We’re back with season 9 of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast. This season, we will be talking with alumni for more stories of the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on their lives and careers. In this episode, host Frances Johnson talks with Jonathan Campbell, a third-generation alumnus of the Eccles School, Eccles Advisory Board member, and generous donor. Jonathan shares the rich legacy of his family's connection to the University of Utah, reveals the values instilled through this multi-generational tie, and discusses how ongoing education and alumni support have benefited both his career and his family business. Jonathan also emphasizes the value of scholarships, continuous learning initiatives, and the symbiotic relationship between companies and the university for driving mutual growth and success. Tune in for an inspiring start to the new season, highlighting the long-lasting impact of Eccles alumni. Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm. Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Episode Quotes: What truly makes the Eccles School unique [09:00] I think this is a huge differentiator of the Eccles School: this focus on experiential learning and not just what are we delivering students in a classroom, as far as, like, theory, right? Theoretical learning, but what opportunities are we giving them to apply what they're learning immediately in real-world scenarios so that when they come out of college and they're living in those real-world scenarios, they know what to do because they haven't just learned, but they've practiced. I think that's really something that makes the Eccles School very unique. On why investing in people is the smartest business strategy—and how the U helps make it possible. [10:01] Well, I'm a big believer in the fact that the success of your people really determines the success of your company. And what you invest in your people is how you create a competitive advantage. And it's how you improve and develop those people that lets you get to new heights as a company and get better and better results. And when it comes specifically to the U, we realize that we couldn't do it alone. Now, we have an in-house, what we call Wheeler University. We have our own in-house training program, which is great. And we do a lot of things on performance management, on technical training for our technicians, but we also know that there are some limitations on what we can do and what skill sets we have in-house. And so, as we were looking at, how do we expand the training capacity that we have to fill the needs that we have, you know, the thought just came, “Well, why not just use the U?” And not so much just use them, it's, we have this amazing resource with these experts. Why not go tap into that? Scholarships don’t just fund education—they fuel belief. [17:24] If by making what ends up being a relatively small investment financially to someone allows them to go make a difference in the world, in some way, shape, or form, I think we're a whole lot better off for it. You know, you look at the amounts of the scholarships; it is not funding their entire education. It's not necessarily something that's going to be this make-or-break moment for them, but if it gets them a little closer to their objective, to the finish line, to where they can really start doing something great for someone else, I do believe that the knock-on effects are pretty significant. The vision for Eccles’s future [22:27] And so, I think, you know, there's a lot of really good things going on, which are really exciting. But it all, kind of, goes back to that value proposition where it's the right cost for the students, the right support is there, they're going to get the right degree, and they're going to come out being able to make an impact very, very quickly for the employers. There's a concept that we look at with our employees when we bring someone on board. We look at the time to value. How quickly can that new employee start to add value to the company? There's always gonna be an onboarding time, and it takes some time for them to get fully ramped up, but if we can have a student come out of the Eccles School with a shorter time to value, meaning they're contributing in a very meaningful way to their employer than any other school, then they're going to be the top pick for the employers. And they're going to make the right amount of money. They're going to get into the right industries and the right jobs. And I think we're very, very well-positioned to do that today, but do that even better going forward. So, that’s what really excites me. Show Links:Jonathan Campbell | LinkedInCampbell Companies | AboutDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine
