in leadership, creative business planning and practical operations,” said Taylor Randall, dean of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. “Our students team up with experts, private equity managers and successful business creators to learn how to plot the commercial potential of start-up companies they envision.”

Governor Herbert’s declaration recognizes the critical role entrepreneurship has played in the state’s economy, where 98 percent of Utah’s small businesses have payrolls of less than 100 employees. Those companies account for 56 percent of total employment. In conjunction with his declaration, the governor is also inviting companies and organizations to share their plans to celebrate entrepreneurship during the week by visitingwww.business.utah.gov/eday. More…