Process starts to create combined School of Economics

The University of Utah is going back to its history—launching a unified School of Economics.

As part of the university’s strategic effort to boost student success and workforce readiness, advance research prowess, and better serve the community, the Department of Economics in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (CSBS) and the QAMO Division in the David Eccles School of Business (DESB) will start an internal search for a common department chair this summer. Once that leader is selected, they will guide the transition of the two units to reintegrate academic economics at the U.

“This shift is a strategic decision to align our academic mission with the resources available to us, enabling us to invest in what matters most: student success, research excellence and societal impact,” Provost Mitzi Montoya and the deans of the impacted colleges wrote in a letter sent to economics faculty on April 17. “A unified school will give us a clearer path to connect curriculum, funding and faculty expertise in support of those goals.”

In December 2023, the university’s Board of Trustees asked for a comprehensive review of economics research at the U. Based on that analysis, as well as a survey of economics faculty from across campus, university leaders decided to start a process of reintegration, reversing the segmented evolution of economic specializations that started decades ago.

“The strategic combination of our two economic departments will dramatically improve the value we provide students while simultaneously accelerating the positive, sustained impact the university has both socially and economically on our state,” said Trustee Randy Shumway. “This collaboration unlocks new avenues for scholarship and research, enabling our valued faculty to have more broad reaching, meaningful consequence.  This is a pivotal improvement that demonstrates the university’s commitment to deliver excellence in education, opportunity, and innovation.”