In this episode of Case Studies, Casey sits down with Taylor Randall, the 17th president of the University of Utah and former dean of the David Eccles School of Business. With a background as a distinguished economist and academic leader, Taylor brings deep insight into what it takes to lead major institutions through growth, innovation, and cultural transformation. He shares the leadership principles that guided his decade-long transformation of the Eccles School into a nationally recognized and fast growing business program, and discusses how those same values now shape his presidency at the University of Utah. The conversation explores how to build momentum in complex systems, why fast decision making matters, and how to lead with both humility and urgency in high stakes environments. Casey and Taylor unpack topics ranging from academic innovation and public university strategy to entrepreneurship, economics, and the future of higher education. 00:00 | Welcome & Introduction to Taylor Randall 01:14 | Growing Up at the University of Utah 03:10 | Early Career at Arthur Andersen 05:01 | Wharton Years & Ambitious Peers 06:13 | Academic Curiosity & Consulting for MLB 07:34 | Why Chaos Creates Opportunity 08:31 | PhD Research on Global Operations Strategy 10:27 | Turning Down Chicago to Return to Utah 11:27 | Venture Fund & Breaking the Classroom Model 13:37 | How AI Disrupts and Enhances Higher Ed 14:42 | Launching Lassonde Studios & Student Startups 16:59 | Building Immersive, Purpose-Driven Experiences 18:50 | Early 2000s Venture Fund Success & Lessons 20:31 | Inspiration Behind the Entrepreneurial Institute 21:57 | Reimagining the Classroom-Incubator Hybrid 22:07 | Teaming Up with Futurists and Architects 23:39 | Becoming Dean During the Financial Crisis 24:18 | Privatizing the Business School Model 27:36 | Program Innovation & Specialized Master’s Degrees 30:48 | Education as a Confidence Catalyst 32:25 | Mentorship, Mistakes & Growth Moments 34:59 | Considering Life After Academia 36:15 | Presidential Application Process & Headwinds in Higher Ed 38:33 | Interviewing for President During COVID 40:13 | Behind Utah’s Nationally Ranked COVID Response 43:36 | Lessons from the Pandemic Response Team 45:43 | Understanding the University of Utah as a $9B Enterprise 47:02 | Medical Education, Research, and Clinical Trials 50:36 | Breakthroughs in Neurobionics & HIV Prevention 52:04 | University-Owned Businesses & Innovation Ecosystem 53:16 | Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Impact on Utah County 54:50 | Collaborative Vision Across Utah’s Higher Ed Institutions 55:22 | Proxima: Creating Healthcare Career Pathways 57:54 | UVU, First-Gen Students & The Promise of Education 59:11 | Executive Education & Adapting to a Changing Market 59:26 | The Future of College Sports & Athlete Compensation 01:03:20 | Sustainable Models for College Athletics Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
