Introducing The Larry H. and Gail Miller Entrepreneurship Program at Southern Utah University

The Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation has pledged $2.1 million in support of Southern Utah University’s entrepreneurship program. This extraordinary gift follows a $1.5 million donation to build a central meeting space for entrepreneurs at SUU, named the Larry H. and Gail Miller Center for Entrepreneurship. It is located in the beautiful new Dixie Leavitt School of Business.

Larry H. and Gail Miller

Utah has a long and proud history of producing outstanding entrepreneurs. Any serious attempt to document the greatest entrepreneurs in the history of Utah would include the names Larry H. and Gail Miller. Some of their accomplishments include ownership of the Utah Jazz, 55 car dealerships, the Salt Lake Bees, the Megaplex theater chain, KJZZ-TV, Vivint Smart Home Arena, and many others. Despite all this, Larry H. and Gail never lost track of who they were prior to success and remained principled, honest, and extraordinarily charitable in both public and private. Today, the legacies of Larry H. and Gail Miller are known not only for business success, but for an uncompromising commitment to doing good in the communities where they conduct business—especially as it relates to improving health and education. People of all backgrounds would do well to follow their examples, and entrepreneurial-minded students at SUU will now have a unique opportunity to learn about their lives.

Larry H. and Gail Miller

Guiding Principles

The three guiding principles of the Larry H. and Gail Miller Entrepreneurship Program at SUU are educate, experience, and elevate.

Educate

Students learn how to start, run, and exit a business, as one would expect. However there are some aspects of the program that are unique to SUU.

  • The entrepreneurship program is a campus-wide resource, and students from 30+ majors take entrepreneurship courses.
  • The Entrepreneurship Minor is the fastest-growing minor on campus
  • The entrepreneurship program supports students with small, lifestyle businesses and “big exit” goals.

Experience

Southern Utah University is committed to experiential education—the idea that some things cannot be learned in a classroom and can only be learned by doing.

  • By starting businesses, students will gain valuable insights into business, the economy, and their own strengths and weaknesses. This is true for both ventures that are successful and those that are not.
  • All entrepreneurship classes include some hands-on, real-world learning.

Elevate

The program is committed to cultivating a sense of meaning and purpose in students’ lives, not just improving students’ financial standing.

  • The Entrepreneur Leadership Council is a group of carefully vetted mentors at SUU who have demonstrated the capacity to be financially successful while remaining principled, honest, and charitable.
  • Students study the lives of entrepreneurs of good character, past and present, including Larry H. and Gail Miller.

Scholarships and More

The Miller donation will support a variety of entrepreneurship initiatives at SUU that reflect Larry H. and Gail’s values and priorities.

  • Scholarships. Students interested in learning more about entrepreneurship, and especially students who are already entrepreneurs, will be eligible for generous scholarships.
  • Cross-curricular education. No discipline has a monopoly on entrepreneurial thinking. The Miller donation supports cross-curricular initiatives.
  • Free Enterprise. Larry H. Miller was deeply grateful for the free enterprise system that allowed for his success, and he was committed to preserving it for future generations. Speaking to aspiring entrepreneurs, he said, “You have to be involved in the health of the country and community…You have to protect the freedoms you have. You can’t assume they’re always going to be there.” The Miller donation supports educating student entrepreneurs to understand and protect the freedoms that allow new ventures to flourish.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

The Miller donation adds tremendously to an active and energetic entrepreneurial ecosystem at SUU that includes the following:

  • An incredibly popular Entrepreneurship Speaker Series with weekly visits from the likes of Mitt Romney, John Pestana, Cat Hoke, and Amy Rees Anderson.
  • A full-time Entrepreneur in Residence for walk-in student consultations
  • Business idea competitions and business plan competitions
  • Monthly trips across the Intermountain West that allow students to hone their pitch skills, network, and receive specialized training
  • A lively student-run entrepreneurship club

Like the Millers

Like the Millers, many SUU students come from little, and also like the Millers, many of them dream of accomplishing more than anyone expects of them. Now, thanks to the generosity of the Miller Family, SUU students have both great role models and the resources to help them achieve success as entrepreneurs.

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Entrepreneurship